In the fall of 2001, the American photojournalist Paula Bronstein traveled to Afghanistan on assignment for Getty Images to document the U.S-led “Occupation Enduring Freedom” in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Captivated by the indomitable resilience and spirit of the Afghan people and the rugged beauty of their country’s landscape, Bronstein has made Afghanistan her mission ever since. She has returned to the country repeatedly over the past 14 years to document the lives of the Afghan people against the backdrop of a brutal and protracted war. Her work goes beyond war coverage to reveal the full complexity of daily life in what may be the most reported on, yet least understood country in the world. The result is an intimate photographic portrait of this war-torn country’s people spanning 2001-2015. With empathy born of the challenges of being a female photojournalist working in a conservative Islamic country, Bronstein gives voice to many Afghans who remain silenced by Taliban repression, particularly women and children. Her body of work is gathered together for the first time in Bronstein’s new monograph Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear, published last month by University of Texas Press.
Paula Bronstein, Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear
$55
University of Texas Press
http://utpress.utexas.edu/
http://www.paulaphoto.com/
Book signing at the Bronx Documentary Center, in New York
October 6, 2016, 7pm
http://bronxdoc.org/
