Critical Discourse Analysis of Post-9/11 Pushto Poetry

Abstract

The global discourse on security, identity, and ideology changed after the 9/11 attacks on the USA in September 2001. This was not only a turning point for the USA but for the whole world, particularly for Muslim countries such as Afghanistan and Pakistan, which are generally highlighted. The USA wanted to start the war against terror in the world, so the War on Terror ideology gained ground across the globe. Moreover, the War on Terror started in Afghanistan and also in Pakistan, mostly in the Pashtun areas. This war affected the whole life system of the Pashtun community. Pashto language and literature were highly affected by the War on Terror because language is like a mirror that reflects the ideology of society. The study of post-9/11 Pashto poetry is very important in order to find the usage of language in a society and how it functions in a specific context. This research elaborates on the in-depth analysis of the selected poems of Darwesh Durani, Ali Akbar Sial, and Sabir Ali, which are related to war discourse. This article analyzes the macro and microstructure, the impact of war on literature, and Pashto poetry ideology after the 9/11 attacks when the USA started the War on Terror. Van Dijk’s (2009) Socio-cognitive Approach of Critical Discourse Analysis is applied to explain the underlying factors and ideologies of the selected text. The results show many changes, which include changes in literature from one period to the next, the war’s impact on the poetry of a language, and changes in the ideology of literary themes.