Abstract

Afghanistan is a multiethnic, multinational, multicultural, and multilingual state composed of diverse national, ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and religious groups, each possessing distinct histories, identities, and cultural traditions. However, since the consolidation of the modern nation-state of Afghanistan in the late nineteenth century, nation-building policies pursued by successive Afghan governments have largely been shaped around a centralized unitary state, and unitary ethno-national identity, and homogenization. These policies have sought to homogenize the country’s diverse ethnocultural identities into a singular national identity of “Afghan,” a term historically associated with the dominant Pashtuns. Consequently, official narratives of history, culture, language, art, and national symbols have largely reflected a Pashtun-Afghan perspective, while the identities and contributions of other ethnocultural groups, such as Uzbeks and Turkmens, have often been ignored, marginalized, and misrepresented or vilified. Following the return to power of the Taliban in August 2021, the political and cultural marginalization of non-Pashtun communities has intensified. Turkic groups, particularly Uzbeks and Turkmens, have faced further exclusion from political power and public life, while their languages and cultural expressions have increasingly been removed from official narratives, educational institutions, media, and state publications. In addition, Turkic communities, like other minority groups, have experienced significant human rights violations, including land confiscations, forced evictions, and displacement from their homes and villages in northern Afghanistan, with their lands and pastures reportedly occupied by Pashtun settlers.

This paper examines the nation-building process and ethnocultural policies of successive Afghan governments and their impact on the ethnocultural identity, cultural expression, and linguistic rights of Turkic peoples, particularly Uzbeks and Turkmens in Afghanistan. Drawing on historical analysis and policy review, the study demonstrates how eliminationist, assimilationist, exclusionary, and integrationist approaches adopted by Afghan governments toward ethnocultural diversity have intensified interethnic tensions and hostilities and transformed Afghanistan’s ethnocultural diversity into deeper divisions and undermined inclusive state formation in Afghanistan. By analyzing these developments, the paper argues that long-standing assimilationist and ethnonationalist state-building strategies have contributed to persistent structural inequalities and the political marginalization of Turkic communities. The study concludes that sustainable stability and meaningful political participation in Afghanistan require a shift toward multicultural governance and accommodationist policies that recognize and protect the cultural and linguistic rights of all ethnocultural groups, including Turkic peoples.