Community Conflict Research Articles

Gender, Education and Citizenship as Ideological Weapons of an ‘Army of Holy Women’ in Bengal: The Matua Matri Sena

This paper seeks to analyze the recent phenomenon of the development of a Matri Sena (literally, an ‘Army of Holy Women’) among the Matua sect of West Bengal, India. Historically known to have suffered caste-based untouchability and forced migration due to communal conflict, the Matua community’s current political motivations surround the issue of ‘refugeehood’ and Indian citizenship. Given this background, the emergence of the Matri Sena as a complex identity among a religion–caste–gender–nation nexus is oriented towards bipartite objectives: one, to actualize the gender-egalitarian ethos that informs Matua religious foundations, and two, to claim legal citizenship status for its community members precisely through a new gendered ideology. We argue that the women gurus of the Matri Sena are able to realize their religious/political aims by fashioning themselves as mothers of an ideal family, community, and by extension, the nation. In deploying their specific gendered ideological constructions, they enact their new roles as influencers in both private and public Matua lives. In such renderings, the woman guru’s mother-figure emerges as a political subject through crucial engagements with Matua religiosity on one hand, and dominant Hindu nationalist discourses on the other. In this article, we critically analyze ways in which the Matri Sena constructs a new maternal notion of religio-political power, and how such power furthers both collective Matua aspirations and contemporary national imaginations.

The application of the blue economy concept for traditional fisheries management in a conflict zone

Abstract. Bidayani E, Reniati, Priyambada A. 2023. The application of the blue economy concept for traditional fisheries management in a conflict zone. Indo Pac J Ocean Life 7: 143-147. The blue economy refers to an environmentally friendly management concept to ensure the sustainability of fish resources, considered an effective method in minimizing conflicts of interest in coastal areas. This study focused on one of the conflict zones in the Province of the Bangka Belitung Islands, located on the coast of Kebintik Village and Batu Belubang Village, Pangkalan Baru Sub-district, Central Bangka Province, Indonesia. This study aims to: (i) Analyse the implementation of the blue economy principles and (ii) Analyse the traditional capture fisheries management in conflict zones for sustainable fish resources. The research was conducted from June to July 2022. The population in this study includes traditional fishermen who have operated for more than one year in coastal areas, as many as 30 people and 30 people affected by the community's conflict. The research method of this study was a survey, while the data collection was conducted using census techniques and focus group discussions, generating both primary and secondary data. Primary data collection was conducted using a questionnaire, observation, and documentation. Meanwhile, secondary data collection was conducted through a literature study. The data analysis method used in this study is the descriptive method. The conclusions of this study are: (i) Implementation of blue economy principles, including resource efficiency, zero waste, social care, production cycle systems, investment, innovation, and adaptation, ranging from 86% - 100% or high category; and (ii) Traditional capture-fisheries management in conflict zones for sustainable fish resources which is considered as a compromise.

Patterning Constitutional Conflicts in the Church of Christ in Zimbabwe

This paper set out to analyse the patterning of conflict in the Church of Christ in Zimbabwe (COCZ) with the introduction of the Constitution; which has been described as an unfair proposition, given that conflict is inevitable in a postmodern society. Conflicts in communities have largely been caused by resource scarcity, group affinities, and poor leadership. The study used data collected from participants who were purposively selected to answer electronic questions posted on a WhatsApp group platform for this study. They were randomly chosen from the national fellowship of the COCZ pastors. The study observed that conflict was caused by the shifting centres of power through the adoption of the Somabhula Conference Centre. These conflicts thus bolster a deeper appreciation of Christian identity and mission in contemporary ecclesiastical circles. The data analysed revealed that there are three frameworks: concept, content, and composition of constitutions. It also revealed that conflicts in Zimbabwean churches happened in the Anglican Diocese of Harare; the Apostolic Faith Mission of Zimbabwe; the Baptist Convention of Zimbabwe and the Marange Apostles’ succession battles. Positively, conflicts have been observed to remove complacency among the leadership and followership. It concluded that citing the 2015 Constitution, therefore, becomes an unfair proposition as conflicts occurred in the history of mission churches in Zimbabwe inclusive of the conflicts in the COCZ history. This study contributes in a small measure to discussions around international best practices for resolving church conflicts. Keywords: Constitutions, Conflicts, Conflict Resolution Mechanisms, Church of Christ in Zimbabwe

