Ethnic Conflict

Ethnic conflict refers to tension, hostility, and violence between groups that define themselves, or are defined by others, in ethnic terms, usually arising from competition over political power, land, jobs, status, or cultural recognition. Scholars disagree about its roots. Primordialists such as Clifford Geertz stressed deep attachments of kinship, language, and religion, while instrumentalists argued that elites mobilize ethnicity to pursue material and political goals. Fredrik Barth showed that ethnic identities depend on boundaries that can be politicized, and Benedict Anderson explained how nationalism builds imagined communities that may exclude others. Donald Horowitz’s Ethnic Groups in Conflict analyzed ranking systems and fears of domination, and Ted Robert Gurr linked mobilization to relative deprivation among minorities. Rogers Brubaker criticized groupism and stressed the role of categorization and political entrepreneurs, while Andreas Wimmer emphasized exclusion from state power. Barry Posen described the security dilemma between groups, and Michael Hechter examined internal colonialism. Examples include Rwanda, Yugoslavia, and Northern Ireland. Remedies include power sharing, federalism, and inclusive citizenship. Ethnic conflict remains central to research on nationalism, violence, state building, migration, and peacebuilding.