Why does segregation prevent conflict in some regions but not others? Interrogating social distance amid ethnic conflicts in Jos, Nigeria

Abstract

This paper revisits the longstanding question of why segregation douses ethnic tensions in some places but exacerbates them in others. Anchored on the concept of social distance and drawing on empirical evidence from Jos, Nigeria’s hotbed of ethnoterritorial conflict, this article provides a nuanced analysis of why segregation mediates both the emergence and the prevention of ethnic conflict. In the examined case study, the role of social distance in conflict mitigation varies according to neighbourhood type. Animosity was already deep-seated across the region when social distancing – the effect of partition and segregation – was cemented following the outbreak of conflict in some communities in 2001. Yet the conflict spread to some ethnically unmixed neighbourhoods but not others. In conflict-affected areas, social distance did not avert future conflicts compared to neighbourhoods where the initial conflict was avoided. However, past conflict is not a predictor of future outbreaks in socially distanced neighbourhoods given that in the areas that avoided future conflicts, social distance occurred simultaneously with extensive informal bi-communal leadership engagements. Therefore, the paper shows that even imperfect unmixing can dampen violence when combined with observable leadership engagement.

Keywords:

• Social distance
• segregation
• ethnic conflict
• conflict prevention
• Jos
• Plateau
• Nigeria

Acknowledgements

My deepest gratitude goes to the two anonymous referees and the handling editor for their valuable comments on different versions of this paper. However, I am solely responsible for its content, including any factual error.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 The research for this paper complied with the ethical standards outlined in Canada’s Tri-Council’s policy statement on the ethical conduct of research involving humans. It also received ethics approval from the Joint Research Ethics Board (JREB) of the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada. The protocol number is J2019:022 (HS22672).

2 Before 2001, interethnic violence was recorded in 1994 and 1998. However, the 2001 episode was the first significant outbreak, hence it is generally regarded as the beginning of the Jos conflict.

3 Multiple interviews with youths and community elders from native and settler groups, April–June 2019.

4 A native of Jos who was the author’s research assistant helped with the identification of tribal marks.

5 Interviews with several participants between April and June 2019.

6 Interviews with several members of the ethnoreligious groups included in the study, April–June 2019.

7 Multiple interviews with Berom Christians and Hausa-Fulani Muslims between April and June 2019.

8 Interviews with multiple Hausa and Berom participants between April and June 2019.

9 Interviews with Christians and Muslims between April and June 2019, and the author’s observation between November 2018 and June 2019.

10 Unlike the North American context, most people in Africa do not consider a pet to be a part of their family, and pets, such as dogs and cats, typically live outside the house. So, culturally, it is not strange that a person would place their dog in what they thought was a potentially dangerous situation.

11 Interviews with Berom Christians and Hausa Muslims, April–June 2019.

12 Interviews with Berom and Hausa participants, April–June 2019.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Surulola Eke

Surulola Eke is a Banting postdoctoral fellow at Queen’s University, Canada. His research programme, which advances in three tracks, is at the intersection of peace science and political studies. His work explores the variable consequences of rights denial in the context of indigene–settler relations in West Africa, the linkages between two-tier citizenship and labour exploitation in these countries, and the potential for achieving sustainable agrarian futures through work formalisation. He has written more than two dozen papers, comprising book chapters, refereed journal articles and invited lectures. He is also the recipient of numerous academic awards and fellowships.