Cultural Contestation in Ethnic Conflict Ross Hardback 9780521870139

Cultural Contestation in Ethnic Conflict

Studies how culture drives ethnic conflict, but can also help mitigate it.

Marc Howard Ross (Author)

9780521870139, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 3 May 2007

388 pages
23.5 x 15.8 x 3 cm, 0.72 kg

Anthropologists, and not just political scientists, should read Ross's book even if the theoretical position he develops is a close relative of familiar anthropological perspectives. Partly the book is recommended for its wealth of empirical cases, some of them described in admirable detail; but more important is the convincing demonstration of a skill at which anthropologists used to be rather highly accomplished, namely that of systematic comparison.' The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute

Ethnic conflict often focuses on culturally charged symbols and rituals that evoke strong emotions from all sides. Marc Howard Ross examines battles over diverse cultural expressions, including Islamic headscarves in France, parades in Northern Ireland, holy sites in Jerusalem and Confederate flags in the American South to propose a psychocultural framework for understanding ethnic conflict, as well as barriers to, and opportunities for, its mitigation. His analysis explores how culture frames interests, structures demand-making and shapes how opponents can find common ground to produce constructive outcomes to long-term disputes. He focuses on participants' accounts of conflict to identify emotionally significant issues, and the power of cultural expressions to link individuals to larger identities and shape action. Ross shows that, contrary to popular belief, culture does not necessarily exacerbate conflict; rather, the constructed nature of psychocultural narratives can facilitate successful conflict mitigation through the development of more inclusive narratives and identities.

1. Introduction: easy questions and hard answers. What are they fighting about?2. The political psychology of competing narratives3. Narratives and performance: ritual enactment and psychocultural dramas in ethnic conflict4. Loyalist parades in Northern Ireland as a psychocultural drama5. Where is Barcelona? Imagining the nation without a state6. Digging up the past to contest the present: the politics of archaeology in Jerusalem's old city7. Dressed to express: Muslim headscarves in French schools8. The politics of memory and memorialization in post-apartheid South Africa9. Enlarging South Africa's symbolic landscape10. Flags, heroes and statues: inclusive versus exclusive identity markers in the American South11. Culture's central role in ethnic conflict.

Subject Areas: Politics & government [JP]