Spatial Policy on Environmental Management in Gayo Lues Regency

Spatial planning policies must align with environmental policies to increase security and comfort, productivity, and harmony in the natural environment. This paper aims to identify and analyze the application of spatial planning policies to environmental management in Gayo Lues Regency because several community conflicts still need to carry out their business following the regulations that apply to both spatial planning and environmental policies. This study collected data through interviews with the spatial planning and environmental services and the community and business actors using a qualitative method. In addition, data collection also uses documents. The analysis technique is based on an interactive model of data collection, data reduction, presentation, and conclusion. The study results show that Gayo Lues Regency already has excellent and synergistic regulations between spatial planning and the environment. However, implementing this policy is still not optimal, so several violations by the community are found, such as disposing of waste oil indiscriminately. Some of the obstacles to implementing these policies consist of two factors. 1) External factors where some people need a high level of concern and low awareness to protect the surrounding environment. 2) From internal factors that the government itself needs to maximize in disseminating policies or is still negligent in providing educative information to the public related to protecting the environment.

Analytical method to improve the decision-making criteria approach in managing digital social channels

This study explores the decision-making process involved in managing digital communities in the digital social channel ecosystem, specifically in the context of antagonistic digital communication and harmful content dissemination. The rise of digital communities in social media has changed the way people interact with each other, form communities, and participate in social activities. However, these interactions can also lead to conflicts, and the dissemination of harmful content can pose a risk to users' information security. This research proposes a method to mitigate these issues and optimize efficacy while minimizing potential hazards. The proposed method is based on the analysis of the information situation in the management of digital communities under conditions of complete uncertainty, antagonistic behaviour, and partial uncertainty. The study examines the decision-making process involved in antagonistic interaction among users of digital social channels. The methods proposed in this research were implemented to prevent the adverse consequences of community conflicts and the dissemination of potential risks to the security of users' information through prompt and efficacious decision-making. The proposed strategy optimizes efficacy through the implementation of the Wald criteria while minimizing potential hazards by adhering to the Savage criteria. Additionally, the Hurwitz criteria, which presents a balanced approach incorporating both the maximum and minimum criteria, was also employed. The methods were tested within the online community present on the social media platform, Facebook social networks, and the results demonstrate that the suggested technique improves the effectiveness and validity of managers' decisions in digital communities. The study also highlights the use of social networks and the virtual sphere as tools for hybrid warfare on the internet, which can be effective. Effective community management is necessary to mitigate the negative effects of online interactions, and the proposed method offers a valuable tool for managers to make informed decisions and prevent adverse consequences.

Prevention And Resolution Of Social Conflict In Coastal Communities In Indonesia

Prevention And Resolution Of Social Conflict In Coastal Communities In Indonesia

Explanatory model of the psychosocial variables related to the social acceptance of a uranium mine project in northwest Spain.

The demographic growth and the development of the welfare system have been accompanied by an important social dilemma between preserving nature or promoting energy development by assuming the benefits and risks of both proposals. This research attempts to address this social dilemma by analyzing the psychosocial factors that influence the acceptance or rejection of a new uranium mining development and exploitation project. The main objective was to test an explanatory theoretical model of uranium mining project acceptance, based on the interrelation of sociodemographic variables (e.g., age, gender, economic and educational situation, and level of knowledge about uranium energy) and cognitive variables (e.g., environmental beliefs, risk, and benefit perceptions), along with the activation of an emotional balance in response to the proposal of constructing a uranium mine. Three hundred seventy-one individuals responded to the questionnaire about the variables included in the model. The results showed that older participants showed lower levels of agreement with the mining proposal people, while women and those with greater knowledge of nuclear energy perceived greater risks and had a more negative emotional balance. The proposed explanatory model based on sociodemographic, cognitive, and affective variables showed good fit indices for explaining the assessment of the uranium mine. Thus, age, level of knowledge, risks and benefits, and emotional balance had a direct effect on the acceptance of the mine. Likewise, emotional balance showed a partial mediation effect between the relationships existing between the perception of benefits and risks and the acceptance of the mining proposal. The results are discussed based on the consideration of analyzing sociodemographic, cognitive, and affective variables to understand potential conflicts in communities affected by energy projects.

