ch. 4 - state & identity

What causes ethno-national conflict?

Or why does ethnicity become politically salient? Instrumentalist- leadership act as catalyst Constructivist- historical context is important Security Dilemma- can lead to ethnic mobilization - Primodial Bonds - Cultural Boundaries - Material Interests - Rational Calculation

Cultural/Ethnic nationalism

ased on a common cultural characteristic. only those people who share that characteristic can be included in the nation (ex: Japan) A form of nationalism that says that you are a member of the nation because of your ancestry. Jus sanguinis

Politically Salient Identities: relative deprivation

belief that a group is not getting their share of something of value relative to others in the society

Means of reducing Ethnic or Religious Conflict

centripetal approach consociationalism

ethnic group

group of people who see themseves as uited by one or more cultural attributes or a sense of common history

Politically Salient Identities: contentious politics

groups make claims that conflict with others' interests. Political mobilization of the resources and interactions of the various groups, help understand the eventual outcome.

consociationalism

recognition of the existence of specific groups and granting some share of power in the central government to each, usually codified in specific legal or constitutional guarantees to each group EX: Belfast Agreement of 1998- end religious based conflict in Northern Ireland

Politically Salient Identities

relative deprivation contentious politics security dilemma - Geographically concentrated - Psychology of fear, hatred, resentment - Greed and Opportunity

nationalism

the desire to be a nation and thus to control a national state

Civic nationalism

sense of national unity and purpose based on a set of commonly held political beliefs (ex: United States). A form of nationalism that says that you are a member of the nation if you are a citizen of its state. Jus soli

ethnicity

"Named units of population with common ancestry myths and historical memories, elements of shared culture, some link with a historic territory, some measure of solidarity, and sometimes thinking of itself as a kind of kinship group. Ethnicity is consistent with membership in a broader civic or multicultural community in which individuals possess other collective identities besides their ethnicity. In contrast to national identity, ethnicity is not always political Usually the ethnic group does not see themselves as a nation seeking their own state

identity politics

Individuals define themselves based on categories such as: Nation Ethnicity Race Religion Gender While group membership may be "natural" to humans, political saliency of identity groups is created, not innate.

Explaining Identity Politics: Instrumentalism

Instrumentalism - rational-choice theory in identity politics that focuses on elites or the interest of powerful individuals and groups. - elites manipulate symbols and feelings of identity to mobilize a following - without elite leadership, people with common traits may not recognize themselves as part of a specific group - Paul Brass states ethnic groups "are created and transformed by particular elites...and this process invariably involves competition and conflict for political power, economic benefits, and social status between competing elite, class and leadership groups." (Ethnicity and Nationalism 1991,25).

Nigeria

Multiple languages and faiths within Nigeria's territorial boundaries 3 major ethnic groups emerged at end of colonial rule Igbo people conversion into Christianity versus Yoruba or Hausa (Muslim). Igbo people's traditional stories become documented during colonial rule Shift in political saliency from ethnicity to religion Oil and ethnic conflict (in Igbo region) Centripetal approach and federalism utilized to manage ethnic conflict Boko Haram's violence

How is Ethnicity identified?

Types of national identity How the state deals with questions of citizenship and residency Formal and informal rules of national belonging and participation in public life Broader stratification system (class structure) ie: defining 'tribe' an 'traditional' groups in Africa Missionaries and Anthropologists 'codified' tribes and their 'primordialist' culture

autonomy

ability & right of a group to partially govern itself within a larger state - ethnic & minority groups often seek autonomy, and only sometimes (seldom) become nationalist groups

Politically Salient Identities: security dilemma

two or more groups do not trust one another, and do not believe that institutional constraints will protect them. Increased likelihood that violence will break out between them. - Geographically concentrated - Psychology of fear, hatred, resentment - Greed and Opportunity

Explaining Identity Politics: Constructivism

Constructivism: - identities are created through a complex process usually referred to as social construction - societies collectively "construct" identities as a wide array of actors continually discuss the question of who "we" are - emphasizes shifting interpretation of symbols and stories to define who "we" are - Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origins and Spread of Nationalism (1991)- creation of social and cultural boundaries

Germany- german nationalism

German nationalism precedes the modern state Otto von Bismark German nation defined in linguistic and cultural terms (ex: German nation is larger than the German state Austria, Switzerland, Italian Südtirol) Germany's cultural conception of nation shown in ethnic- based citizenship policy that changed only in 2000 The case of Turkish immigrants

Religion as Group Identity

Group is identified simply by nominal affiliation with the religion, regardless of actual practice or belief Religious differences within a state are most often not source of conflict, however, religious differences become politicized and can lead to conflict (ex: Northern Ireland, India/Pakistan) Can religious group membership be more inclusive and flexible than ethnicity?

race

Group of people socially defined primarily on the basis of one or more perceived common physical characteristics NOT a biological category but a social construction Sometimes hard to distinguish from ethnicity and culture Usually racial groups seek recognition and representation within an existing state Racialization or racial formation: Certain stages or periods in which social distinctions pertaining to the idea of "race" became more pronounced, and ideas of race are constructed and developed over time (Omi and Winant 1994)

Nation

Members of a nation usually have something in common (i.e., ethnicity, race, language, common history) Must seek self-rule and control of the state, not merely autonomy within an existing state Most nationalist leaders are primordial Each state claims to be the sole legitimate representative of a nation. Benedict Anderson's 'imagined community' leads to socially constructed national identity Ernest Gellner Nations and Nationalism 1983

explaining identity politics: Primordialism

Primordialism - sees identity groups as being in some sense "natural" or God given - sees identity groups as having existed since "time immemorial" - identity groups are defined unambiguously by such clear criteria as kinship, language, culture, or phenotype Samuel Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations 1996/1997.

US - race

Racial conflict can be traced back to slavery, legal segregation, and the making of "white" America - Jim Crow Laws, - Plessy v. Ferguson case of 1896 - Slow integration of Irish, Italian, Poles, Jews, amongst others into white majority - Civil Rights Movements of 1960s Black community began demanding representation in response to discrimination and racial inequality reflected in economic conditions, access to education, and housing. Flux of immigrants has raised America- Asian American and Hispanic identities as minority groups. Affirmative action Obama's Election- Milestone in U.S. racial history

brazil - race

Slavery in Brazil- extensive racial intermarriage made ambiguous and complex definition of racial categories Black and white dichotomy was not as problematic as in the US Pardos- mixed race group "Whitening" Policy - 'money whitens', accept more 'white' immigrants No significant Afro-Brazilian movement emerged in the 1950s and 1960s Racially unequal society Affirmative action and problems determining "who is black" Question of inequality based on race or class?

centripetal approach

incentives to political leaders & parties to moderate their demands