Editing Afghans (section)

===Usage as an ethnonym===
The pre-nation state, historical ethnonym [[Afghan (ethnonym)|Afghan]] was used to refer to a member of the Pashtun ethnic group. Due to the changing political nature of the state, the meaning has changed, and the term has shifted to refer to the [[national identity]] of people from Afghanistan of all ethnicities.<ref name="auto">{{Cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/johnson/2011/09/21/ask-johnson-afghans-afghanis-afghanistanis|title=Ask Johnson: Afghans, Afghanis, Afghanistanis|date=September 21, 2011|newspaper=The Economist}}</ref><ref name="Kieffer">{{cite web |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/afgan-in-current-political-usage-any-citizen-of-afghanistan-whatever-his-ethnic-tribal-or-religious-affiliation |title=Afghan |first=Ch. M. |last=Kieffer |publisher=[[Encyclopædia Iranica]] |quote=From a more limited, ethnological point of view, "Afḡān" is the term by which the Persian-speakers of Afghanistan (and the non-Paṧtō-speaking ethnic groups generally) designate the Paṧtūn. The equation Afghans = Paṧtūn has been propagated all the more, both in and beyond Afghanistan, because the Paṧtūn tribal confederation is by far the most important in the country, numerically and politically. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131116233835/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/afgan-in-current-political-usage-any-citizen-of-afghanistan-whatever-his-ethnic-tribal-or-religious-affiliation |archive-date=16 November 2013}}</ref><ref name="ABCBBCARD">{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/images/PollingUnit/1083a1Afghanistan2009.pdf |title=ABC NEWS/BBC/ARD poll – Afghanistan: Where Things Stand |pages=38–40 |work=ABC News |location=Kabul, Afghanistan |access-date=29 October 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628130800/https://abcnews.go.com/images/PollingUnit/1083a1Afghanistan2009.pdf |archive-date=28 June 2011}}</ref>

From a more limited, ethnological point of view, "''Afḡhān''" is the term by which the [[Dari|Persian]]-speakers of Afghanistan (and the non-Pashtō-speaking ethnic groups generally) designate the Pashtūn. The equation Afghans = Pashtūn has been propagated all the more, both in and beyond Afghanistan, because the Pashtūn tribal confederation has maintained its hegemony in the country, numerically and politically.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Foundation |first=Encyclopaedia Iranica |title=Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica |url=https://iranicaonline.org/ |access-date=2022-05-02 |website=iranicaonline.org |language=en-US}}</ref>