Language as Power: Taliban Linguistic Nationalism and the Marginalization of Dari in Post‐2021 Afghanistan

ABSTRACT

This study examines how language policy functions as an instrument of political authority and social exclusion in Afghanistan following the Taliban's return to power in 2021. Drawing on linguistic nationalism and Gramscian cultural hegemony, the research argues that the marginalization of Dari and promotion of Pashto operate not through centrally coordinated policy but through calculated ambiguity: In the absence of formal directives, institutions interpret and anticipate the government's preferences, producing a cumulative, uneven, yet systematic reshaping of the public linguistic landscape. Employing a qualitative approach, 45 visual materials were analysed. Findings show Pashto's rising visibility and Dari's reduced presence function as markers of exclusion, reconfiguring national belonging through everyday institutional practice rather than explicit decree—demonstrating that linguistic dominance is normalized not despite the absence of formal policy but because of it.