Community well-being dimensions in Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo

The local communities living around national parks or areas like World Heritage Site (WHS) are crucial stakeholders to such settings. Their well-being needs to be unraveled so that the holistic management of the national park is in good condition to stabilize its status as WHS through the support and empowerment of the community. Numerous studies have been conducted on the biodiversity and geology of Gunung Mulu National Park (GMNP), but the community psychology aspect that is the foundation of conservation efforts has not been addressed. Therefore, this study aims to examine the community well-being dimensions in terms of environment, economics, social aspects as well as authority intervention based on the perspective of the local community and professionals with an emphasis on the current issues in GMNP. Quantitative and qualitative approaches were used in this study through a questionnaire to 99 local communities, and individual interviews that were conducted in GMNP and four nearby villages. Data were analyzed descriptively with four themes: environment; economics; social; and authority intervention. The findings showed that locals were satisfied in residing area in terms of environmental conditions. However, it does not reflect the actual situation, i.e., river water cloudiness, wildlife threat, degradation of wetlands, and solid waste issues are still happening. The constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic portrayed that they were very dissatisfied with their monthly income, which is very low compared to before. In terms of social, the services and facilities, especially treated water and electricity need improvement. It also noted that authority intervention especially related to road proposal, financial and skills assistance, and community conflicts could influence locals’ support for the planning and policies implemented in the national parks or WHS areas. This study suggests that relevant stakeholders should emphasize bottom-up approaches by considering aspects of community well-being that stem from multiple dimensions in order to achieve holistic national park management.

Communal Conflict and Socio-economic Development Process in Nigeria: Evidence from Ukum and Shitile Communities in Sankara Benue State.

Communal Conflict and Socio-economic Development Process in Nigeria: Evidence from Ukum and Shitile Communities in Sankara Benue State.

A History of the Pastoral Way of Life in the Awash Valley, Ethiopia

The main objective of this seminar paper is to explore pastoral way of life in the Awash Valley. It is well known that pastoralism is a way of life mostly found in Africa that is based on raising livestock and using mobility as a fundamental technique for livelihood development and risk management system. In Ethiopia, there are a total of twenty nine pastoralist group. Yet, this seminar paper focuses on Debne Afar, the Karrayu, Arsi, Ittu, Jile, and Issa-Somali, the six pastoralist groups traditionally inhabiting on the Awash valley. Many research studies are conducted around pastoralism in Ethiopia by depending and explaining on the conflict between pastoralists, economic activities, and those prone to drought. However, the present seminar paper wants to fill a gap in providing a detailed examination with historic narratives available documents on the way of life and interaction of pastoralists in the Awash valley, conflict and traditional resolution mechanisms, government policy towards pastoralists, assess drought and traditional mitigation measures, which are the main focus of this paper. The survey of literature is restricted to the published secondary materials of books, reputable with peer reviewed journals, articles and unpublished materials of report, MA thesis and PhD dissertations that have been available to this writer to date. In conclusion, there are certain aspects of the pastoralist way of life that lessons can be drawn from their practices, unlike other pastoralist groups. Afar was able to found an organized local state of Aussa in 1577 AD under the leadership of Mohammed Jassa around Awash valley, still local clan leaders continued old administrative functions. The Karrayu pastoralists also began to intermingle and intermarry with Ittu pastoralist communities in the study area for a long period of time. There are a number of frequent conflicts in pastoral communities. However, the major conflicts are Afar agains. Karrayu and Afar fight Issa-Somali clan was dominant ones. vis-à-vis of their conflict most pastoralists in the Awash valley in thier long history have been able developed traditional conflict resolution mechanisms such as the Ittu Oromo have had belief systems known as Abarsa and Kakku, the unwritten rangeland pastoral law of the Issa–Somalia clan, also known as Heer Issa, and the Afar pastoralists also have a strong traditional clan leader named Finna.

Traditional Administrative System and Community Development in Nigeria: Roles and Relevance of Traditional Institution in Local Community Development

Recently, the 1999 Nigerian constitution has been unavoidably silent on specific roles for traditional rulers in the country. Thus, traditional institutions play a crucial part in policy development and implementation in the country. Consequently, the lack of constitutional roles for traditional institutions severely limited their utility at the grassroots. The study assesses the roles of the traditional administrative system of selected communities in Osun State towards the integration of traditional core values into mainstream administration in Nigeria and also assesses the relevance of traditional institutions in managing inherent conflicts of the selected communities in Osun State. The study engaged qualitative research through key informant interviews and in-depth interviews. The findings showed that traditional institutions in Nigeria play active roles in the development process in the country. Despite their difficulty, the roles were more visible in cultural dissemination and managing conflicts in the local communities. The study concluded that the traditional administrative system and structure had influenced community development in the southwest region immensely but are limited in function and operation largely by the absence of roles in the Nigeria constitution.

