Centuries of Oppression: A Comprehensive Advocacy Campaign for the Hazara Genocide in Afganisthan

Centuries of Oppression: A Comprehensive Advocacy Campaign for the Hazara Genocide in Afganisthan

Presenter(s)

Darla Hastings, Claire Kelly, Illiana Jones, Matthew Ostermueller, Jillian Tore, Emily McNamara, Katherine Bardine, Ashya Moore, Estela Casas, Lydia Artz

Comments

Presentation: 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m., Kennedy Union 211

Description

Based on collaborative work with the World Hazara Council (WHC), this panel presents the work of the International Studies (INS) Senior Capstone project. The project focused on the centuries of persecution and genocide faced by the Hazaras, an ethnic group in north-central Afghanistan. As a class, we advocated for the recognition and increased awareness about the persecution and genocide against the Hazaras. The Hazaras practice Shi’a Islam and are recognizable through their Asiatic appearance. Considering that Afghanistan is a predominantly Sunni country and dominated by the Pashtun ethnic group, Hazaras have faced ongoing discrimination. The recent withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan, which enabled the Taliban takeover of Kabul in 2021, has further compounded the atrocities faced by the Hazaras For instance, the Kaaj Education Center in Kabul was bombed on September 30th, 2022. This resulted in the death of 58 students, most of whom were young Hazara girls, and injured 110 others. By means of intentional conversations, our advocacy work included: the United Nations to recognize the crimes against the Hazaras as a genocide; raising scholarship funds for Hazara women; organizing petition signings and letter writing campaigns; disseminating information through social media, and lobbying government officials to increase visas for the Hazaras. This work has enabled us to closely engage with structural obstacles faced by marginalized communities, intersectional approaches to advocacy work, and understanding patterns of discrimination. Considering the limitations of the semester, as INS students we brought the situation of the Hazaras to light in various forms. Together we hope this work can continue beyond us and in other such areas of the globe.

Publication Date

4-19-2023

Project Designation

Capstone Project

Primary Advisor

Simanti Dasgupta

Primary Advisor's Department

Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work

Keywords

Stander Symposium, College of Arts and Sciences

Institutional Learning Goals

Diversity; Scholarship; Practical Wisdom

Centuries of Oppression: A Comprehensive Advocacy Campaign for the Hazara Genocide in Afganisthan

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