Political Science 348: Culture and Ethnic Conflict Management

Fall 1998

Mr. Ross

Monday 2-4

Many observers see intransigent ethnic conflicts as the greatest contemporary threat to peace. While some of these conflicts, such as in Sri Lanka or Northern Ireland, are long-term disputes, others develop an unexpected intensity in a very short time. Clearly there is widespread interest in understanding the origin, escalation, and peaceful settlement of ethnic conflicts. While a number of frameworks exist for the examination of ethnic conflict, the one developed here emphasizes the role of culture and identity in these conflicts. It focuses on the power of symbolic phenomena such as the language of street signs in Montreal and Bratislava, Orange Order marches in Northern Ireland, and religious imagery and interpretation in the Middle East. Underlying this emphasis is the central hypothesis that identity and threats to identity which are embedded in cultural practices are at the core of ethnic conflict. This hypothesis says that successful conflict resolution must consider cultural, as well as political, dynamics if it is to be successful. To examine the role of culture in ethnic conflict this course will ask general questions about the importance of culture in the definition of the concrete interests and culturally rooted interpretations and actions which seem to drive ethnic conflicts, and focus on the detailed analysis of thirteen specific ethnic conflicts at different levels of intensity. Through the case studies the course will develop an analysis of how culture offers constraints and opportunities to governments and leaders engaged in ethnic conflict and cooperation.

The first part of the course will offer a framework for the analysis of culture and ethnic conflict, and general readings on culture and ethnicity. There are two extended cases we will examine together: Canada and Northern Ireland. During this part of the course each student will write two short papers and weekly ungraded (but required) comments in response to the readings or any other issues which are relevant to the course’s questions. These comments are to be a paragraph to a page in length and are to be handed in at the beginning of each class.

During the second part of the semester each student will work on a single case study which will result in a term paper due at the end of the exam period. This research will be on one of twelve ethnic conflicts. Co-authored papers are encouraged but not required. In addition to the paper each student will present a preliminary analysis of the conflict and culture’s role in the conflict they are studying to the class in November. Each week in November there will be presentations of three different conflicts in class and students are expected to coordinate their presentations with those working on the same conflicts on which they are working and with those presenting the same week but working on different conflicts.

Required Books

  1. Marc V. Levine, The Reconquest of Montreal: Language Policy and Social Change in a Bilingual City. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1991.

  2. Anthony D. Buckley and Mary C. Kenney. Negotiating Identity: Rhetoric, Metaphor and Social Drama in Northern Ireland. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1995.

Reserve Articles

  1. Marc Howard Ross, "Culture and Identity in Comparative Political Analysis," in Mark Lichbach and Alan Zuckerman (eds), Comparative Politics: Rationality, Culture, and Structure. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997, pp. 42-80.
  2. Marc Howard Ross, "The Cultural Dynamics of Ethnic Conflict and its Management." USIP Research Proposal, 1997.
  3. Ted Robert Gurr and Barbara Harff, Ethnic Conflict in World Politics. Boulder: Westview Press, 1994, pp. 1-26.
  4. Susanne Hoeber Rudolph and Lloyd I. Rudolph, "Modern Hate: How Ancient Animosities Get Invented," The New Republic. March 22, 1993, pp. 24-29.
  5. Donald Horowitz, "A Family Resemblance," in Ethnic Groups in Conflict, Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1985, pp. 55-92.
  6. Wenenah Lyon, "Defining Ethnicity: Another Way of Being British," in Tariq Modood and Pnina Werbner (eds), The Politics of Multiculturalism in the New Europe. New York and London: Zod Books, 1997, pp. 186-206
  7. Vamik Volkan, "Ancient Fuel for a Modern Inferno: Time Collapse in Bosnia-Herzegovina," in Vamik Volkan, Bloodlines. NY: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 1997, pp. 50-80.
  8. Clifford Geertz, "Thick Description: Toward and Interpretive Theory of Culture," In Clifford Geertz, The Interpretation of Cultures. NY: Basic Books, 1973, pp. 8-30.
  9. Robert A. LeVine, "Properties of Culture: An Ethnographic View," In Richard A. Schweder and Robert A. LeVine (eds), Culture Theory: Essays on Mind, Self and Emotion. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984, pp. 67-87.
  10. Roy G. D’Andrade, "Cultural Meaning Systems," In Richard A. Schweder and Robert A. LeVine (eds), Culture Theory: Essays on Mind, Self and Emotion. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984, pp. 88-119.
  11. Abner Cohen, Custom and Politics in Urban Africa. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1969, pp. 183-214.
  12. Michael Sells, "Religion, History and Genocide in Bosnia-Herzegovina," in G. Scott Davis (ed). Religion and Justice in the War Over Bosnia. NY: Routledge, 1996, pp. 23-44.
  13. Umberto Melotti, "International Migration in Europe: Social Projects and Political Cultures," in Tariq Modood and Pnina Werbnet (eds), The Politics of Multiculturalism in the New Europe." New York and London: Zod Books, 1997, pp. 73-92.
  14. David Laitin. "Linguistic Revival: Politics and Culture in Catalonia." Comparative Studies in Society and History. 31 (1989), pp. 297-317.
  15. Rosanne Cecil, "The Marching Season in Northern Ireland: An Expression of Politico-Religious Identity," in Sharon MacDonald (ed), Inside European Identities: Ethnography in Western Europe. Providence and Oxford: Berg Publishers, 1993, pp. 146-166.
  16. Donald Rothchild and David A. Lake. "Containing Fear: The Management of Transnational Ethnic Conflict," in David A. Lake and Donald Rothchild (eds), The International Spread of Ethnic conflict: Fear, Diffusion, and Escalation. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1998, pp. 203-226.
  17. Herbert Kelman. "The Political Psychology of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: How Can We Overcome the Barriers to a Negotiated Solution?" Political Psychology. 8 (1987), 347-63.

