War and ethnicity: Global connections and local violence in North East Africa and former Yugoslavia

David Turton

Oxford Development Studies, 1997, vol. 25, issue 1, 77-94

Abstract: Many of today's wars are explained (by observers) and justified (by participants) as the result of deep and ineradicable ethnic differences. But ethnic differences are not given in nature and the relationship between ethnicity and war is not a simple matter of cause and effect. Five questions are considered in the light of recent internal wars in North East Africa and former Yugoslavia. First, in what historical circumstances do ethnic differences become salient? Second, by what techniques do political leaders seek to use ethnic differences as a political resource? Third, how can we explain the special power of ethnic ideas to move people to collective acts, sometimes of horrifying brutality? Fourth, how can we explain the growing importance of local identities in a world which is also becoming more unified, politically, economically and culturally? And finally, what can politicians, aid organizations, journalists and academics do to help prevent and mitigate the terrible consequences of politicized ethnicity?

Date: 1997
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13600819708424123 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:oxdevs:v:25:y:1997:i:1:p:77-94

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/CODS20

DOI: 10.1080/13600819708424123

Access Statistics for this article

Oxford Development Studies is currently edited by Jo Boyce and Frances Stewart

More articles in Oxford Development Studies from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().