Edukasi Moralitas Anak: Kajian Atas QS. Luqman Ayat 12-19 Perspektif Tafsir Al-Misbah

Education is a humanizing process. This concept indicates that there is no education if morality is fragile. This article aims to analyze the narrative of surah Luqman verses 12-19, which contains essential themes in moral education for children. Through a literature study, data were obtained by searching written documents based on the text of the commentary of al-Misbah by M. Quraish Shihab. As for data analysis, the researcher used Spradley's notion of componential-taxonomy analysis to make finding meaningful and relevant themes easier. The results of this study found that the concept of moral education in surah Luqman contains content about monotheism, devotion to both parents, and calls for doing various virtues while trying to prevent evil. This study also found that in the text of surah Luqman, there are at least three main points of moral education: spiritual morals, individual morals, and social morals. This research contributes to a more contextual interpretation of educational discourse on children facing social realities in their future lives. At the same time, the concept of amar ma'ruf is education-oriented toward harmony, while nahi munkar is an educational effort oriented towards efforts to avoid communal conflict.

The role of religious and cultural education as a resolution of radicalism conflict in Sibolga community

This study aimed to investigate the role of religious and cultural education in solving radicalism conflicts that occurred in the Sibolga community in Indonesia. The method used in this research was qualitative with the type of grounded research. This study involved educational stakeholders and traditional as well as cultural leaders as informants in collecting data. These informants were chosen by using a purposive sampling technique. The data obtained in this study were qualitative data that were analysed descriptively by applying the data triangulation technique. This study’s results indicated that two elements were used as steps to resolve the radicalism conflict that occurred in the Sibolga community in Indonesia. The two elements were educational elements and cultural elements. The educational element played a role in building the students’ character and creating tolerance among religious communities to maintain unity and integrity among citizens. Cultural elements acted as controllers of differences in society with all customs that were binding in society.Contribution: This article contributes to the completion of solutions for the many perpetrators of religious radicalism involving students. The role of religious and cultural education as a resolution of radicalism conflicts. In fact, the conflict resolution steps taken through these two elements had been successfully implemented in the Sibolga community, Indonesia, as one of the areas affected by radicalism.

Civilian Protection Payment and the Escalation of Violence against Civilians in Northwestern Nigeria

AbstractHow do civilian protection payments to militias affect the dynamics of communal conflict? Building on the literature on communal conflict, civilian agency, rebel taxation, and criminal extortion, I argue that civilian protection payment is not a sustainable self-protection strategy. Civilian protection payment refers to an arrangement whereby communities pay levies to militias for protection against attacks, often buying temporary safety. Drawing on fieldwork in Nigeria’s conflict-ridden northwest region, I inductively build a theory that identifies two pathways that explain how protection payments transform into extortion and contribute to the escalation of militia violence: acquiescence or resistance. The acquiescence pathway shows how militias increase predation by demanding ever higher payments. The resistance pathway theorizes militias’ violent retaliation to punish communities that refuse to pay, instilling fear in communities that may be considering resisting and justifying their protection role for those communities that pay. The article improves our understanding of the unintended negative consequences of civilian self-protection and changing dynamics of conflict in northwestern Nigeria.

Nature of conflict and the prospect of traditional institutions of conflict resolutions in contemporary Africa: the Nigeria example

The paper underscores the nature of conflict and examines ethnic and communal conflicts in Nigeria. It proposes a mechanism for resolving ethnic conflicts, which melds the theory of conflict, conflict resolution, and peace-building with traditional African values. It also highlights the importance of empowering local community leaders with appropriate skills in conflict prevention, management, and resolution without recourse to external intervention. Given that the abandonment of ‘utility-laden’ traditional mechanisms of conflict resolution for foreign models mostly gave rise to the myriads of avoidable violent conflicts all over Africa, it becomes a desideratum to revive and promote hitherto traditional mechanisms of conflict resolution in Nigeria. The paper adopts the historical and analytical method of research deploying secondary data to achieve its aim. The paper in its little form contributes to the trajectory of alternative conflict resolution process of ethnic and community conflicts in Nigeria, which serves as a possible model for other African nations.

Geoheritage Threats in South African National Parks

The uniqueness and potential of South African geoheritage to contribute to sustainable development is undoubtedly unmatched. However, little is known about the geoheritage threats in South Africa because geoheritage research is geographically skewed to the global North, while little focus is given to the global South. This study characterises the geoheritage threats in South Africa through a qualitative method design. This involved qualitative semi-structured interviews with 16 key informants (from the South African National Parks, national government, local communities as well tour operators, and tourism agencies). Consequently, qualitative content analysis was performed to outline geoheritage threats in South African national parks. The study concludes that the construct of geoheritage threats consists of human- and nature-induced threats. The identified human-induced geoheritage threats include mining, damage to heritage, and loss of biodiversity due to overcrowding. Furthermore, results showed that incorrect management of geoheritage has the potential to cause community conflicts, which can lead to a decrease in tourists visiting the destination. The identified nature-induced geoheritage threats are climate change, floods, and fires. These results suggest the need for the immediate protection of geoheritage sites within and outside protected area in South Africa. Thus, it is necessary to develop protection strategies to conserve South African geoheritage for current and future generations that involve protection areas managers, local communities, government departments and agencies, and academia.

