“Vending distorted Afghanistan through patriotic ‘anthropology’” by M. Jamil Hanifi

While the evident purpose of this essay was to brutally take down Thomas Barfield — an American anthropologist whose main focus over the course of a number of decades has been on Afghanistan and whose doctoral thesis happened to be on the culture of Northern Afghanistan (quite an eccentric topic) — page 262 of this essay mentions my great-grandfather on my mother’s side, Aseel Khan Waziri. However, the author fails to mention that Aseel Khan first led a militia which fought the British during the ‘Third Anglo-Afghan War.’ But when the ‘Third Anglo-Afghan War’ ended, Aseel Khan worked with the British to overthrow a Northern militia which occupied Kabul amidst the power vacuum that occurred at the end of the ‘Third Anglo-Afghan War.’ With British support, Aseel Khan overthrew the Northern militia which occupied Kabul amidst the power vacuum that occurred at the end of the ‘Third Anglo-Afghan War” and then Aseel Khan installed the monarch (Nadir Khan) whose family ruled Afghanistan for the next fifty years or so. Perhaps a cool little fact for readers who are interested in knowing more about my family background, family history, and my personal identity.