The Taliban's return to power in 2021 has created a context in which conventional political avenues for change have been severely constrained. Yet, across Afghanistan, diverse forms of non-violent resistance continue to emerge—from everyday acts of political defiance to more organized collective action. These resistance practices not only challenge the Taliban's authority but also advance spaces for dialogue, rights and justice, preserve social cohesion, and potentially create foundations for future peace and reconciliation processes. As in other conflict contexts, where activists have focused on documenting the atrocities committed against civilians in the hope that justice would be done after the war, Afghanistan’s civil society actors are engaged in preparatory work for eventual transitional justice processes.

The Taliban's particular religious legitimation, territorial control, and lack of domestic and international legitimacy create distinctive dynamics for both civil resistance and reconciliation that current theoretical models inadequately capture. While women's resistance has rightfully received significant attention, the broader ecosystem of non-violent action in Afghanistan remains undertheorized. This ecosystem includes active defiance, protest, public art installations, sit-ins, online campaigns of solidarity, institutional resistance, musical performances, and other forms of civic resistance. This conference brings together scholars and practitioners to examine these diverse manifestations of resistance and to develop theoretical frameworks that can better account for their dynamics, motivations, and potential contributions to peace and reconciliation.

Conference Structure and Themes

The conference will be structured around four interrelated themes:

Panel 1: Theorizing Resistance Under Authoritarianism as Pathways to Peace

This panel examines the features of resistance under a regime that claims its legitimacy through religion, focusing on how such resistance might contribute to long-term peace. Conventional theories of non-violent action have largely developed from studying secular authoritarian contexts, where resistance typically appeals to democratic values, human rights, or nationalist sentiments. Under the Taliban, resistors navigate a more complex discursive environment where religious counterarguments, cultural authenticity claims, and appeals to alternative interpretations of Islamic governance all play fundamental roles. The panel invites papers that develop frameworks better suited to understanding these dynamics and their potential for creating peaceful change.

Key themes:

• Religious discourse as both a constraint and resource for resistance and reconciliation
• Culturally embedded forms of resistance beyond Western civil society models and their peace potential
• Comparative perspectives from other religiously justified authoritarian contexts that achieved transitions to peace
• The role of international normative frameworks such as human rights, gender equality, or freedom of speech in local resistance narratives and peace discourse

Panel 2: Diverse Manifestations of Non-violent Resistance and Their Contributions to Social Cohesion and to Winning Rights

This panel explores the empirical reality of resistance practices across different sectors of society, examining how various groups transform ordinary practices into acts of political significance that maintain social bonds. Rather than focusing only on overt protest—often difficult under extreme repression—this panel examines how "everyday resistance" becomes embedded in professional activities, cultural production, economic transactions, and everyday social interactions that subtly challenge Taliban authority and aim for winning rights while preserving the social fabric necessary for future reconciliation. The panel welcomes papers addressing:

• Reappropriation of religious spaces and discourse for resistance purposes and dialogue
• Resistance through cultural production and artistic expression that envisions peaceful futures
• Resistance through workplace practices and professional ethics that maintain institutional integrity
• Economic resistance through alternative market formations and economic survival strategies that build community resilience
• Digital and transnational resistance networks connecting domestic and diaspora actors in preparation for peace processes
• The role of clandestine women's "peace circles" and psychosocial support groups
• Youth-led digital activism and its potential for documenting abuse while mobilizing international support
• The region by region variations in Taliban enforcement that create localized opportunities for resistance

Panel 3: Peacebuilding and Reconciliation in the Shadow of Authoritarianism

This panel focuses specifically on non-violent processes, strategies, and initiatives aimed at fostering peace and reconciliation under conditions of religious authoritarianism. It examines both formal and informal efforts to build peace, resolve conflicts, and prepare for eventual reconciliation despite the challenges posed by the Taliban regime. The panel invites papers that consider how peace can be conceptualized, pursued, and measured in such contexts though non-violent means.

Key themes:

• Community-based reconciliation initiatives that operate under political radar
• Religious and traditional approaches to conflict resolution that maintain relevance under the Taliban
• The role of education and intergenerational dialogue in building cultural foundations for peace
• International engagement strategies that support domestic peacebuilding without undermining local agency
• Conceptual frameworks for understanding "pre-transitional justice" and preparatory reconciliation work
• Documentation initiatives as foundational work for future transitional justice processes
• The failure of past elite-led negotiations (Bonn, 2014 transition, Doha) and lessons for more inclusive approaches
• The role of public acknowledgment from former leaders in creating space for broader accountability
• The tension between immediate harm reduction and long-term justice pursuits

Panel 4: Memory, Justice, and Imagined Peaceful Futures

This panel examines how resistance practices connect to broader conceptions of justice and alternative peaceful futures. Under conditions where formal transitional justice mechanisms are unavailable, how do acts of documentation, commemoration, and cultural production serve as informal justice processes that might contribute to eventual reconciliation? How do resistors form and maintain a vision of alternative futures when immediate change seems remote? This panel explores how resistance is sustained through practices that preserve collective memory, maintain values threatened by the regime, and nurture imagined possibilities for peace beyond current realities.

Key themes:

• Documentation as resistance and preparation for future  reconciliation: recording abuses when formal justice is absent
• Memory work as political practice: preserving alternative values and histories that might inform peace processes through a form of transitional justice in exile
• Future-oriented resistance: education, archiving, and knowledge production as foundations for peaceful transformation,
• Grassroots reconciliation practices and their relationship to resistance against authoritarianism, including the creation of hybrid archives through memory culture
• The establishment of a unified diaspora coalition to advocate internationally
• Ways to address diaspora fragmentation to create more coherent platforms for advocacy
• The role of exiled media platforms in preserving public discourse despite Taliban censorship

Submission Guidelines and Details

• Conference Date: Mid-August 2025 (tentative)

•   Abstract length: Maximum 400 words
•    Location: Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs
•    Submission deadline: April 18, 2025
•    Email submissions to: afghanlab@princeton.edu
•    Notification of acceptance: April 30, 2025
•    Full paper deadline (if accepted): July 1, 2025 (maximum 4,000 words)

Conference Details

•    Date: Mid-August 2025 (tentative)
•    Location: Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs
•    Logistical Support: necessary travel cost will be provided for selected participants to attend the conference
•    Remote participation options available for those unable to travel

Publication Opportunity

Selected papers will be considered for publication in an edited volume or academic journal, with details to be discussed at the conference.
We welcome submissions from diverse disciplinary backgrounds and methodological approaches, particularly those that bridge multiple fields. For further information, please contact afghanlab@princeton.edu.