How Useful are the Main Existing Theories of Ethnic Conflict?

Williams, Dodeye Uduak

doi:10.5901/mjss.2015.v4n1p147

Cited by 8 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Ethnicity and ethnic group formation have been apprehended along the lines of three major approaches: primordialism, the first approach, emphasises the archaic, cultural basis of ethnic identities (Berman 1998) and perceives an ethnic group as an objective entity (Perez and Hirschman 2009 cited in Williams 2015). This approach assumes that ethnic identities are ‘given’ and not chosen, that is, ‘attachments’ derived from place of birth, kinship relationship, religion, language and social practices are ‘natural’ for every person and this provides a basis for an easy ‘affinity’ with other peoples from the same background (Brass 1991).…”

Section: Conceptual Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This approach assumes that ethnic identities are ‘given’ and not chosen, that is, ‘attachments’ derived from place of birth, kinship relationship, religion, language and social practices are ‘natural’ for every person and this provides a basis for an easy ‘affinity’ with other peoples from the same background (Brass 1991). This perspective considers ethnic identity as ascriptive, timeless and fixed with defined social boundaries (Poata-Smith 2013 cited in Williams 2015). Ethnic ties are assumed as inherent, producing natural divisions—based on race, religion, language or location—with others (Geertz 1973: 250 cited in Williams 2015).…”

Section: Conceptual Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ethnicity and protective policies in Sikkim: Consolidation and reconfiguration

Thapa

2022

Contributions to Indian Sociology

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This article examines how ethnicities in the state of Sikkim have evolved and emerged as fluid but potent instruments that are deployed by the state’s constituent ethnic groups in their efforts to marshal and retain control over its socio-economic and political resources, in conjunction with the policies of the central government. The process of validating ethnic identities that began in the colonial period has now been strengthened and shapes the protective polices of governments at both levels, the central and the state, for Sikkim. The processes of modernisation and development set in motion after Sikkim’s merger with India have resulted in consolidation and reconfiguration of ethnicities across the structural and cultural spheres of Sikkimese society.

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Section: Conceptual Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Conceptual Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethnicity and protective policies in Sikkim: Consolidation and reconfiguration

Thapa

2022

Contributions to Indian Sociology

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“…Primordialism posits that the membership of such grouping is fixed and is passed down from one generation to another. Therefore, ethnic membership and/or differences are ancestral just as the resultant ethnic conflicts are (Geertz 1973;Joireman 2003;Williams 2015). In this manner, primordialism speaks to the foundation of ethnic character and its vast implications for individuals; of ancient and modern times.…”

Section: Primordialismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identity and Identity Politics in Nigeria: A Reflection on the Indicators

Akinyetun¹

2021

DHS

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Nigeria is a nation with plural ethnic, religious, lingual and cultural identities that are constantly exploited by the political class to promote their selfish interest. Although not a determinant forconflict, diversity in Nigeria has unjustifiably sparked identity-based conflicts which necessitateseparatism, insurgency and ethnic restiveness – among others, which threatens to drive the country to a perpetual state of fragility. This paper thence sought to assess Nigeria’s tortuous experience with identity and identity politics with particular reference to ethnic, religious, and lingual challenges. The paper furthers the discussion on identity politics in Nigeria to proffer practicable solutions. It argues that identity consciousness has overtaken national consciousness and engendered a relationship characterized by domination, superiority and hegemony by the various groups. It reveals that the currency of politics is an ethnic-hegemony-rivalry sentiment that threatens national integration. The paper reviews available literature on the subject matter from peer-reviewed journal articles, reports of reputable international organizations, working papers and newspaper articles. It concluded that identities have become powerful manipulative instruments in the hands of the political elites used to divide the Nigerian populace. It recommended the promotion of justice, equity and fairness in governance to ameliorate the chances of identity dissension and identity-based conflicts.

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“…Ethnic unrest has been a part of international society through history and it is a highly contested phenomenon and still is a part of 21 st C, generally, the scholarly debated on ethnic conflict is categorized into three major theories of ethnic conflict i.e. Primordialism, Instrumentalism, and Constructivism (Williams, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

China’s Hard-line Approach and Ethnic Unrest in Xinjiang: A Theoretical Understanding

Rahman

2020

Asian J. Interdiscip. Res.

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Ethnic conflicts issue has perturbed China for quite a long period, hence China is not a one-Unified nation, PRC is very clear that Xinjiang was and is part of China just like its other disputed territorial claims and it does not recognize the Uyghurs as the indigenous people of Xinjiang calling them settlers. In this paper, I have studied the PRC’s official history of Xinjiang and the historians’ history who are specialized in Xinjiang and the Silk Road history to understand the two different narratives that are fundamentally different and incompatible from each other. The framework used is the typology of qualitative studies as this is helpful to assess the situation theoretically and categorize accordingly. Beijing is very harsh towards the Uyghurs and has detained over one- million of the Uyghurs for ‘re-education’ to show its legitimacy and they are considered a threat to the state’s existence, post 9/11 China has been using this global Islamophobia wave justifying that all steps taken by the state are to combat radicalization. This paper is not about the Uyghurs trace being found connected to external non-state actors, whereas the study takes a dig in securitization discourse discussing that, the Uyghurs does not have a structured way of attacks like terrorists, its more of showing dissatisfaction against the authorities because neither they have the autonomy nor have any rights to exercise. The Chinese policies are countering them back in terms of attacks because the Uyghurs are relatively deprived and they are in a constant source of competition with the Han Chinese.

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How Useful are the Main Existing Theories of Ethnic Conflict?

Cited by 8 publications

References 17 publications

Ethnicity and protective policies in Sikkim: Consolidation and reconfiguration

Ethnicity and protective policies in Sikkim: Consolidation and reconfiguration

Identity and Identity Politics in Nigeria: A Reflection on the Indicators

China’s Hard-line Approach and Ethnic Unrest in Xinjiang: A Theoretical Understanding

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