Ethnic Conflict Research Articles

Ethnic Conflict in South Ethiopia Regional State; Investigating the Intra‐Ethnic Conflict of Kusume in D'irashe Special Woreda

Ethnic Conflict in South Ethiopia Regional State; Investigating the Intra‐Ethnic Conflict of Kusume in D'irashe Special Woreda

‘People of the barracks’: Meta-beliefs of a migrant community in West Kalimantan, Indonesia

Literature discussing contents of meta-beliefs, or beliefs about other beliefs, and what effects they have on intergroup relationships, specifically among disadvantaged groups are rare. Our study aims to explore meta-beliefs among the resettled Sambas Madurese community, in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, who were affected by the 1999 Sambas Conflict. We adopted an ethnographic approach, with a three-month live-in duration, conducting interviews, casual conversations, and taking part in community activities. Our findings reveal two important contents of meta-belief held by the Sambas Madurese migrants: ‘people of the barracks’, and ‘evil and criminal’. As a disadvantaged group, the Sambas Madurese resort to more covert and subtle forms of resistance, mainly through reappropriation and daily life changes to disprove meta-beliefs. Here, reappropriation of those negative meta-beliefs, mainly linked to moral superiority, is employed. It is observed that the contents of meta-belief go beyond cognitive aspects, including strong emotive components and behavioral responses. Our study hopes to contribute to a discussion on intergroup relationships among host and disadvantaged migrant communities from ethnic conflict backgrounds.

Ethnopolitical Trends of Party Building in Kazakhstan and China

The role of political parties in multi-ethnic states is quite complex, as they should be focused not only on political governance at the level of the state as a whole, but also on promoting national unity in interethnic relations, forming tolerant cooperation and interaction between different ethnic groups. Aim. This article aims to take the operation and development of political parties in multi-ethnic countries such as Kazakhstan and China as examples to study the role of political parties and to study cases from the practice of their activities in maintaining national stability, promoting social harmony, and protecting the interests of small ethnic groups.Tasks. One of the tasks of political parties in multi-ethnic states is to integrate different social interests and ensure that all ethnic groups have a voice and are represented in the decision-making process at the national level.Methods. Comparative analysis is used to compare models of multi-ethnic governance in different countries or regions, and to analyze the role and effectiveness of different political parties in these models. This will help to understand the strengths and weaknesses of different governance models and identify best practices. It also analyzes the reasons for the successes and failures of different countries and political parties by analyzing their historical practices of multi-ethnic governance. This will help to understand how political parties have responded to ethnic conflicts and governance challenges throughout history.Results. The research paper pointed out that the policies developed and implemented by political parties in multicultural countries in support of the cultures of different ethnic groups, the protection and promotion of the languages, religions, traditions and cultural identities of different ethnic groups, comply with the UN standards and principles on these issues. However, as shown by the political and SWOT analysis of the statutory and program documents of the political parties in the countries studied, there are problems.Conclusion. Certainly, political parties are making efforts to ensure equal opportunities and access for all ethnic groups to the economy, education, employment and so on, in order to promote the creation of a fair and inclusive society, while ensuring the civil rights of minority ethnic groups, or as it is called in international legal literature “national minorities”.

Democratic self-determination and the need for deliberation

I offer in this paper a new conception of democratic self-determination. My proposal defends Rafanelli's peaceful reform intervention from the concern that we should not promote justice abroad, because it would interfere with the self-determining choice of other people to select an authoritarian government. I challenge this influential view of authoritarian self-determination. I argue instead that self-determination should be democratic in its input, or the procedure deliberating and voting on the constitution. Self-determination should also be democratic in its output, or the constitution's rules. Democratic self-determination offers three important advantages: it joins self-determination indivisibly with other inalienable human rights, such as the human right to racial non-discrimination. Second, it guards against the problem of the false mandate, or authoritarians attempting to legitimate their autocratic rule using rigged referenda and suppressed debate. Third, democratic self-determination reduces the risk of ethnic conflict given the diversity of actual states. Democratic self-determination passes the a ctual deliberation test, since it has been vindicated by inclusive deliberation with people from diverse cultures.

Public attitudes towards immigrants: A curious case of Croatia

AbstractThe Croatian population has been subjected to violent ethnic conflicts during the war in the 1990s and has more recently experienced large‐scale irregular and refugee migrations, as well as a notable increase in regular labour migration. Using data from the most recent wave of the European Social Survey, we have conducted an analysis of Croatian attitudes towards immigrants. Our study found that, despite Croatia's history of ethnic conflict and ongoing changes in its migration system, the Croatian population still exhibits relatively low levels of negative attitudes towards immigrants compared to other Eastern European countries. With regards to individual determinants of attitudes, one of the biggest surprizes is that political party preferences play a minor role in explaining attitudes towards immigrants. We discuss our findings and conclude that there is an urgent need for better theoretical and empirical framework for understanding illiberal tendencies in Eastern European societies, particularly within the current context of rapidly worsening security situation in Europe.