 

 

 

Reading Assignments

Week 1: August 31: Introduction: Why and How Do Groups Fight About Culture?

Consider the role of culture in two ethnic conflicts: francophones and anglophones in Canada and Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland. Why is one so much more violent than the others? What is the role of culture in each in understanding the meaning of each conflict for participants and the course each has taken over the past twenty years? Excepts from two films: "The QuebeCanada Complex" and "At the Edge of Union" will be presented to illustrate some core questions about culture and conflict.

  

Week 2: September 7: The Intersection of Culture and Ethnic Politics

  1. Marc Howard Ross, "Culture and Identity in Comparative Political Analysis," in Mark Lichbach and Alan Zuckerman (eds), Comparative Politics: Rationality, Culture, and Structure. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997, pp. 42-80.
  2. Marc Howard Ross, "The Cultural Dynamics of Ethnic Conflict and its Management." USIP Research Proposal, 1997.
  3. Ted Robert Gurr and Barbara Harff, Ethnic Conflict in World Politics. Boulder: Westview Press, 1994, pp. 1-26.
  4. Susanne Hoeber Rudolph and Lloyd I. Rudolph, "Modern Hate: How Ancient Animosities Get Invented," The New Republic. March 22, 1993, pp. 24-29.

The readings are intended to raise questions about culture and ethnic politics and offer an approach to study them. Ross’ article considers various approaches to the study of culture and politics arguing that questions of identity should have a central role. The Ross grant proposal applies the general scheme presented in the article to the study of ethnic conflict and provides the substantive outline for this course identifying five ways culture affects ethnic conflict and its management—political prioritization, identity definition, boundary maintenance, political organization and mobilization, and interpretative frameworks—and suggesting how they can be used to study specific ethnic conflicts. The Gurr and Harff chapter provides a good description of the state of ethnic conflict in the world today and Rudolph and Rudolph offer an important example of how culture is a resource leaders use in their pursuit of ethnic claims. Consider how their example from India illustrates Ross’ core argument.

Week 3: September 14: Ethnicity, Identity and Ethnic Conflict

  1. Donald Horowitz, "A Family Resemblance," in Ethnic Groups in Conflict, Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1985, pp. 55-92.
  2. Wenenah Lyon, "Defining Ethnicity: Another Way of Being British," in Tariq Modood and Pnina Werbner (eds), The Politics of Multiculturalism in the New Europe. New York and London: Zod Books, 1997, pp. 186-206
  3. Vamik Volkan, "Ancient Fuel for a Modern Inferno: Time Collapse in Bosnia-Herzegovina," in Vamik Volkan, Bloodlines. NY: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 1997, pp. 50-80.

If identity is at the core of bitter ethnic conflicts, it is important to be clear what we mean by ethnicity and what is the nature of a social identity such as ethnicity. Horowitz offers a wide-ranging discussion to help you understand the nature of ethnicity. Lyon provides an excellent case suggesting the changing nature of ethnicity as a product of migration and contact, and Volkan’s discussion of Bosnia and Kocovo help us understand the psychocultural nature of ethnic identity and its power in political conflict.

Week 4: September 21: The Concept of Culture and Political Mobilization

  1. Clifford Geertz, "Thick Description: Toward and Interpretive Theory of Culture," In Clifford Geertz, The Interpretation of Cultures. NY: Basic Books, 1973, pp. 8-30.
  2. Robert A. LeVine, "Properties of Culture: An Ethnographic View," In Richard A. Schweder and Robert A. LeVine (eds), Culture Theory: Essays on Mind, Self and Emotion. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984, pp. 67-87.
  3. Roy G. D’Andrade, "Cultural Meaning Systems," In Richard A. Schweder and Robert A. LeVine (eds), Culture Theory: Essays on Mind, Self and Emotion. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984, pp. 88-119.
  4. Abner Cohen, Custom and Politics in Urban Africa. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1969, pp. 183-214.
  5. Michael Sells, "Religion, History and Genocide in Bosnia-Herzegovina," in G. Scott Davis (ed). Religion and Justice in the War Over Bosnia. NY: Routledge, 1996, pp. 23-44.

