TY - JOUR
T1 - Afghanistan and multiculturalism in Khaled Hosseini's novels
T2 - study of place and diversity
AU - Agnello, Mary F.
AU - Todd, Reese H.
AU - Olaniran, Bolanle
AU - Lucey, Thomas A.
PY - 2009/6/12
Y1 - 2009/6/12
N2 - Purpose The purpose of this paper is to frame Khaled Hosseini's novels, The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, as literature to expand and enhance the American secondary curriculum with multicultural themes based on Afghanistan as a geographical and cultural place in a dynamic, diverse, and complex world more mediated than ever before by computer technologies. Design/methodology/approach The methodological approach to the study is a synthesis of geographic education grounded in the concept of place and diversity pedagogy. Findings Khaled Hosseini's web site has become the cyber place where hundreds of readers from around the world come to express their deep emotional reactions to The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. At the same time, that so many diverse international readers are responding favorably to Hosseini's novels, his works are being censored in classrooms in the USA. The research outlines geographical and cultural geographic features of Afghanistan – a place torn by military efforts of several nations. In the context of diversity pedagogy, the power of the novels portrays “difference,” yet humanity in need of understanding. Further attention is given to the censorship of ideas in American education, with Hosseini's books as one example. Originality/value This paper frames Hosseini's novels as placebased literature illustrating the homeland of Afghanistan now more accessible than ever before to international and US classrooms.
AB - Purpose The purpose of this paper is to frame Khaled Hosseini's novels, The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, as literature to expand and enhance the American secondary curriculum with multicultural themes based on Afghanistan as a geographical and cultural place in a dynamic, diverse, and complex world more mediated than ever before by computer technologies. Design/methodology/approach The methodological approach to the study is a synthesis of geographic education grounded in the concept of place and diversity pedagogy. Findings Khaled Hosseini's web site has become the cyber place where hundreds of readers from around the world come to express their deep emotional reactions to The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. At the same time, that so many diverse international readers are responding favorably to Hosseini's novels, his works are being censored in classrooms in the USA. The research outlines geographical and cultural geographic features of Afghanistan – a place torn by military efforts of several nations. In the context of diversity pedagogy, the power of the novels portrays “difference,” yet humanity in need of understanding. Further attention is given to the censorship of ideas in American education, with Hosseini's books as one example. Originality/value This paper frames Hosseini's novels as placebased literature illustrating the homeland of Afghanistan now more accessible than ever before to international and US classrooms.
KW - Afghanistan
KW - Cultural studies
KW - Education
KW - Literature
KW - Multicultural societies
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84940101277&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1108/17504970910967546
DO - 10.1108/17504970910967546
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84940101277
SN - 1750-497X
VL - 3
SP - 96
EP - 111
JO - Multicultural Education & Technology Journal
JF - Multicultural Education & Technology Journal
IS - 2
ER -