Identity Politics and Ethnic Marginalisation in Post-1991 Ethiopia

Abstract This paper examines identity politics and marginalisation in post-1991 Ethiopia, focusing on the genesis of ethnicity as a political mobilising mechanism during the ‘nationalities questions’ in the 1960s. Despite the presence of Marxism in the political culture of that era, ethnicity eventually became the dominant political reality in post-1991 Ethiopia, now enshrined in the constitution. The study analyses theoretical perspectives and employs a qualitative approach using secondary data to explore contemporary political culture. The study analyses the theoretical perspectives of instrumentalism, primordialism, and constructionism to explore the contemporary political culture of Ethiopia based on identity. The study recognises the role of the politicisation of ethnicity in ongoing ethnic conflicts and political violence. Finally, it concludes with lessons learned regarding the politicisation of ethnicity in a multi-national, multi-cultural, and multi-lingual state like Ethiopia, emphasising the importance of organising civic programmatic political parties over the proliferation of ethnic non-programmatic parties.

Interpreting Collective and Individual War Memories in Borders in Anuk Arudprakasam’s The Passage North: Affective Memories in a Hot Spot Interpreting Collective and Individual War Memories in Borders in Anuk Arudprakasam’s The Passage North: Affective Memories in a Hot Spot

War memories are the patchwork of collective and individual memory, public and private remembrance and a recollection of current knowledge, and interpretation of the facts and events during and after the wars. The knowledge and interpretation of wars occur through the conscience, trauma, and injury which shapes the personal and public memory of an individual or an ethnic group. This paper deals with the effect of war memory in the post-Srilankan civil war state with the novel The Passage North by Anuk Arudprakasam. This novel narrates the oral testimonies, the ravages of the civil war and its effects on the survivors. The thoughts and personal memories of the protagonist, Krishan, concern how people live, yet become diminished in the aftermath of civil war, and the horrors Rani experienced during the Civil war reveal the memories, trauma and actions that have determined the scar in their lives as they cope up with displacement from borders and longingness for the lived land. This research paper employs the theoretical framework of Theodule Ribot’s affective memory and conceptualises it along with the collective and individual war memory of the survivor. The paper also moves towards the application of the theory of ethnic conflict in the borders where it does reveal the alien and dreadful memories and also transcends intermittently of reconnecting, of reimagining and of reconstituting the past as network or as archive or as present as Hoskins says (Hoskin, 05). This research attempts to probe the questions of civil war memory, and remembering and forgetting of violence and trauma in the mental borders.

AZERBAIJAN'S NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY IN THE SYSTEM OF MODERN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

With the end of the Cold War, the political situation in the world has changed dramatically. The emergence on the world stage of new independent states, non-governmental organizations, transnational companies and threatening the world at the regional and global levels, such as ethnic conflicts, the spread of political and economic instability, imbalance, weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, the struggle for natural resources, etc. contributed to the transformation of international relations. As a result of the process, also accelerated by globalization, the state’s perception of security has changed in parallel with the increase in the types and scale of risks and threats.

The impact of geopolitical processes in Bosnia and Herzegovina on urban development and cultural identity

The historical-geographical development of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH) in the area of the fusion of Western and Eastern Christian civilizations and the Orient resulted in ethnic and religious heterogeneity, occasional political crises and ethnic conflicts that shaped the cultural identity and character of the entire development. BH was separated from the Yugoslav community in the conditions of the civil war. After the war in 1995, a complex administrative-territorial organization of the new state was established, based on the ethnic and religious affiliation of the population. At the same time, the transition of the socialist social system took place, as well as other geopolitical processes and social changes in the Western Balkans initiated by globalization. The paper focuses on cultural disintegration and changes in urban identity and development of cities through the analysis of the six largest urban centers as indicators of social changes in BH. The results of the analysis suggest that there has been a cultural differentiation of society, which is reflected in changes in the ethnic and religious structure of the population and their spatial distribution. Economic stagnation and depopulation of urban centers, as a consequence of the civil war and social reforms, were confirmed by a comparative analysis of statistical indicators of economic and demographic development. Cultural changes were determined by relevant scientific methods and approaches: historical-geographical method, comparative analysis of statistics of demographic indicators and changes in spatial distribution, ethnic and religious structure of the population, and economic changes by analysis of employment in sectors of the economy. The scientific results of previously published papers devoted to some of the mentioned problems, primarily economic development and population dynamics in BH and its large cities, were also taken into account. In this paper, social changes are observed through the cause-and-effect relationships of geopolitical and cultural processes (political, economic and cultural disintegration), social and economic reforms (ownership transition and deindustrialization) and their manifestations on cultural identity and the development of urban centers.

