The Hazaras and the Afghan state : rebellion, exclusion and the struggle for recognition

The Hazaras of Afghanistan have borne the brunt of many of the destructive forces unleashed by the establishment of the Afghan monarchy in 1747. The history of their relationship with the Afghan state has been punctuated by frequent episodes of ethnic cleansing, mass dispossession, forced displacement, enslavement and social and economic exclusion. Mostly Shia in a country dominated by Sunni Muslims, and identifiable because of their Asian features, the Hazaras became Afghanistan's internal 'Other'. They look different and practice a different school of Islam in a country that is prone to internal conflict and the machinations of external powers. The history of the Hazaras therefore offers a unique perspective into the deep contradictions of Afghanistan as a modern state, and how its ethnic and religious dynamics continue to undermine the post-2001 political process. This volume provides a fresh account of both the strategies and tactics of the Afghan state and how the Hazaras have responded to them, focusing on three key phenomena: Hazara rebellion and resistance to the intrusion of the Afghan state in the nineteenth century; the incorporation of the Hazara homeland into Afghanistan in the 1890s and their subsequent marginalization and exclusion; and the Hazaras' ethnic mobilization and struggle for recognition in recent decades. The Hazaras Of Afghanistan Have Borne The Brunt Of Many Of The Destructive Forces Unleashed By The Establishment Of The Afghan Monarchy In 1747. The History Of Their Relationship With The Afghan State Has Been Punctuated By Frequent Episodes Of Ethnic Cleansing, Mass Dispossession, Forced Displacement, Enslavement And Social And Economic Exclusion ... This Volume Provides A Fresh Account Of Both The Strategies And Tactics Of The Afghan State And How The Hazaras Have Responded To Them.-- Machine Generated Contents Note: The Ethnic Landscape Of Afghanistan -- The Modern State And Ethnic Politics In Afghanistan -- War-centric And State-centric Explanations -- The Argument And Approach Of This Book -- The Structure Of This Book -- 1. Ethnic And Tribal Politics In Transition From Empire To Statehood -- Introduction -- Transition From The Durrani Empire To The Kingdom Of Kabul -- Internalisation Of Jehad And Conquest -- The Hazaras And The Durrani Rulers -- Conclusion -- 2. State-building, Violence And Rebellions: The Period Of Amir Abdur Rahman Khan, 1880 -- 1901 -- Introduction -- State-building And Rebellions -- Abdur Rahman Khan And The Hazaras The During The 1880s -- The Hazara War -- The Aftermath Of The Conquest Of Hazarajat -- Massacres And Destructions In The Course Of The War -- Conclusion -- 3. Niamatullah Ibrahimi. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 255-269) And Index. The Afghan State And The Hazaras, 1901 -- 1978: Afghan Nationalism And Policies And Politics Of Modernisation And Exclusion -- Introduction -- Continuity And Ruptures In The Historical Trajectory Of The Afghan State: 1901 -- 1978 -- Ethnic And National Conceptions Of Nationhood -- The State And Ethnic Power Relations In Hazarajat -- Shift From Hazaras' Traditional Local Rebellion To Modern National Protest -- Conclusion -- 4. The Rise And Fall Of A Clerical Proto-state: Hazarajat, 1979 -- 1984 -- Introduction -- The Origins Of The Shura: A State Within A State -- The Shura And Emerging Ideological And Political Conflicts Among The Hazaras -- Civil And Military Structure Of The Shura -- The Shura's Diplomacy -- Conclusion -- 5. At The Source Of Factionalism And Civil War In Hazarajat, 1981 -- 1989 -- Introduction -- The First Civil War Within The Clergy: Islamists Versus Traditionalists -- The Second Civil War: Islamists Versus Islamists -- The Rise Of The Military Class And Its Destabilising Role -- Conclusion -- 6. The Shift From Internal Wars Of Domination To National Struggles For Recognition: Hazaras And Ethnicisation Of Politics And War In 1990s -- Introduction -- The Shift From Internal Hazara Politics To National Politics: 1989 -- 1992 -- Hezb-e Wahdat And The Mujahedin Government -- Taliban, Re-conquest And Centralisation -- Resistance Or Collaboration: 1998 -- 2001 -- Conclusion -- 7. International Intervention, State-building And Ethnic Politics, 2001 -- 2016 -- Introduction -- The Ideals And Practices Of Ethnic And Political Pluralism, 2001 -- 2016 -- Responding To The Opportunities Of The Post-2002 Political Order -- Rewarding Violence In Distribution Of Development Assistance -- Conclusion -- Conclusion -- Revisiting The Main Argument Of The Book -- State-building As Historical Reconstruction. The Hazaras, numbering some 2.5 million, have for centuries faced persecution from Afghanistan's majority Sunni population -- politically, socially and economically. This book examines how and why.