On the edge of Central and South Asia, the Afghan Pamirs conjure up the impression of an extraordinarily ‘remote’ borderland. Perhaps the lasting outcome of their colonial delineation, the place continues to be regarded in terms of closure despite foreign interventions – including a major 1978 outmigration. The image of endangered Kyrgyz nomads trapped on ‘the Roof of the World’ informs action beyond global headlines. In this talk, Tobias Marschall examines the persistence of these old Great Game and Silk Road tropes amidst the extreme pressures of the 40+ years of war and conflict that affected even Afghanistan's supposedly remotest corner.

Bio: Tobias Marschall is an anthropologist and photographer. His PhD thesis (The Graduate Institute, Geneva/2021) will consider the image of remoteness along Afghan Kyrgyz migration paths in north-eastern Afghanistan. Between 2015 and 2019, he grounded his visual ethnography in walking the rugged terrain of the Afghan Pamirs, in attending migrants' Central Asian nodes and in participating in their online extension. Tobias’ portfolio can be viewed here: https://www.tobiasmarschall.com