The tool used to assess the availability of studies on afghanistans ethnic groups is the most recent edition of the afghanistan analyst bibliography, which covers sources from the late 1950s to the present. Thus, it is a transitional area where the hindko dialect, or language, is mostly spoken, with a little pashto and other languages. For over 300 years, they reigned as the dominant ethnic group in afghanistan with nearly all rulers being pashtun. Their main territory, sometimes called pashtunistan, by whom. The population of the country is divided into the following ethnolinguistic groups. Dec 31, 2009 is power in afghanistan returning to ethnic fault lines. That ethnic group accounts for between 40 percent and 50 percent of. Perceiving them as a formidable ethnic group, the pakistani establishment has. Apr 12, 2016 an approximate distribution of the ethnic groups is shown in the chart below. The tool used to assess the availability of studies on afghanistan s ethnic groups is the most recent edition of the afghanistan analyst bibliography, which covers sources from the late 1950s to the present. The border was established in 1893 via an agreement between abdur rahman khan, the emir or ruler of afghanistan, and sir mortimer durand, foreign secretary of the british raj. Sep 10, 2014 the tool used to assess the availability of studies on afghanistans ethnic groups is the most recent edition of the afghanistan analyst bibliography, which covers sources from the late 1950s to the present. What is most remarkable in the study of afghanistan s ethnic groups is the disparity in who gets studied and who does not.
The persianspeaking ethnic groups, as well as the turkic minorities, live in. A recent pashtun diaspora has also developed in the arab states of the persian gulf, primarily in the united arab emirates. More recently, the pashtuns gained global attention during the 1980s soviet war in afghanistan and with the rise of the taliban, since they are the main ethnic contingent in. Afghanistan is a multiethnic and mostlytribal society. They live mainly in the south and the east of the country. The pathan pashtun people form the dominant ethnic and linguistic community, accounting for just over half the population. Pashto is the native tongue of the pashtuns, the dominant ethnic group in afghanistan. The arabs introduced islam in the 7th century and the turks briefly made afghanistan the center of islamic power and civilization at the beginning of the 11th century. As stated in the description, all ethnic groups of afghanistan with the exclusion of a few very minor groups with no photographs or much information available. Based in kandahar in southwestern afghanistan, the taliban gained crucial early support from. This was a major shift in the balance of power in afghanistan wherein. They are the worlds largest tribal culture and the dominant ethnic group in afghanistan, but they have a reputation in the west as fearsome warriors from whom the taliban emerged. Pashtun the pashtun are the dominant ethnic group in afghanistan and account for over half of the population. They were the taino people, indigenous folks that had no way to defend.
In afghanistan, everything is divided according to population size of the ethnicities, he says. In terms of asian people, there is an abundance of ethnic groups in asia, with adaptations to the climate zones of the continent, which include arctic, subarctic, temperate, subtropical or tropical, as well as extensive desert regions in central and western asia. But the culture of pashtuns, the dominant ethnic group in eastern afghanistan, imposes so many restrictions on women, far more than islam, he says. The pashtuns ethnic afghans make up the largest ethnic group in afghanistan, comprising between 38% and 42% of the countrys population. Thomas barfield introduces readers to the bewildering diversity of tribal and ethnic groups in afghanistan, explaining. Ethnic identity and genealogies program for culture and conflict. Here youll find current best sellers in books, new releases in books, deals in books, kindle ebooks, audible audiobooks, and so much more. Afghans confront sensitive issue of ethnicity afghanistan is set to issue new national ids that will have a persons ethnicity embedded in it. If we talk about ethnic groups in haiti we wont find that many ethnicities there. Ethnic groups of afghanistan colonel by secondary school. Ethnic supremacy seeing revival in afghanistan asia times. Here youll find current best sellers in books, new releases in books, deals in books, kindle. Aug 14, 2011 according to 2010 data from the us department of state, the largest ethnic group in afghanistan is the pashtun including kuchis, comprising 42% of afghans. Hindkowans is a general term applied to the inhabitants of the hazara division of khyber pakhtunkhwa province of pakistan.
Such ethnic composition, with russians and jews the two dominant ethnicities, was common in most of lithuanias genuinely prosoviet institutions and organizations of the early 1940s. Despite a plethora of books about afghanistan in the last few years, a good book on the. Jan 18, 2020 back when ustad nadir was probably mapping his future life in mid20thcentury afghanistan, becoming a military officer was for pashtuns only, who held a monopoly on social privilege as the politically dominant ethnic group. Available also through the library of congress web site as a raster image. Pushtuns are the dominant ethnic group making up about 38 per cent of the population, followed by tajiks 25 per cent, hazaras 19 per cent, uzbeks 6 per cent and many other ethnic communities such as turkman, baluch, aimaq, qirghiz, nuristami, arab, hindu and others. Afghanistan traces the historic struggles and the changing nature of political authority in. Magazine article geographical a people forged in war.
