About Arley Loewen Books
Dr. Loewen grew up in rural mid-West Canada, but Persian-Afghan culture has been his area of research for many years. In the 1980s, he studied Persian at a university in Pakistan and graduated with an MA in Persian Literature. He actually wrote his dissertation in Persian - an analysis on the ethics in the Gulistan of Shaykh Saadi of Shiraz. "Persian-Immersion" for sure. He and his wife moved to Toronto, Canada in 1989. Here he continued graduate studies and completed a PhD in Middle Eastern Civilizations, from the University of Toronto. For his thesis he analyzed the Persian hero - jawanmardi (literally: young manliness). This research helped him tremendously after he moved to Afghanistan in 2003, where he developed a leadership - management training program for Afghan professionals and students. He explored how modern leadership and management relate to shame / honor and patron-client societies. In other words, how can we be truly honorable leaders and managers. Now living in Canada again, he directs a multi-media project and teaches on cultural and faith issues, with a special interest on Christian-Muslim relations. Dr McMichael, an American physician, moved to Kabul during the Taliban era. She is the editor of Images of Afghanistan: Exploring Afghan Culture through Art and Literature and Enjoy Afghanistan, a popular orientation manual for expatriate workers, and the author of Pocket Medical Dari and Pocket Medical Pashto, language survival guides for expatriate health workers. She has written more than 50 radio dramas on women's issues and public health topics. For two years, she led a four-day orientation course for expatriates new to Afghanistan. As a dermatologist, her interests also include skin diseases, skin care, and umbrellas for sun protection.