Development and validation of the ethnic trust scale in China.

Considerable research has shown that ethnic trust reflects the existence of friendly relations among all ethnic groups and ethnic individuals, and can help in resolving ethnic conflicts and contradictions, promoting exchanges among various ethnic groups, which is highly relevant to social stability. This research, including three studies, aimed to explore the conceptual structure of ethnic trust in China, and develop and validate a measurement of the ethnic trust scale. In the first study, we used free association and in-depth interview methodology, applied cluster analysis, multidimensional scaling analysis, and grounded theory to construct the theoretical framework of Chinese people's ethnic trust concept. In the second study, we constructed an initial inventory based on the concept dimensions of ethnic trust established in the first study. We screened items by item analysis and extracted common factors using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), thus determining a total of 48 items in the two subscales (interpersonal-oriented ethnic trust subscale and the intergroup-oriented subscale), which consisted of two dimensions including particular trust and universal trust. In the third study, we used first-and second-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test the scale's construct validity. The results indicated a good fit between the two-factor model and the data. And the ethnic trust scale showed very good internal consistency (Cronbach alpha >0.89) and test-retest reliability >0.70. Based on our results, have formed a ethnic trust scale by keeping 48 items, which can beused to measure the levels of interpersonal-oriented and group-oriented ethnic trust within the Chinese cultural context.

Dams in intrastate ethnic conflict: A comparison of Turkey and Ethiopia

AbstractWhy do dams exacerbate ethnic conflict in Turkey but not in Ethiopia? This paper analyzes the impacts of a growing push to develop water resources through hydroelectric dams, which promise clean energy, jobs, and economic opportunities. Yet dam building also causes environmental degradation, mass relocation, the flooding of historical sites, and long‐lasting cultural impacts. This paper focuses on how dams, as an extension of the state, can increase ethnic tensions by decreasing their autonomy and challenging their cultural practices, ultimately exacerbating violence. A comparison of two instances of large‐scale dam building in Ethiopia and Turkey during conflict illustrates various factors that contribute to ethnic tensions between minority groups. In Turkey, dams are weaponized against the Kurdish population, deepening ethnic conflict as the state asserts itself and a state‐centered national consciousness into a region historically wary of Turkish nation‐building. In Ethiopia, dam‐building, while framed in similar language as it is in Turkey, avoids heightening ethnic conflict because dams are seen as unifying the country rather than homogenizing ethnic minorities in rural areas. This paper argues that ethnic conflict is exacerbated when both (1) damming disproportionately targets one ethnic group and (2) when the targeted population is unable to access alternative mechanisms to air grievances. In developing the proposed theory, more insight can be gained into water, conflict, and dam‐building in conflict‐prone areas in fragile political positions. From a policy perspective, these findings indicate that more scrutiny over dams in such contexts is necessary for the protection of minority populations.

Language, Cultural Sentiments, and Ethnic Conflict: Understanding Verbal Violence and Discrimination in Multi-Ethnic Schools in West Kalimantan, Indonesia

ABSTRACT Violence, racism, and xenophobia among immigrants often stem from deep-seated language and cultural disparities, transcending mere racial or ethnic categorizations. This in-depth study, conducted among 16 informants representing diverse ethnic backgrounds—majorities, minorities, and educators in West Kalimantan’s multi-ethnic schools—employs an ethnographic approach. Delving into the tapestry of field data and factual insights, this research unveils how verbal violence and discrimination germinate from the complex interplay of language and cultural biases among students. Echoes of superiority resonate within the majority ethnic group, where language and culture are perceived as hallmarks of local eminence, relegating ethnic minorities to second-class status. The study’s findings trace this arrogance to a historical tapestry woven from conflicts between native ethnic factions and immigrant communities, culminating in the stark social segregation between them. A fascinating implication emerges, highlighting the pivotal role of Indonesia as a bridge for inter-ethnic communication. Its use fosters social cohesion, harmony, and inter-ethnic tolerance. This research charts a roadmap towards rectifying past missteps, assuaging grievances, and charting strategies to avert future inter-ethnic discord caused by deep-rooted cultural and linguistic differences.