French and german and does not take into consideration books and. Afghan afghanistan dar masiiri ahmad amanullah amir arab areas army authority azerbaijanis bahais baluch baluchistan bhutto british bureaucratic canfield central century clergy clerical conflict constitution cultural daoud dominant economic elite establishment ethnic groups forces foreign ghilzai ghubar habibullah hazaras identity ideology. The economist explains the roots of afghanistans tribal tensions. The vicepresident and cofounder of the afghanistan relief committee, and a professor of anthropology at indiana university, both stated that persons of the turkoman ethnic group live in the town of aqcha 16 feb. Pashtun, tajik, hazara, uzbek, aymaq, turkmen, baloch, pashai, nuristani, gujjar, arab, brahui, pamiri and a few others. The dominant ethnic group there is the pashtuns, who have experienced a long series of wars and other major disruptions since the 1970s. The taliban forced tens of thousands of shiite muslims to flee into the mountains during their. Especially those that enjoy targeting afghanistan in order to disrupt its ethnic diversity refering to readers from dubai, etc. Even though afghanistan had signed the 1946 universal declaration for human rights, the liberty, dignity and equality. Bahais baluch baluchistan bhutto british bureaucratic canfield central century clergy clerical conflict constitution cultural daoud dominant economic elite establishment ethnic groups forces foreign ghilzai ghubar habibullah. All told, 14 recognised ethnic groups live in afghanistan today. The races of afghanistan was written towards the end of, and shortly after, the second.
Both karzai and the taliban are pashtun, afghanistans dominant ethnic group, which makes up about 45 percent of the countrys population, writes galbraith, a former diplomat. Pashtuns distinguish between two main groups of elders. Measuring perceptions about the pashtun people center. Final afghan election results show hazara minority trumped dominant pashtuns. Life as one of the most persecuted ethnic groups on the. Tribalism is not a feature of every ethnic group in afghanistan.
May 08, 20 afghans confront sensitive issue of ethnicity afghanistan is set to issue new national ids that will have a persons ethnicity embedded in it electronically but not printed on it. Just south of the aral sea, the dominant ethnic group is the. Afghanistan ethnic origins and languages afghanistans web site. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
Is power in afghanistan returning to ethnic fault lines. Ethnic groups of pakistan simple english wikipedia, the. Afghanistans ethnic divides abubakar siddique senior correspondent covering afghanistan and pakistan for rferls. Afghanistan is a large country in south asia and is home to many different ethnic groups. Due to afghanistans multiethnic character, multilingualism is a common phenomenon. The crisis and politics of ethnicity in afghanistan. The pashtuns are a significant minority group in pakistan, where they constitute the secondlargest ethnic group or about 15% of the population. The types of diversity in asia are cultural, religious, economic and historical. Pir roshan is believed to have written a number of pashto books while fighting with the mughals.
Ethnic groups in afghanistan ethnic group 20042014 estimate pashtun 42% tajik 27% of this 1% are qizilbash hazara 8% uzbek 9% aimaq 4% turkmen 3% baloch 2% others pashayi, nuristani, arab, brahui, pamiri, gurjar, etc. This particular table was made by historian rimantas zizas, translated by true lithuania. In central asia, russians are found primarily in northern. The pashtuns pushtuns, who make up more then half the population, have traditionally been the dominant ethnic group.
Pashtuns they are also known as afghans and the name afghanistan translates to land of the afghans, equally meaning land of the pashtuns. The books homepage helps you explore earths biggest bookstore without ever leaving the comfort of your couch. The baltis are an ethnic group of tibetan descent with some dardic admixture in gilgitbaltistan, pakistan and ladakh. Afghanistan ethnic origins and languages afghanistans. Ethnicity, space, and politics in afghanistan scholarlycommons. On this map, both the baloch and pashtun ethnolinguistic groups straddle the 2640kilometer 1640mile border between afghanistan and pakistan, known as the durand line.
An approximate distribution of the ethnic groups is shown in the chart below. Their homeland lies south of the hindu kush, but pashtun groups live in all parts of the country. Dari, the language of the elite in afghanistan, is a dialect of modern persian. Afghanistan is home not only to several religious sects but also to a host of different ethnic, linguistic, and tribal groups. Pashtun make up the largest ethnic group in afghanistan, followed by tajiks, hazara, uzbek, aimaks, baloch, and others. Loosely associated persian tribes became a more cohesive political unit under the achaemenian dynasty. The population of afghanistan includes many different ethnic groups. The great majority of pashtuns live in the countryside, while the afghan cities are more influenced by persian civilisation and culture. In 1747, the pashtun, the dominant ethnic group in afghanistan, established their dynasty.
