Building a theory of communication and ethnopolitical conflict

ABSTRACT

Coherent development of theories of ethnopolitical conflict has been slow and scattered. Moreover, the role of communication has been seriously neglected. I theorize ethnopolitical conflict along two dimensions: the level in which the conflict is entered (macro state-level, mid civil society level, and individual level) and the type of communication most characteristic of the level (bargaining and negotiation, intergroup relations and intercultural communication, identity theories and deliberative processes). Additionally, the article makes the case for a social constructionist perspective on ethnicity, and develops a relationship between communication and ethnopolitical conflict. Finally, theories of communication are posed as mediators of social systems that couple the communication systems of two conflictive groups in order for them to increase commensurability.

KEYWORDS:

• Ethnicity
• conflict
• ethnopolitical conflict
• constructionism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributor

Donald G. Ellis is Emeritus Professor at the University of Hartford. He is the author of numerous books and articles concerning ethnopolitical conflict and intergroup processes. He has been a Fulbright Scholar at Tel Aviv University and a Lady Davis Fellow at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. His current research concerns deliberative processes and group decision making.

Additional information

Funding

The author wishes to acknowledge the Lady Davis Fellowship at Hebrew University in Jerusalem for support during the preparation of this manuscript.