The meaning of culture is something that anthropologists have been discussing for decades. The articles by Geertz, LeVine and D’Andrade offer a view of culture which emphasizes culture as a system of meaning. Read these pieces carefully and consider how their understanding of culture is and is not useful for your understanding ethnic conflict. How are symbol and meaning systems related? How are their important in the escalation and deescalation of ethnic conflict? Cohen argues that culture per se does not provoke ethnic conflict, but rather than culture provides resources which groups and leaders use to respond to particular kinds of political dilemmas. Sells discusses the war in Bosnia in terms of both cultural and physical genocide arguing that they were intimately related. Consider how his specific example is compatible with the more general articles of Geertz, LeVine and D’Andrade.

Week 5: September 28: Culture and Ethnic Conflict-The Role of Language

Marc V. Levine, The Reconquest of Montreal: Language Policy and Social Change in a Bilingual City. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1991.

Language and religion are among the most visible markers of culture and it is not surprising that both are at the core of many bitter ethnic conflicts. Levine examine the role of language in conflict in Canada. What does language and language use represent in this conflict? What is it that the different parties want? Are there ways to envision an outcome which meets the core needs of all the parties? An obvious questions is how this conflict is or is not related to disputes in the US about "English Only" policies. Or questions of language policy in many other countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia? Why is the politics of language so emotionally charged?

 

Week 6: October 5: Cultural Dynamics and Political Conflict

  1. Umberto Melotti, "International Migration in Europe: Social Projects and Political Cultures," in Tariq Modood and Pnina Werbnet (eds), The Politics of Multiculturalism in the New Europe." New York and London: Zod Books, 1887, pp. 73-92.
  2. David Laitin, "Linguistic Revival: Politics and Culture in Catalonia." Comparative Studies in Society and History. 31 (1989), pp. 297-317.
  3. Rosanne Cecil, "The Marching Season in Northern Ireland: An Expression of Politico-Religious Identity," in Sharon MacDonald (ed), Inside European Identities: Ethnography in Western Europe. Providence and Oxford: Berg Publishers, 1993, pp. 146-166.

These articles offer some additional examples of cultural dynamics and ethnic conflict. Melotti presents the issue of political culture in the context of large scale migration in Europe suggesting how complex it is for political systems which previously viewed themselves as homogeneous to respond to culturally diverse demands. Laitin considers language revival in Catalonia (the cases of Hebrew in Israel and Afrikaans in South Africa are even more dramatic) and asks about the role of language revival in the politics of regionalism in Spain. Cecil looks at the Orange Order’s marches in Northern Ireland and invites us to consider why these "celebrations" are fundamentally powerful political events.

 

 

Week 7: October 19: The Case of Northern Ireland—Politics and Culture

Anthony D. Buckley and Mary C. Kenney. Negotiating Identity: Rhetoric, Metaphor and Social Drama in Northern Ireland. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1995.

What exactly is driving the conflict between the million and a half people in Northern Ireland? Buckley and Kenney’s analysis of culture and identity offers a framework to get behind the political demands and assorted constitutional proposals and to consider psychocultural dynamics and daily ritual as central to the perpetuation of the conflict. They ask us to consider how ritual defines two different worlds in the region and them provides the resources to keep people apart and fearful of difference. Consider how their detailed analysis provides answer to Ross’s general questions.

 

 Week 8: October 26: Culture and Ethnic Conflict Management

  1. Donald Rothchild and David A. Lake. "Containing Fear: The Management of Transnational Ethnic Conflict," in David A. Lake and Donald Rothchild (eds), The International Spread of Ethnic conflict: Fear, Diffusion, and Escalation. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1998, pp. 203-226.
  2. Herbert Kelman. "The Political Psychology of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: How Can We Overcome the Barriers to a Negotiated Solution?" Political Psychology. 8 (1987), 347-63.

What are we to do to alter the bitter ethnic conflicts which are destroying entire societies in the world? These two articles suggest a range of approaches to ethnopolitical conflict which recognize that constructive conflict management has to take seriously issues of culture and identity.

Part 2: Analysis of Individual Cases

Week 9: November 2: November 2: France, Moldovia, Sri Lanka

Week 10: November 9: South Africa, Guatemala, Catalonia

Week 11: November 16: Israel-Palestine, Malaysia, Georgia,

Week 12: November 23: Slovakia, Kenya, Canada,

Part 3:

Analysis and Conclusions

Weeks 13-14: November 30-December 7