Published Paper Details:

Afghanistan is composed of diverse ethnic groups, religions, and languages, which makes its identity very complex. Afghanistan, being the site of major political tension and prolonged conflict, people often feel separated from their tradition and modern life, especially when they live in other countries as refugees or migrants. Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner is often interpreted through the lens of trauma, guilt, and migration. This paper instead considers the novel as a repository of Afghan environmental memory and eco-cultural identity. It argues that the author stages everyday practices like kite- fighting, oral storytelling, hospitality codes, foodways, and neighborhood sociability as identity-making rituals ecologically embedded that persist even during war and exile. This study employs qualitative textual analysis to explore how the characters' engagement with indigenous practices shapes their identity. It reveals how afghan cultural memories can serve as sources of renewal rather than symbols of loss, extending Hosseini's work beyond trauma toward a culturally ecocritical reading of Afghan resilience and belonging.