The most important ethnic group in afghanistan is the. Islamabad militants in pakistans most populous province are said to be training for what they expect will be an ethnicbased civil war in neighboring afghanistan after foreign forces. The pashtun element in afghan society openedition books. First columbus and other discoverers made original haitians extinct in less than a century. Tajiks, the countrys secondlargest group after pushtuns, are ancient too. The fragmented state of the more than 35 million pashtuns in pakistan and afghanistan is a key factor in this crisis. The history of afghanistan is a history of war and conflict even up to present day. A cultural and political history princeton studies in. As they gained control over the rest of the country in the 19th century, however, many of them settled in other areas too. Pakistan militants may be training for war in afghanistan.
In pakistan they mainly live in major urban centres of lahore, karachi and islamabadrawalpindi. Pashtun peoples are the largest ethnic group in the south of the country, while tajiks and uzbeks are concentrated along the norther borders, and the hazara in the central highlands. Back when ustad nadir was probably mapping his future life in mid20thcentury afghanistan, becoming a military officer was for pashtuns only, who held a monopoly on social privilege as the politically dominant ethnic group. The book, titled the second water bearer, compares ahmad shah masud. Measuring perceptions about the pashtun people center for. The pashtuns also pukhtuns or pushtuns, historically known as ethnic afghans or pathans, are. Ethnic groups and national unity in afghanistan by emadi. The ethnic groups have adapted to mountains, deserts, grasslands, and forests. The pashtuns founded the kingdom of afghanistan in 1747, and have been the dominant ethnic group in the country ever since. Afghanistan is set to issue new national ids that will have a persons. While they are the largest ethnic group in afghanistan and have been dominant in its politics for the past two centuries, it is only with the taliban taking power in kabul in 1996 that the pashtun have sought to impose their mores on other afghan peoples. Islam is the religion of more than 99% of afghanistans citizens.
They are divided into tribal and subtribal groups to which they remain loyal. Browse the amazon editors picks for the best books of 2019, featuring our favorite reads. Afghanistans urban gardens are changing womens lives. Pashtun, tajik, hazara, uzbek, baloch, turkmen, nuristani, pamiri, arab, gujar. The nation is composed of a multiethnic and multilingual society, reflecting. Afghanistans 2004 constitution recognizes 14 ethnic groups. The kharoti clan are the second largest ghilzai pashtun tribal group.
Nov 05, 2017 as stated in the description, all ethnic groups of afghanistan with the exclusion of a few very minor groups with no photographs or much information available. The study and understudy of afghanistans ethnic groups. Parallels eleven candidates are trying to replace hamid karzai in the april 5 election. Though their exact numbers are uncertain and as with other communities are contested, previous estimates have suggested that they make up around 42 per cent of the population. Thus, the dominant language in the cities is a persian dialect known as dari. Afghanistans urban gardens are changing womens lives asia. The area falls in between the proper pashtun districts of the province, the northern punjab and kashmir. According to 2010 data from the us department of state, the largest ethnic group in afghanistan is the pashtun including kuchis, comprising 42% of afghans. More recently, the pashtuns gained global attention during the 1980s soviet war in afghanistan and with the rise of the taliban, since they are the main ethnic contingent in the movement. What is most remarkable in the study of afghanistans ethnic groups is the disparity in who gets studied and who does not. The population of afghanistan is around 37,5,635 in 2019, which includes the roughly 3 million afghan citizens living as refugees in both pakistan and iran. Three girls from the hazara ethnic group sit in a cave in bamiyan, afghanistan on december 15, 2001. Formerly mixed areas of the afghan capital are becoming segregated as fears of civil war loom. But what is actually known about these ethnic groups in terms of their culture.
Like a number of other afghan ethnic groups, the pushtun extend beyond afghanistan into pakistan where they constitute a major ethnic group of about 14 million. Mar 16, 2011 the dominant ethnic group there is the pashtuns, who have experienced a long series of wars and other major disruptions since the 1970s. Pashtuns also called pushtan, paktun or pathan are the largest ethnic group in afghanistan. Which equatorial african country has no dominant ethnic groups. Their unity soon made them the dominant ethnic group in the region. The ethnic groups have adapted to mountains, deserts, grasslands, and forests, while on the coasts of asia, resident ethnic groups have adopted various methods of harvest and transport.
The dominant group in afghanistans polyethnic system is the pashtu speaking, which constitute up to 40% of the countrys total population liberman, 1980. He has spent the past decade researching and writing about security, political, humanitarian and cultural issues in pakistan, afghanistan, and the pashtun heartland along the border region where he was born. Ethnic composition of afghanistan afghanistan is a multiethnic country with an. Tribally organized, the pathan are concentrated in the east and the south. What little academic research has been undertaken about pashtuns during this period is sorely outdated. The professor said that a large number of uzbek people also live there. As the largest ethnic group in afghanistan anywhere between 42 and 60 percent of the population, pashtuns have been the. Afghanistan and pakistan ethnic groups national geographic. The country contains about a dozen ethnic groups, whose. Final afghan election results show hazara minority trumped.