Librería Samer Atenea
Librería Aciertas (Toledo)
Kálamo Books
Librería Perelló (Valencia)
Librería Elías (Asturias)
Donde los libros
Librería Kolima (Madrid)
Librería Proteo (Málaga)
Ethnic conflicts are nowadays a frequent phenomenon in what some call a'postwestphalian' world reshaped by the forces of globalization. Whenthey turn violent these conflicts constitute a regional, if not global threatto security and stability as the recent developments in Iraq or Sri Lankaamply demonstrate. But why and how do ethnic conflicts escalate intooutbreaks of collective violence? This is the question this small book seeksto address. Drawing on the current debates in the field of conflict studies,the author differentiates between two concepts of ethnic conflict andanalyzes the notion of ethnicity as collective identity. Offering explanationsfor the occurrence of ethnic violence that are situated on three differentlevels of analysis, he proceeds from the discussion of violence-pronestrategic interactions among ethnic groups to the analysis of within-groupsocial dynamics. There elites use appropriately labeled violent incidents inorder to rally co-ethnics for political purposes. It is argued that the threelevels of analysis are not exclusive, but instead appear complementaryonce we differentiate between different levels of violence. This book,therefore, proposes a new perspective on collective identity and the escalationof violence in ethnic conflict. It is of interest for those who seektheoretical insights into one of the most pressing political phenomena ofour time.