Colonialism, Weaponisation of Ethnicity & Intermittent Political Violence

Ethnic conflicts have increased across the globe, and especially after the Cold war; and indeed affected various countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and America. In most of these cases, it has been triggered by struggles for the meagre resources and domination of political power. In Africa, studies on ethnic conflicts have indicated a strong interplay between ethnicity and the colonial phenomenon. This article endeavours to connect the intermittent political violence in Uasin Gishu, Kenya, within the purview of the colonial phenomenon particularly, when the violence was viewed historically as a process and not an event. It hypothesizes that the violent subterfuge of ethnic communities in Uasin Gishu and other portions of the rift valley were the result of the despair and fear perceived by native communities as a result of presumed economic and political setbacks during the colonial era. To this end, the initial research study was guided by three theories, namely: Primordialism, instrumentalism and relative deprivation theories which reinforced each other as the lens through which to make sense of the connection between colonialism and the said intermittent political violence. The study is based on a research project that employed the historical method from the dual perspectives of interpretivism philosophical outlook and qualitative approach. The main submission, in this research article, is that the coming and settlement of the colonialists led to the growth of toxic ethnic relations within the Rift valley region that were initially non-existent. This situation was further exacerbated after independence (1963), as the political elites became the new drivers of the vice

Intra-ethnic divisions and disagreement over self-determination demands in ethnic movements

Abstract Ethnic movements continue to challenge state governments globally, with many ethnic conflicts revolving around the status of groups’ territories. Yet, politically mobilized ethnic groups vary considerably in their territorial demands: some press for increased autonomy or even outright secession, while others do not make such demands at all and prefer integration in the existing state. What explains this divergence in ethnic group demands with respect to the group's territorial status? We argue that the expected benefits of ethno-regional autonomy or secession compared to integration in a centralized state differ across distinct segments within the group as a function of three structural factors: heterogeneity in the group's income sources, cultural divisions, and territorial fragmentation, leading to disagreement over self-determination demands between different political organizations representing the same ethnic group. We test our argument using an expanded version of the Ethnic Power Relations–Organizations (EPR-O) dataset. Our pre-registered study finds support for one of our hypotheses: heterogeneity in groups’ income sources increases disagreement over self-determination demands. This finding sheds new light on the structural sources of internal divisions within ethno-political movements.

Ethnic diversity and conflict in sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from refugee-hosting areas

This study explores how forced migration affects ethnic diversity and conflict in 23 Sub-Saharan African countries from 2005 to 2016. Using UNHCR data on refugee camp locations, we predict changes in local ethnic diversity. By integrating Afrobarometer and Ethnic Power Relations-Ethnicity of Refugees datasets, we analyze the link between refugee-induced diversity and conflict occurrence. Findings indicate that refugee-induced polarization increases the risk of local violence, while fractionalization has a mitigating effect. Notably, the number of refugees does not impact the likelihood of conflict; instead, alterations in ethnic diversity, especially polarization, emerge as the primary driver of conflict.

A Historical Analysis of Ethnic Conflicts in Nigeria

Evidently, a significant number of developing nations exhibit ethnic diversity. The presence of a variety of ethnic groups within a given society has the potential to result in heightened levels of civil unrest. Nigeria's National Question is widely regarded as one of the most intricate in the world, owing to the country's vast array of over 250 ethnic groups and the presence of approximately 120 distinct languages. The colonial authorities, under the guise of promoting ethnic harmony, deliberately and methodically divided the diverse Nigerian populace, thereby fostering a conducive environment for inter-group strife. The diverse composition of the nation leads to a proclivity among its constituent groups to prioritise local awareness over national awareness. The present study employs content analysis as its research methodology to investigate ethnic conflicts in Nigeria. The study also analysed the underlying factors that give rise to ethnic conflicts within the nation and delineated potential avenues for their amelioration juxtaposing between the old and new dimensions.

Communication Networks and the Transnational Spread of Ethnic Conflict

How the interconnectedness of the global system influences the network of ethnic conflict communication is the focus of this work. The study aims at understanding how the analyses of ethnic conflicts gather momentum and spread throughout the world through the review of literature, case studies, and media coverage, social media issues, and deliberate disinformation campaigns. The study employs a qualitative approach, drawing on secondary sources and theoretical frameworks to explore hypotheses that talk about how media coverage is rising in proportion to the ethnic conflict’s transnational diffusion, how social media usage is connected with diaspora mobilisation and conflict extension, and how the purposeful spread of fake news increases the intensity and geographical scope of the conflict. The Rohingya crisis is also one of the best examples of the shifts in communication networks and their impact on the ethnic conflicts by influencing the international community’s perception and response. Communications networks may have the potential to escalate conflict and ‘spread’ wrong information, but they also have the potential to create awareness and tackle conflict. In the light of these observations, the study offers recommendations in the areas of codes of ethical media practices, regulation of use of social media, especially in multi-ethnic societies, to prevent incitement, and techniques of combating disinformation.

