Nviolence and the social construction of ethnic identity pdf

Violence and the social construction of ethnic identity850 international organization social and economic processes as agents of construction866 international organization brotherhood and became the principal threat to nimeiris rule. In order to examine these questions theoretically, this paper develops a model of social identity, ethnic conflict, and development in which individuals choose a. When discussing this theme from the vantage point of the finnougric kven population in northern norway, annariitta lindgren emphasises that the recognition of the language of a minority is vital for positive identity formation lindgren 2003. Ethnic identity, therefore, is a social construction that is the result of a dynamic process played out. As social constructions, ethnic identities are fluid, change over time, may disappear, fade, and resurge. Uk identities research team ethnicity, identity, and social relations in prison context the male prison population of england and wales is characterised by ethnic, national and religious diversity. Cambridge university press international organization foundation.

Conceptualization of self, ethnic identity and the experience. Hence, questions of ethnicity, migration, identity, and multiculturalism are. An established cultural identity has also been linked with positive outcomes in areas such as health and education. By utilizing a social constructivist approach to ethnic and political conflict, this. Psychological freedoms and sociological constraints by laura quiros a dissertation submitted to the graduate faculty in social welfare in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of doctor of philosophy, the city university of.

Violence and the social construction of ethnic identity international. Conceptualization of self, ethnic identity and the experience of acculturation. In small and singers 1982 typology of a civil war, postapartheid south africa could be described as fighting a civil war. They should also perceive that they share a common destiny. If individuals are viewed as the agents who construct identities, then constructivist explanations for ethnic violence tend to merge with analyses that stress strategic. The social construction of man, the state, and war is the fist book on conflict in the former yugoslavia to look seriously at the issue of ethnic identity, rather than treating it as a given, an unquestionable variable. Its mischievous and wicked for anyone to suggest that only africans share these false perceptions.

Ethnic identity, socialization factors, and culture. Violenceandthesocialconstruction ofethnicidentity jamesd. The mere observation that ethnic identities are socially constructed does not by itself explain ethnic violence and may not even be particularly relevant. Finally, the salience of a national identity may be important for understanding the risk of intrastate conflict. Our procedure is to examine closely the narratives of expert observers of some highly violent episodes of ethnic relations. Pdf violence and the social construction of ethnic. Remember, ethnicity is a social construction too i started thinking of the relationship between ethnic selfidentification and the tendency to interpret ethnicity as more real than race when, as part of a new research project, i read a transcribed interview of a selfidentified mexicanorigin entrepreneur.

The salience of ethnic identity while the meltingpot model should not expect ones ethnic or racial identification to be a salient social category for most americans, both the pluralist and group dominance perspectives would expect these social identities to remain important and salient social identities. This book fills a major gap in the literature on social work and ethnicity. In contrast, if discursive formations or cultural systems are seen as the agents that construct ethnic identities, then constructivist explanations for ethnic vio. The social construction of racial and ethnic identity among. More than 40 percent of the worlds jewish population lives in the united states today. How is the concept social construction of racial and. In this rejoinder, i will attempt to explain some issues integral to this conversation. Violence and the social construction of ethnic identity.

The causes of ethnic conflict in multiethnic societies. The construction of ethnic insecurity includes all ethnic groups. The real target was to demonstrate the political manipulation of raceethnic conflict. This paper locates ethnicity and political violence in the failure of the neoclassical trajectory of modernisation resourceextraction, free trade, multiparty democracy, international aid and social darwinism to improve the social and economic conditions of the ordinary burundian. Violence and the social construction of ethnic identity request pdf. Ethnic groups and boundaries opens with barths invaluable thirtypage essay that introduces students to. Laitin skip to main content accessibility help we use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Request pdf on feb 1, 2000, james dana fearon and others published violence and the social construction of ethnic identity. Ethnic conflict, political violence and wars that presently shape many parts of world have deepseated structural causes. Social and scholarly debates about the socalled ethnic division in rwanda among tutsi, hutu and twa have been shaped and reshaped by historical power relations. They should distinguish themselves we from others they.

Yet, it has scarcely been explored in terms of its relationship with the motivational principles of identity. Social construction of identities and the role of individual agency in. Cultural identity is an important contributor to peoples wellbeing. Today this muchcited classic is regarded as the seminal volume from which stems much current anthropological thinking about ethnicity. Violence and the social construction of ethnic identity stanford.

Violence and the social construction of ethnic identity 2000. To consolidate such an identity the members of an ethnic group must also share ideas, behavior patterns, feelings, and meaning. Ethnic identity, socialization factors, and culturespeci. Contemporary burundi society is normally said to comprise of three ethnic groups, hutu 85%, tutsi 14% and twa 1%.

Themere observation that ethnic identities are socially constructed doesnot by itself explain ethnic violence and may not even be particularlyrelevant. States seek to mold the identity of social groups, which creates resistance on their part, thus reinforcing their own construction of identity. Ethnic identity as part of an individuals selfconcept develops from knowledge of membership in a cultural group and the value or emotional significance attached to that membership. Identifying with a particular culture helps people feel they belong and gives them a sense of security. Ethnic media and rural development in kenya social science. Fromademographicstandpoint,theyoungadultstageisalsodistinct from other stages. When originally published in norway, ethnic groups and boundaries marked the transition to a new era of ethnic studies.

Our purpose here is to see if we can reject the nullhypothesis that the social construction of ethnicity has little or nobearing on the likelihood of ethnic violence. Does local ethnic segregation lead to violence evidence. Michael jonescorrea questions whether or not a person can successfully hold two competing. The social psychology of ethnic identity by maykel. The social construction of ethnic groups and indigenous. Cambridge university press international organization. Combining detailed analysis with a close reading of historical narratives, documentary evidence, and firsthand interviews. Ethnicity, identity, and social relations in prison. We examine the theoretical implications of the observation that ethnic identities are socially constructed for explaining ethnic violence, distinguishing between. Ethnicity, national identity and social conflict content intelligible in terms of anything other than itself. The social construction of ethnic identity and rights the case of koreans in.

