1 / 27

POLS 312 Ethnic Conflict Lecture 8: Theories of Ethnic Conflict

Today's lecture will focus on several major theories of ethnic conflict. Namely:Biological-primordialistSocial-psychological Structural-instrumentalistConstructivist theories. Biological primordialist approaches constitute the evolutionary explanations of intergroup ethnic conflictsThe main argument common to such evolutionary approaches is that ethnic identities have biological/genetic foundations that breed the motivation for ethnic and kinship affiliation/favoritism/selfishness for s30022

tannar
Download Presentation

POLS 312 Ethnic Conflict Lecture 8: Theories of Ethnic Conflict

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


    1. POLS 312 Ethnic Conflict Lecture 8: Theories of Ethnic Conflict 02/24/2008 Prof. Cigdem V. Sirin Department of Political Science Texas A&M University

    2. Regarding intergroup relations, primordialist perspectives focus on biological roots of intergroup behavior, whereas other approaches such as social identity theory turn to social-psychological explanations of group membership and attitudes. Structural-instrumentalist approaches, on the other hand, emphasize socio-economic and political factors as the major dynamics that drive intergroup conflicts. Finally, constructivism looks at the link between the socially constructed identity and civil violence. Regarding intergroup relations, primordialist perspectives focus on biological roots of intergroup behavior, whereas other approaches such as social identity theory turn to social-psychological explanations of group membership and attitudes. Structural-instrumentalist approaches, on the other hand, emphasize socio-economic and political factors as the major dynamics that drive intergroup conflicts. Finally, constructivism looks at the link between the socially constructed identity and civil violence.

    22. Once the black box of state is unfolded to include ethnic groups and elite behavior, cognitive and affective aspects of human behavior come into play. Accordingly, ESD approach is able to incorporate psychological factors that lead to ethnic conflict and violence, which involves a combination of grievances (i.e., feelings of injustice) and the emotional heat from hate and fear of group extinction as reactions to structural (mostly political) circumstances. Once the black box of state is unfolded to include ethnic groups and elite behavior, cognitive and affective aspects of human behavior come into play. Accordingly, ESD approach is able to incorporate psychological factors that lead to ethnic conflict and violence, which involves a combination of grievances (i.e., feelings of injustice) and the emotional heat from hate and fear of group extinction as reactions to structural (mostly political) circumstances.

More Related