Conflict Readings

Dark side of Democracy

• Ethnic conflict rises where ethnicity trumps class as the main form of social stratification, especially when it is fueled by other factors, e.g. Economic exploitation, when one ethnicity feels that it is being oppressed by another

• Settler democracies are the strongest link between conflict and nationalism, especially ethnic nationalism

• Example: Rwandan genocide

Waves of War: Nationalism, State Formation, and Ethnic Exclusion in the Modern World - Required

• The different types of ethnic conflicts are caused by different configurations of ethno-political power. All these configurations are basically ethnic underrepresentation in government. Violates nationalist principle ‘like over like’

Price of Citizenship for Maori: a matter of Historical and Legal Context

• Pure example of nationalism and conflict, Maori people are told that to be considered citizens, they have a duty and responsibility to the British Empire and New Zealand to be considered citizens, so they have to take part in the war

• Yet, there is an ethnonationalist conflict between Pakeha and Maori. The government is legislating against Maori and has transferred nearly all the land from Maori, Maori own 5% 1970.

Resolving conflict in Bi-Polar societies

• Uses Ireland and Fiji as case studies, ethnic conflict can be fixed by institutional design, but it has to be thoughtful and careful. Also seems to be much harder doing it from the inside, but easier when done from the outside, e.g. an outsider country or organisation

• There needs to be communication between different ethnic blocs, especially in government. An amount of trust between ruling elites of each bloc, mandatory power sharing, and fair ways of actually electing officials that does not favour one group over the other

Building a Culture of Peace and Collective Memory in Post-conflict Bosnia and Herzegovina

• The main focus of this article is on a museum in Sarajevo that focuses on children’s lives during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, its purpose is to form a collective memory, to humanise real children who had to live through the terror and misery of the war. With the ultimate purpose of forming a collective memory where the trauma of the past is used to practice tolerance with other people and ethnicities