The causes of ethnic conflict in multiethnic societies. Causes, effects, remedies, organizational, conflict, concept. Conflict can be defined as a clash or disagreement often violent between opposing groups or individuals. Background the ethnic conflict in sri lanka has many root causes and consequences that are closely interlinked. It also represents a good ethnic mix of the kikuyu, the kalenjin, kisii, ogiek, luo. The current attention to ethnic conflict contrasts markedly with the approach of previous periods. The theoretical ground of the study was the instrumentalist paradigm which claims that ethnic conflict is a clash between rational agents over scarce resources. Most countries in subsaharan africa are home to diverse ethnic groups living together within borders that were arbitrarily drawn during the colonial period. Sometimes conflicts are started over resources or ideologies, and sometimes they seem to be started for no reason at all. Igbohausa feud that began after the military coup and countercoup of 1966, culminating in the civil war in 1967, efikibibio conflict, tivjukun debacle, fulanibirom clashes, and itsekiriurhoboijaw conflict in the niger delta. Pdf ethnicity as the root cause of conflict and its. Literature on causes of ethnic conflict covers a number of competing theories. Numerous theories and much research attempts to explain the causes of ethnic conflict. While the origin while the origin of the conflict may be polit ical, social, economic or religious.
Causes of ethnic conflict in nigeria are many but we will focus on primary ones that government should deal with to stop the menace at once. Reports of murder, ethnic conflict, ethnic cleansing, public dissatisfaction, famine and similar problems cannot be brought to the media. They arise from anomalous economic, political and social. 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. I argue that ethnic conflict occurs when a particular set of factors and conditions converge. The first step in dealing with conflict is identifying the specific cause of the conflict. Since the prehistory of ethnic conflict management is largely forgotten, a digression may be permitted here. A significant increase in the severity of such conflicts between the various ethnic groups inhabiting the country was witnessed after the introduction of multiparty politics in the early 1990s, especially during the 200708 kenyan crisis.
This final criterion differentiates ethnic conflict from other forms of struggle. This article discusses the nature of ethnic conflict as well as the literature that. Pdf the causes of ethnic conflict in multiethnic societies. An ethnic conflict is a conflict between two or more rival ethnic groups. Such conflicts have existed all over the world for centuries, but in the last 20 years, after the fall of communism, they are in the focus of public attention due to the war in rwanda, the events in eastern europe, and the. Candidate depaul university abstract although ethnicity is a contributing factor to the ongoing crisis in south sudan, particularly after the reescalation of violence in. The term conflict describes a situation in which two or more actors pursue incompatible, yet from their individual perspectives entirely just, goals. Ethnic conflict ethnic conflict structural factors.
Pdf ethnicity as the root cause of conflict and its effect. The theoretical ideas are illustrated by the cases from case of ukrainepoland conflict on the time of second world war. One of the leading causes of conflict in kenya is when individuals clash over limited resources such as land and water. But incidence of ethnic violence was different in varying country. They arise from anomalous economic, political and social structures prevalent in many african societies. The followers of the functional approach think that a conflict serves a social function and those who view a conflict as situational, suggest that conflict is an expression under certain situations. The causes of ethnic conflict in multi ethnic societies1 hossien mohammadzadeh assistant professor of sociology, department of social science, payame noor university, tehran, iran email address. Causes, consequences, responses, by karl cordell and stefan wolff. In developing country incidence were low and in the developing sever. The article proposes a multidimensional conceptual framework for understanding causes of ethnic conflict, specifically focusing on the case of bosnia and herzegovina. Developing country management ethnic conflict by participation and justice policy that the equality is the best way for resolve this problem. Nakuru county was chosen because it has had a history of aggravated incidences of armed ethnic conflict from 1991 to 2008. Importantly, ethnic conflict has gained much attention since the end of the cold war.
Understanding the roots of conflict in south sudan. Pervasive conflict throughout much of subsaharan africa defies easy resolution due to a unique web of factors. Ethnic conflicts in kenya occur frequently, although most are minor skirmishes. Since we have looked at some of the causes of conflict in africa, let us come back home and look at some of the sources of conflict in our country. Force and intimidation can only be counter productive. The roadmap to end the crisis including elections late 2015 presents only a shortterm answer and risks exacerbating existing tensions. There can be no durable solution unless the root causes of the conflicts are addressed.
Solutions for moving beyond an ethnic conflict christa charbonneau kuntzelman, m. Proximate causes embrace four levels of conflict triggers. Uncertainty, each ethnic conflict has its own unique characteristics and, in different contexts, some of these elements will be more prominent than the others, but all of them are the common denominators necessary for ethnic conflict to occur. Poor governance, ethnic rivalry, mismanagement of land and natural resources, declining economic conditions, and widespread poverty and famine form a daunting bulwark against stability. Development economics, economic fluctuations and growth, political economy this research advances the hypothesis and establishes empirically that interpersonal population diversity, rather than. Since the period of decolonization, many of these places have been the scenes of significant. According to him, conflict is caused by the increase of population in geometrical progression and the food supply in arithmetical progression. The conflict is usually not about ethnic differences themselves but over political, economic, social, cultural, or territorial matters. The purpose of this research was to investigate the main causes of the post 1991 ethnic conflicts in ethiopia based on secondary data.
