Ethnicity and Ethnic Conflict

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Chapter 17

• Ethnicity and Ethnic Conflict

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Chapter Outline

• Ethnic Groups
• The problem of Stateless Nationalities
• Resolving Ethnic Conflict

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Ethnic Group

• A named social group based on perception of
  shared ancestry, cultural tradition, and common
  history that culturally distinguish that group
  from other groups.

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Aspects of Ethnic Group Identity

1. Situational nature of ethnic group identity
2. Attributes of ethnic groups
3. Fluidity of ethnic group identity
4. Types of ethnic groups.

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Situational Nature of Identity

• situational nature of ethnic identity
• Chosen ethnic identity varies with context
• hierarchical nestingOccurs when an ethnic group
  is part of a larger collection of ethnic groups,
  which together constitute a higher level of
  ethnic identity.

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Attributes of Ethnic Groups

• Membership is determined by ancestry.
• Two attributes
• Origin myth or history.
• Ethnic boundary markers.

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Origin Myth

• Common or shared historical experience that
  serves to unite and distinguish an ethnic group
  from other groups and give it a distinct social
  identity.

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Ethnic Boundary Markers

• A way of determining or expressing membership in
  an ethnic group.

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Fluidity of Ethnic Group Identity

• Ethnogenesis - the emergence of new ethnic groups
• Portion of an existing ethnic group splits away
  and forms a new ethnic group.
• Members of two or more ethnic groups fuse,
  forming a new ethnic group.

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Types of Ethnic Groups

• Nationality
• An ethnic group with a geographical region over
  which they have exclusive rights.
• Subnationality
• An ethnic group that sees itself as a dependent
  and politically subordinate subset of a
  nationality.

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Homeland

• The geographical area, defined by history, that
  in their beliefs collectively and exclusively
  belongs to the members of that nationality.

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Transnationals

• Members of an ethnic community located outside
  their country of origin and homeland.

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Civilization

• A grouping of a number of different nationalities
  on the basis of a shared cultural historical
  heritage that collectively distinguishes them
  from other like groups.

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Ethnic Conflicts

• Becoming more common and destructive.
• There are between 3,000 and 5,000 ethnic
  nationalities in the world but only 200 separate
  countries.
• Most ethnic conflict is the result of minority
  nationals wanting to establish independent
  nations.

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Artificial Countries

• Multinationality countries created by external
  powers usually applied to former colonies.

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Regions of Iraq Occupied by Kurds, Sunni Arabs
and Shiite Arabs
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Resolving Ethnic Conflicts

• Two Historical Solutions
• Ethnic homogenization of the population through
  elimination of rival ethnic groups.
• Political accommodation of ethnic groups.

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Ethnic Homogenization

• The process by which one ethnic group attempts to
  eliminate rival ethnic groups within a particular
  region or country.

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Ethnic Cleansing

• Deliberate and systematic attempt by the dominant
  ethnic group to eliminate a rival ethnic group or
  groups within a geographical region.
• Genocide
• The deliberate and systematic attempt to destroy
  the unwanted ethnic population.

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Republics and Autonomous Provinces of Yugoslavia

• The republics and provinces more or less
  correspond with the territories of major ethnic
  groups.

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Relocation

• The forced resettlement of an unwanted ethnic
  group in a new geographical location.
• Segregation
• The dominant ethnic group places legal
  restrictions on the actions of the members of the
  dependent group.

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Assimilation

• The social absorption of one ethnic group by
  another, dominant one.
• forced
• The government of the dominant ethnic group
  adopts policies to destroy the ethnic identity of
  the less powerful ethnic group.
• passive
• More dominant ethnic groups absorb members of the
  less powerful group without formal planning or
  political coercion.

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Accommodation

• The creation of social and political systems that
  provide for and support ethnic group differences.

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Quick Quiz
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1. According to the definition in your text, an
ethnic group is

1. a minority within a multicultural state
2. a named social category defined by race
3. a named social category defined by perceptions of
   shared social experience or ancestry
4. non-existent, just like race

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Answer c

• According to the definition in your text, an
  ethnic group is a named social category defined
  by perceptions of shared social experience or
  ancestry.

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2. Most of the ethnic groups in America

1. are ethnic nationalities
2. are becoming assimilated
3. are subnationalities
4. desire a homeland

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Answer c

• Most of the ethnic groups in America are
  subnationalities.

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3. Genocide

1. is a form of ethnic cleansing
2. is an attempt to assimilate a group
3. includes relocation of a group
4. all of the above

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Answer a

• Genocide is a form of ethnic cleansing.