Social Conflict in Role-Playing Communities: An Exploratory Qualitative Study

Much of the current research in the field of role-playing studies focuses upon the positive impact that games can have on the lives of participants. Analysis of the more negative social interactions within role-playing communities becomes necessary in order to establish a more complete picture of the psychosocial effects of these games. This research describes potential problems within role-playing communities in order to aid groups experiencing cohesion difficulties. This thematic, qualitative ethnography describes the types of social conflict occurring within role-playing groups and examines possible sources for their exacerbation. The study includes several types of role-playing from a phenomenological perspective, including tabletop, larp, and virtual gaming. Semi-structured interviews were collected from a selective sample of 30 international participants gathered from vastly different play cultures. While the types of games and methods of play contributed to conflict in some instances, striking similarities between the experiences of players across modes, cultures, and genres were observed. Emergent themes for sources of conflict included general problems inherent to group behavior, such as schisms, Internet communication, and intimate relationships. Other sources of conflict unique to the role-playing experience included creative agenda differences, the game master/player power differential, and the phenomenon of bleed, both in- and out-of-game. Potentially conflict-inducing play styles included long-term immersion into character, campaign-style, and competitive play.

(Re)building Interethnic Relations Through Sharecropping in Post-Conflict Maluku

This article portrays the exchange of objects (trees), which creates trust and belonging between Butonese migrant farmer tenants, who are often Muslims, and Indigenous groups (landowners) in Maluku. The multifunctionality of trees and the flexibility of the land tenure system in Maluku have shaped the Butonese migrants’ sense of belonging and established their social and economic relations with the host society that provides the land. The ability of Butonese farmers to manage the landscape, especially by taking care of the trees, has made it possible for them to live consistently in Maluku for more than a century. Communal conflicts in the 2000s sought to expel them from the Maluku archipelago. Instead of returning to their origins in Sulawesi Island, their sense of belonging with the trees helped them to re-emerge and reconstitute mutual relations with their predominantly Christian Malukan landlords (tuan dusun).

The Battle between Community and Its Nonconformists —A Comparison between Sula and Emily in Their Relationships with the Communities

A community always expects conformity from its members. Any individual who challenges community norms will be coerced to conform via segregation or rumor. This paper compares community characteristics, community conflicts and effects of segregation and rumors of the protagonists Sula in Toni Morison’s Sula to Emily in William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily. Although the protagonists Sula and Emily act differently, they both suffer from community segregation and gossip. The tragedies of the two heroines illustrate the discipline and punishment a community inflicts upon its nonconforming members.

Conflict-Induced Shocks and Household Food Security in Nigeria

Conflicts such as the Boko Haram insurgency, herder–farmer conflicts, and armed banditry attacks are major concerns affecting the livelihoods and food security of households in Nigeria. In this paper, firstly, we reviewed and synthesized the nature, spatial extent, and implications of conflicts on food security in Nigeria. Secondly, using survey data and econometric models, we examined the effects of conflict-induced shocks, such as forced migration and fatality on household food security indicators. Our review shows that the underlying causes for the majority of violent conflicts in Nigeria are linked to competition for productive resources, economic inequality, and ethnoreligious tensions. Review results also indicate spatial variations in the nature and severity of violent conflicts in Nigeria. While the Boko Haram insurgency is prominent in the North-East, the North-Central is mainly exposed to herder–farmer conflicts, and there is a high prevalence of communal conflicts in the South-South region of the country. In terms of gender dimensions, women are more vulnerable to conflicts and shoulder more social and economic burdens than men. From our empirical analysis, we found that conflict-induced shocks such as forced migration, fatality, abduction, and injury significantly exacerbate the severity of food insecurity and deteriorate the dietary diversity of households. Conflicts also affect agricultural investment decisions with a negative consequence on future agricultural productivity and food security. Based on the findings, the key policy suggestions include the need for tailored interventions to resolve state or region-specific conflicts, policy interventions on property/land rights and livestock management systems to address herder–farmer conflicts, and targeted investments in building the resilience capacity of households.