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Session 10

Saui Newman, “Does modernization breed ethnic political conflict?, World Politics, April 1 1,pp! "#1$%&

In this article the author attempts to explain ethnic conflict by conflictual modernization approach and test its utility by

examining ethnic political conflict in Western Europe and North America since the late 1960s !his approach can do more

than identify the "ariables that gi"e rise to ethnic political mo"ements and can be used to explain and analyze the

ideologies and organizations of ethnic political mo"ements

Ethnicity; from “Primordial” obligation to modern identification

#arx$s or %ur&heims melting pot modernization approach 'e g as modernization proceeds( ethnic identification )ill

disappear* )as empirically denied by ethnic political conflicts not only in the de"eloping )orld but also in the industrialized

)orld 'e g +uebec( ,cotland( Wales and -elgium* Wal&er .onnor argued that the process of economic modernization

does not undermine ethnic di"isions but in"igorates them by bringing together pre"iously isolated ethnic groups that

suddenly find themsel"es compete for the same economic niches Ethnicity became seen as an identity that could be

constantly created and re/created to suit particular political goals -ut ho)

Explaining the ethnic “Revival”; building on the conflictual modernization approach

Anthony ,mith applies .onnor$s approach in accounting for ethnic political acti"ity( arguing that potential bureaucrats )ho

)ere dissatisfied )ith modern state setting returned to their ethnic group to lead ethnic political mo"ements !his theory(

ho)e"er( has three fla)s i* too much left unexplained( such as definition of ethnicity( ii* failure to solidify the connectionbet)een modernization and ethnic identities( and iii* lac& of explanations )hy the elites could mobilize mass support

Reworking the conflictual modernization paradigm

-y the 1920s the popular theories 'the modernization approach3the conflictual modernization approach* failed in

explaining ethnic political conflicts 4oseph 5otheshild$s conflictual modernization approach includes ethnic groups and

the state as actors )ith economic and political resources at their disposal e claims that the sufficient condition for ethnic

political mo"ements are dependent on the economic( political( and ideological resources a"ailable to ethnic groups

Ed)ard !irya&ian and 5onald 5ogo)s&i$s conflictual modernization approach depends on 7rational choice theory8 to

predict )hen ethnic identities )ill result in political conflict %epending on the balance of resources a"ailable to the "arious

ethnic groups )ithin the states( indi"iduals from each type of ethnic group )ithin a state react to ethnic group

dominance///)hether by assimilation( isolation( apathy( resistance( or minority nationalism %espite its contributions(

!ogo)s&i$s theory holds some internal inconsistency 5ational choices made by ethnic elites are not necessarily national

choices for mass supporters

A new approach; the p ychological dynamic

%onald oro)its$s ne) approach emphasizes on 7ethnic dynamic8( a psychological dynamic that underlies the

relationship bet)een the causes of conflict( the de"elopment of an ethnic agenda( and the conse uent permutations that

these conflicts undergo Ethnic identity is uni ue in that one can maneu"er out of one$s ethnic identity( )hile class mobility

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is possible In ran&ed ethnic systems( )here mobile opportunities are restricted by group identity( ethnic conflict )ill most

li&ely ta&e the form of a social re"olution )ith emphasis of class di"isions rather than ethnicity :nran&ed ethnic systems(

)here parallel ethnic groups coexist and each group is internally stratified( ha"e the potential for erupting into ethnic

conflict ere e"aluations of other ethnic groups( such as ad"anced or bac&)ard( 'ad"anced by the colonialism* became

conceptualization of ethnic difference penetrating into go"ernmental policy !his psychological dynamic feeds ethnic

conflict at all strategies and can determine the direction of ethnic conflict and ethnic political mo"ements !he limitation of

this theory is i* re;ection of economic explanations for the rise of ethnic conflict( ii* failure in explaining in conflict in ran&ed

systems ',outh Africa* and in de"eloped )orld

Re!creating “Primordial ” identitie

!he manner in )hich modernization politicizes ethnic identifications should be more focused( as in religious political

mo"ement and recreation of religious identity 4uan <inz examines the recreation of ethnic identities and ethnic agendas(

arguing that traditional ethnic nationalists mo"ements generally ad"ocate primordial conceptions of nationalism rooted in

common ancestry and the use of common ethnic instruments such as language ="er time( ho)e"er( the processes

ethnic intermarriage and migration ma&e these primordial sentiments increasingly anachronistic As a result( ethnic

nationalist turn to a territorial conception of ethnicity in their dri"e for regional autonomy that )ould be inclusi"e of those

)ho do not fit the primordial ualification of ethnicity !hese mo"ements ha"e no uni ue ethnic character )hen compared

)ith other autonomy mo"ements( )hich again turns to primordial elements to reinforce its distincti"eness 5esidents )ho

are not members of the ma;ority ethnic group are forced to assimilate or challenge the ideology of the leadership of the

ethnic mo"ements

Expanding modernization approach" the re!creation proce!he author argues in the case of ethnic political mo"ement in +uebec and other cases by exploring re/creation process of

ethnic identities ,ocial( economic and political modernization can account for more than the necessary condition for the

rise of ethnic conflict

#onclu ion

-y emphasizing the ideological component of ethnicity( this ne) approach addresses the reasons for mass participation in

ethnic mo"ement( brings an ethnic component to the study of ethnic politics( and expands the pur"ie) of the conflictual

modernization approach

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