The transitional authorities and their international partners must address crucial issues by implementing a comprehensive disarmament. The conflict is usually not about ethnic differences themselves but over. The ethiopian broadcasting corporation has not been allowed to entertain the idea that accounts of ethnic conflict are worth reporting. The researcher sampled joro, kuresoi and molo constituencies. This paper addresses the root causes of the rwandan ethnic conflict from a historical point of view.
Encyclopedia of arkansas history and culture, little rock. Typology, causes and forms of manifestations the article attempts to explain the causes of ethnic conflict by combining the possibilities of socialpsychological and sociological approaches. Root causes of the ethnic conflict in sri lanka tamil. Ethnic conflict, a form of conflict in which the objectives of at least one party are defined in ethnic terms, and the conflict, its antecedents, and possible solutions are perceived along ethnic lines. An ethnic conflict is a conflict between two ethnic groups within a state, one dominant and one subordinate. In ethnic conflict authors karl cordell and stefan wolff define ethnic conflict as such. Being able to identify the specific cause of the conflict youre dealing with will.
Malthus, the eminent economist says that reduced supply of the means of subsistence is the root cause of conflict. It can also be said to be an incompatibility, as of two things that cannot be simultaneously fulfilled. The creation of new nationstates at the time of independence was accompanied urgent calls for nationbuilding by the new african leaders who were well aware of the difficulty in transcending african ethnic and regional loyalties. Comparing regional and ethnic conflict in postsoviet transition states. An ethnic conflict is a conflict between two or more contending ethnic groups. However, given its complexities, it should not be assumed that these causes are part of linear historical processes where one event led to another.
Investigating the causes and consequences of ethnic conflict, the authors argue that the most effective responses are those that take into account factors at the local, state, regional and global level and which avoid seeking simplistic explanations and solutions to what is a truly complex phenomenon. The challenge of ethnic conflict central intelligence agency. You can trace causes of ethnic conflict to amalgamation, religious differences, inequality, lack of transparent governance, long military incursion in government and lack of vision or nigerian dream, to mention but a few. The most significant conflict witnessed since kenyas independence from britain was the 200708 kenyan crisis, a series of interethnic clashes ignited by the 2007 disputed presidential elections by the beginning of 2008, an estimated one third of the 2,200 member indian community in kisumu, which controlled most of the citys trade, had begun repatriating back home in the wake of the. A major cause of african conflicts has been ethnicity, and it has continued to be so. While the source of the conflict may be political, social, economic or religious, the individuals in conflict must expressly fight for their ethnic groups position within society. Appendix i page 1 of 6 appendix i the root causes of the ethnic conflict in sri lanka1 background the ethnic conflict in sri lanka has many root causes and consequences that are closely interlinked. In central african republic, the conflict between armed groups is now compounded by a conflict between armed communities. This article discusses the nature of ethnic conflict as well as the literature that defines and differentiates types of ethnic conflict. Contents preface ix part i concepts and analysis 1 1 approaches to understanding conflict 3 the nature of conflict 5 the context of defining conflict 6 sociopsychological dynamics 9 conflict situations 10 intractable conflict 12 constructive versus destructive conflict root causes of conflict 15 levels of analysis 16 overview 18 2 conflict analysis framework 20. South sudans civil war is the result of a weakly institutionalized state and may require the african unions intervention to find peace and. Conflicts and causes of conflicts in africa project topics. This study is significant because it will contribute to the understanding of the real causes of the conflict in order to.
This article argues that ethnic conflicts in africa often have structural sources. A large share of contemporary violence and disintegration in the world stems from ethnic conflicts both intrastate,such as within northern ireland and canada,or with an interstate link,as in the ethnic confrontations in afghanistan,cyprus,iraq. Understanding the roots of conflict in south sudan council. Pdf structural causes of ethnic conflict researchgate. The causes of ethnic conflict in multiethnic societies world. Combining sophisticated theoretical insights and rich empirical details, the authors, collectively, illuminate the forces and factors that generate violent. Ethnicity and ethnic conflict violence in twentieth century. Weak or failed states often serve as an impetus for ethnic conflict. The article attempts to explain the causes of ethnic conflict by combining the possibilities of socialpsychological and sociological approaches.
Armed conflict and its international dimensions, 19462004 pdf. Past experience could either act as a facilitator or a hindrance to a new agreement, and it is not clear whether international intervention, without the parties to the conflict committed to a peaceful settlement, is an indispensible instrument of. Pdf this article argues that ethnic conflicts in africa often have structural sources. A thematic history of the causes of the ethnic conflict in sri lankan was set out in the appendix to the 2003 report on sri lanka by the world bank. Literature concerning ethnic conflict generally consists of similar methods and forms of analysis, focusing on ethnic conflict in broad terms and employing large nsize studies. Although the term war is sometimes used as a synonym for conflict, it is more usual to restrict the meaning of war to violent conflict, involving armed forces. The causes of ethnic conflicts byu scholarsarchive. Conflict usually occurs primarily as a result of a clash of interests in the relationship between parties, groups or states, either because they pursuing opposing or incompatible goals.
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