Cultural and Ethnic Identity in the Modern Realities of Media Development: Rating of Market Forces and Potential

The study’s relevance is determined by a sharp increase in interethnic and intercultural conflicts due to the digitalisation and mediatisation of geopolitics. Socio-communicative channels of ideological influence on ethnocultural life make it possible to actively manipulate people’s desire to preserve their ethnocultural identity, supporting extra-legal forms of institutional social management implemented through media, which requires deep investigation and comprehension. The article aims to outline the role and place of media and the media market in today’s geopolitical conflict landscape, both on a global scale and at the nation-state level, based on research on the conflict potential of media within ethnic and cultural identity patterns, their shaping and functioning. The research is founded on concepts and hypotheses developed in national-cultural identity, globalisation, and geopolitics. It is also based on methodological approaches such as civilisational, comparative, systemic, dialectical, sociocultural, and synergetic. It is shown that media products and the media market are a resource for ethnic conflict mobilisation. Social actors in mass communication strive to convince society of the benefits of their peace/conflict projects. It was revealed that contemporary communication, media and journalism studies have mostly neglected to critically assess the news media’s role in producing and distributing propaganda based on ethnic and cultural identity narratives, and the necessity of filling this research gap is emphasised. It has been demonstrated that information influences can change the main geopolitical potential of the state – the national mentality, culture and moral state of people. The media market today has become a full-fledged element of postclassical geopolitics. The question of the role of the symbolic capital of culture in the information (media) space is now acquiring not an abstract theoretical but a strategic geopolitical significance.

National Conflicts in North Caucasus: Origins and Resolution

This article examines the causes and consequences of national conflicts in the North Caucasus. It addresses issues related to the sources of ethnic conflicts in contemporary times. The significance of the North Caucasus as a bridge connecting north to south and west to east is emphasized, highlighting its immense importance for the Russian Federation. From a geostrategic perspective, this region serves as a gateway to Central Asia while also providing access to Western markets. The paper pays particular attention to events that have transpired since the late 1980s in the Caucasus, where some of the most acute ethnopolitical conflicts and wars have occurred. Six out of eight armed ethnopolitical civil conflicts in the post-Soviet space unfolded in this region. The article raises the issue that, as a result of these events, the Caucasian region has become a battleground for separatist organizations within the post-Soviet context. Armed conflicts have led to numerous human casualties, material losses, economic downturns, and other tragedies. Based on the materials studied, it is concluded that ethnic conflicts are diverse in their manifestations. The conditions for the politicization of ethnic conflicts in the North Caucasus are also explored.

Constitutional and legal foundations of territorial integrity in federal states: historical and legal analysis

The article explores the constitutional and legal foundations of the territorial integrity of the federal states, focusing on historical and contemporary examples. The authors examine cases of successful and unsuccessful secession, as well as legal mechanisms used to prevent separatism. We take Spain, the USA, Canada, India, and Germany, as the examples to analyze the role of constitutional provisions in maintaining state unity. A key aspect of the study is the distribution of competencies between federal structures and federation subjects, which ensures a balance of interests and prevents internal conflicts. A great attention is paid to the principle of subsidiarity and the role of federation subjects in governance, contributing to the preservation of territorial integrity. The authors emphasize the importance of integration mechanisms and constitutional guarantees in maintaining the stability of the federal states. The article establishes that the territorial integrity of federal states is ensured through a set of constitutional and legal norms that regulate the relations between federal authorities and the subjects of the federation. These norms include a clear distribution of competencies, where federal authorities are responsible for national issues such as defense and foreign relations, while the subjects of the federation have powers in local governance. The principle of subsidiarity involves the participation of the federation’s subjects in state governance, ensuring a balance of interests and preventing internal conflicts. Additionally, the supreme legal authority of the federal constitution, mechanisms of federal intervention in case of threats to integrity, and the unity of the economic space all contribute to the stability and unity of the federal state, effectively countering separatist movements. It is determined that the participation of federation subjects in the process of constitutional amendments guarantees their representation and protection of interests, preventing unilateral changes in the state structure. The state language plays an important role, promoting national unity and preventing ethnic conflicts, which is critical for multinational federations. Furthermore, the representation of federation subjects in the national parliament ensures their influence on key decision-making, promoting more balanced policies and strengthening ties between the central government and the regions.