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Ethnopluralism: Panacea for East Central Europe?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2018

Rasma Karklins*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, University of Illinois at Chicago, U.S.A.

Extract

Worldwide, ethnopolitics takes on various shapes. Yet, while politics involving ethnicity can be either conflictual, competitive, or cooperative, analysts typically focus either on instances of conflict or ignore the multiethnicity of states by sticking to “the comfortable integrationist presumptions of the 1950s.” All too rarely does one find analyses of policies that work in difficult situations. This global trend is intensified in the case of Eastern Europe. As this region has suffered instances of ethnic politics gone wrong—most recently in the former Yugoslavia—many analysts assume that constructive approaches to ethnic relations are impossible, even though they are needed more than ever. Here, I outline a model of ethnopolitics which is both democratic and constructive, has been used in East Central Europe in the past, and has potential for the future. In presenting the case for ethnopluralism, I outline a promising alternative to ethnic conflict or neglect.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © 2000 Association for the Study of Nationalities 

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References

Notes

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