Ethnic diversity challenges the existing social hierarchies and exclusionary conceptions of citizenship, but also leads to a new tribalism that threatens democracy and social cohesion. Ethnicity and the restructuring of the state the 1990 constitution of nepal acknowledged the country to be multiethnic and multilingual. Accordingly, if a difference can be shown to derive from rational matters of political economy for example, then it is deemed not to be in any significant sense cultural. The second widely held view is that ethnic identity is a social construct,in the sense. I believe that some identities can coexist, but it is possible that it could cause problems. In order to examine these questions theoretically, this paper develops a model of social identity, ethnic conflict, and development in which individuals choose a sector to work between the modern. Citeseerx violence and the social construction of ethnic. In poor and highly indebted countries, economic and environmental decline, asset depletion, and erosion of the subsistence base lead to further impoverishment and food insecurity for vast sectors of the population.

The assertion that ethnicity is socially constructed is commonplace among social scientists, and it is widely supposed that anyone who fails to grasp this fact will not be able to explain or understand ethnic violence. Our purpose here is to see if we can reject the null hypothesis that the social construction of ethnicity has little or no bearing on the likelihood of ethnic violence. It is an oversimplification to describe guyanese society as made of up of separate racial groups. Managing ethnic and cultural diversity for national. Is there case study evidence of a relationship between the social construction of ethnic identities and the probability of ethnic war. Process approaches to the study of ethnic identity. The statements cited in my paper the social construction of ethnic insecurity are internalized by all ethnic groups in this society. Research has highlighted that cultural identity and national identity can coexist. Process is defined as the way in which individuals come to. Cultural identity implies freedom of association with groups, communities and ideologies which can go beyond national boundaries.

Remember, ethnicity is a social construction too i started thinking of the relationship between ethnic selfidentification and the tendency to interpret ethnicity as more real than race when, as part of a new research project, i read a transcribed interview of a. Citeseerx document details isaac councill, lee giles, pradeep teregowda. Psychological freedoms and sociological constraints by laura quiros a dissertation submitted to the graduate faculty in social welfare in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of doctor of philosophy, the city university of new york. This book presents data on ugandan khat within the context of international debates on the drug, and the proposed ban in 2009. Violence and the social construction of ethnic identity volume 54 issue 4 james d. In many countries ethnic groups are or have been visiting violence on. How is the concept social construction of racial and ethnic. Pdf violence and the social construction of ethnic identity. Although ethnic segregation reduces interaction across ethnic lines, it also alters the character of and social meaning given to the interethnic contact that does occur. For volosinov, an individuals identity, inner thoughts and outward araticulations are reliant on processes of social recognition and ultimately the product. Political violence, ethnic conflict, and contemporary wars. Ethnicity and social work practice offers a broad conceptual model of ethnic identity which enables social workers to practice effectively with clients of all ethnic and racial groups. For example, low levels of economic growth may lead to low levels of nationalism and high levels of ethnic identification, as well as increase the likelihood of civil war. Get an answer for how is the concept social construction of racial and ethnic identity related to african americans.

National versus ethnic identity in africa social sciences. There are two main approaches to the understanding of these new ethnic phenomena. By telling of the story of khat, the book will serve as a vehicle for the analysis of social change, development priorities and shifting ethnic identities in uganda over the last 80 years. Diversity is considered desirable and necessary for the development of secure ethnic identities and positive intergroup. Theoretical models based on eriksons ego identity development and measures based on marcias and phinneys 1992 scholarship have made significant contributions to the current literature on ethnic identity. The relationship between social identity and ethnicity is a thorny issue. Between ethnicity, nationality and development in nigeria. Ethnic identity emerges and changes depending upon the social circumstances. Overview of social healing and ethnic identity development in general, those coming from the majority culture in the us white middle class tend to use tools in seeking god that use an individual framework innerhealing is just one example, largely because of the majority cultures focus on the individual. Social identities and democracy in south africa abebe zegeye, ian liebenberg and gregory houston introduction the relationship between social identity and ethnicity is a thorny issue. This is partly because of the tendency to view ethnic difference as a major cause or driver of civil wars or political instability in africa. In particular, it may be that the same conditions that fail to foster a national identity thus, making ethnic identity relatively more salient also increase the chance of civil war. Culture, in this conception, is not about anything. Ethnicity has received much empirical and theoretical attention in the social sciences.

Critical analysis i agree that our identity is both selfconstructed and externally constructed. In a multiethnic state it is assumed that there will be clearly defined ethnic groups with generally incompatible values fearon and laitin, 2000. Ethnic conflicts were the main forms of political instability in the multi ethnic societies during second half of twenty century and beginning of new century. Violence and the social construction of ethnic identity econpapers. If individuals are viewed as the agents who construct identities, then constructivist explanations for ethnic violence tend to merge with analyses that stress strategic action by both elites and mass publics. Ethnicity and ethnic conflict in pakistan 53 azerbaijan and tajikistan etc. The social construction of racial and ethnic identity. Ethnicity, identity, participation and social justice. These findings suggest that there may not be an innate or implicit bias toward other ethnic groups, but that the social setting e. The goal of this study determinates social context of ethnic conflict in multi ethnic societies. Social psychology and multiculturalism maykel verkuyten utrecht university abstract questions of multiculturalism give rise to lively and important debates in many countries and in many spheres of life. One of the dominant characteristics of guyanese society and politics, ethnicity has received much attention from social scientists and historians.