The Politics of Ethnicity and National Identity

An authoritative guide to the complexities of ethnic conflict in terms of linguistics, territory, and ethnicity in various regions, The Politics of Ethnicity and National Identity argues that ethnicity, used as a tool both for oppression and for liberation, plays an influential and controversial role in constructive state-building. The contributors to this volume use various research methodologies to affirm that positive territorial identities often emerge from community-based organizations and groups. As an alternative to the derivative nationalist project that so far has only resulted in conditions for a soft state, this book examines the issue of whether ethnicity and community attachments are at the heart of civil conflict and war.