Noah Coburn

Noah Coburn (@NoahSCoburn) is a political anthropologist at Bennington College, who focuses on political processes, including elections, in Afghanistan and elsewhere in Southasia. His most recent book, Under Contract: The Invisible Workers of America’s Global Wars, was published in 2018 by Stanford University Press.

Disputed poll, divided government?

Afghan election results will determine the prospect for peace talks.

Oct 03, 2019

Killed by contract

American wars, Nepali bodies and the price of the war economy.

Oct 08, 2018

Foothold in history

At Bagram Airbase, the withdrawal of American troops is in full swing and everything must go

Mar 02, 2016

Latest Articles

Pakistan embraces military rule without martial law

New laws have created jurisdiction for the military to operate at both federal and provincial levels of government, with serious implications for Pakistan’s already precarious federation.

Strains between Malé and the atolls in the Maldives

Forced migration, “development” pressures, political neglect and the climate crisis have assailed the Maldives’ less-populous atolls, eroding the country’s identity and driving thousands to the capital

Manipur’s conflict has harsh lessons for all of India’s Northeast

Rampant ethnic chauvinism of the kind that has shattered Manipur’s civil society is ingrained in communities across the Northeast

How Southasia and Oman intertwined

In ‘Sovereigns of the Sea’, the histories of Omani sultans in the age of empire speak to the interconnectedness of Southasia, West Asia and East Africa