The Impact of Relative Deprivation on Social Accommodation Among Ethnic Groups in Afghanistan

Gulab Shah Amani

Volume 7 Issue 1 | Jun 2024

DOI: 10.31841/KJSSH-7.1-2024-69

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Abstract

Afghanistan is a multi-ethnic country, and this characteristic is perceived as a significant factor contributing to many issues and crises in the country. One of the critical variables in the formation of ethnic conflicts in this country has been the sense of deprivation among ethnic groups. Therefore, examining the relationship between the sense of deprivation and social-ethnic accommodation is of utmost importance. The present research was conducted with the aim of sociologically elucidating the impact of the sense of deprivation on the social accommodation of ethnic groups in Afghanistan. The study employed a survey method using a researcher-made questionnaire. The target population for this research included all adults aged 20 to 50 in Kabul city, representing the four major ethnic groups: Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, and Uzbek, with an estimated population of around one million. Multi-stage cluster sampling was used in the study, and according to Cochran's formula, 1,055 individuals were selected as the research sample from the population. Descriptive findings of the research indicated that the level of social accommodation among respondents was above average. Additionally, there was a significant difference in social accommodation between respondents of different ethnicities and religions. Other results showed a positive and significant relationship between respondents' literacy level and age with social accommodation. Moreover, a significant negative correlation was found between the relative sense of deprivation and social accommodation. Regression analysis results demonstrated that the sense of relative deprivation had a significant impact on inter-ethnic social accommodation in Afghanistan. This variable alone explained about 2% of the variance in the range of inter-ethnic accommodation. The overall conclusion of this research suggests that a sense of relative deprivation exists in the relationships and equations among ethnic groups, and there is a need for scientific and practical programs and policies to reduce this sense.
Keywords: Social accommodation, Ethnic diversity, Social deprivation, Ethnic groups in Afghanistan.