Afghan Society and Representation of Hazara Identity in A Vizier’s Daughter: A Tale of the Hazara War through the Third Persona Theory

Abstract

This article explores the identity of the Hazara ethnic group in Afghanistan as depicted in the historical novel, A Vizier’s Daughter: A Tale of the Hazara War during the years of the catastrophic Hazara War in the reign of Amir Abdur Rehman Khan (1880-1901). The study investigates the identity of the Hazaras by employing the Third Persona Theory of Media & Communication Studies. This theory determines the Hazaras as the silenced and negated ethnic group offering them a category of identification. It lends space for the marginal group to be recognized and heard. It also explicates how through the process of internalization the Hazaras conceive their self-image as inferior slaves and the Afghan Pashtuns as the superior masters. This study applies the Third Persona Theory by employing the technique of textual analysis of the selected novel. The research design is qualitative and interpretive which is carried out by closely reading the text of the novel. The major findings reveal that the Hazaras in the novel are the Third Persona due to their marginal and negated existence. The theory provides a label to all the negated and silenced ethnic groups who experience suppression, and exclusion from public discourse, and the circle of humanity.  It aims to bring awareness to condemn ethnic violence, hatred, and stereotyping by producing a discourse that promotes inclusivity, peace, and love for all humanity. It fosters the unity of all human beings of the world regardless of their race, ethnicity, class, gender, religion, and nationality.