Why do conflicts arise among ethnicities? Key issue 3 Why do conflicts arise among ethnicities?

As we saw last class- Race and ethnicity are complicated concepts As we saw last class- Race and ethnicity are complicated concepts. This chart shows how MUSLIM AMERICANS identify themselves racially. ‘Asian’ is mostly South Asian Muslims- Indian, Pakistani, etc., and some Indonesians ‘White’ are mostly Arab Muslims ‘Black’ are mostly African Muslims

Nationality is identity with a group of people who share legal attachment and personal allegiance to a particular country

Nationality shares similar concepts with ethnicity. Both are defined through shared cultural values derived from religion, language, and material culture.

Nationality differs with ethnicity in terms of legal standing Nationality differs with ethnicity in terms of legal standing. It involves legal behaviors like voting, obtaining a passport, and performing civic duties.

American by NATIONALITY In the U.S., ethnicity, race, and nationality are clearly distinct. A person may be: American by NATIONALITY Jamaican by ETHNICITY And ‘black’ by RACE

Nationality identifies citizens of the United States Ethnicity identifies groups with shared cultural traditions and origins. Race distinguishes people according to physical traits.

A hot topic in Canada is whether the Quebecois are ethnically distinct from other Canadians, or whether they are actually a different nationality.

Many Quebecois want to separate from Canada (a referendum to secede failed 50.6% to 49.4% in 1995)- though support has waned in recent years.

In many countries, the lines between ethnicity and nationality can be blurry. In the United Kingdom, people from 4 distinct ethnicities- Wales, England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland – are all considered British by nationality.

Each region, however, fields its own NATIONAL soccer team. Welsh, Scots, and Irish generally root AGAINST English teams, as they represent the colonial dominance of England in the UK.

Nationalism - loyalty and devotion to a particular nation. Catalonian separatists in Spain This can be complicated because the ‘nation’ might not be an independent country.

Strong and recognizable symbols representing a nation bolster nationalist feelings.

Nationalism is an example of a CENTRIPETAL FORCE, which is an attitude/condition that unifies a group of people & enhances support for a state.

The opposite is a CENTRIFUGAL FORCE, which divides people and weakens support for a state.

ETHNIC COMPETITION

Example: LEBANON

Lebanon is deeply divided between Christians (Maronite) and Muslims from all branches, though mostly Shia.

FIGURE 7-27 ETHNICITIES IN LEBANON Christians dominate in the south and the northwest, Sunni Muslims in the far north, Shiite Muslims in the northeast and south, and Druze in the south-central and southeast.

Lebanon’s capital – Beirut – is also deeply divided according to ethnicity.

Maronites believe themselves to be descended from the Phoenicians, and ancient group from the region, while Lebanese Muslims identify as Arab. The Maronites believe this gives them a special claim to the country, seeing Muslims as unwelcome invaders.

These groups fought a bloody civil war from 1975 to 1990, with each group forming armed militias. One of these –Hezbollah- is still strong in Lebanon today.

Example: SRI LANKA

Ethnic competition has long simmered between the Sri Lanka’s majority SINHALESE and the minority TAMILS, who live mostly in the North.

A low-intensity civil war was won in 2009 by the Sinhalese government who defeated the TAMIL TIGERS, an armed Tamil liberation group.

Defeated, Tamils fear that their ethnic identity will be erased as the Sinhalese mount campaigns to ‘standardize’ Sri Lanka’s culture.

DIVIDED ETHNICITIES

Few Ethnicities inhabit an area that exactly matches the territory of a nation; most are divided between different countries.

Example: India & Pakistan

Like Palestine and South Africa- THE U. K Like Palestine and South Africa- THE U.K. CREATED A MESS WHEN IT LEFT IN 1947.

Before departing its South Asian holdings, British colonialists carved out two states: India and Pakistan- East and West.

The two new states were based on ethnicity. India was created to encompass areas with Hindu majorities, while Pakistan was designed to hold the Muslim residents of the region.

Millions of people- both Hindu and Muslim- were suddenly caught on the ‘wrong’ side of the border. A mass migration occurred as people scrambled to reach their new designated country.

In 1971, East Pakistan broke away and became Bangladesh. The residents of East and West Pakistan shared nothing except their religion. 2,000 miles apart, they had totally different cultural traditions. In 1971, East Pakistan broke away and became Bangladesh.

India and Pakistan – historically one country – have long quarreled over the resources they once shared. One of their biggest fights is over KASHMIR, a remote and mountainous border region.

Example: The KURDS

The Kurds are a Sunni Muslim people who are divided between several countries. 14 million in eastern Turkey 5 million in northern Iraq 4 million in western Iran 2 million in eastern Syria

The UN promised the Kurds a state (Kurdistan) after WWI- but later gave the same area to Turkey.

Until 1991, the Kurdish language was banned in Turkish mass media. In order to suppress Kurdish nationalism, Kurdish culture and traditions are attacked regularly by the Turks as backwards. Until 1991, the Kurdish language was banned in Turkish mass media.

To defend their interests, the Kurds have formed an extremely elite fighting force- the Peshmerga.

Turkey is, of course, deeply distrustful of this relationship. Today, the Peshmerga is among the most potent forces fighting against ISIS in Eastern Syria, backed by the U.S. Turkey is, of course, deeply distrustful of this relationship.

Final Example: IRAQ

Iraq is a deeply multiethnic state Iraq is a deeply multiethnic state. It is ¾ Muslim and ¼ Kurd, and is territorially divided between these groups.

Under Saddam Hussein, the minority Sunni wielded considerable power Under Saddam Hussein, the minority Sunni wielded considerable power. Saddam oppressed both the majority Shia and the Kurds in the north.

When the US invaded in 2003, it expected to be greeted as liberators When the US invaded in 2003, it expected to be greeted as liberators. Instead, a Pandora’s Box of ethnic conflict was opened. Both the Shia and the Sunnis rejected the US presence, engaging in a bloody insurgency. The Kurds welcomed the US presence, seeing a chance to boost their national aims.

Iraqi Shia break a sign with the name for ISIS in Arabic – ‘Daesh’ The arrival of ISIS has made the ethnic divisions in Iraq far more complicated. Iraqi Shia break a sign with the name for ISIS in Arabic – ‘Daesh’

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