Ethnicity, Paragon of power in Afghanistan (1747-2014)

Abstract

Ethnicity is an important element to culture and culture mainly is the invisible realm that has a crucial role in human life. Its vastness in range and its dominance in potential are the major factors making culture as a preponderant phenomenon with full occupancy potential in various fields of human’s life. Itis clearly portrayed in ethnicity inAfghanistan’spolitical history. Politics as the territory of power evolution had never been far from cultural influences. Particularly, ethnicity asa major cultural element hasbeen the axis of power.Ethnicity instrumentally served power in terms of power distribution, transition and legitimization which is the main concern of the topic. Therefore this article on the basis of historical case studies tends to elaborate ethnicity asa dominant cultural element that dramatically influencedpower in contemporary history of Afghanistan. Since(1747), there are strong historicalevidences describing ethnicity as an influential phenomenon, featuringpowerin contemporary history of Afghanistan.

Keywords: Ethnicity, culture, contemporary history, power