Lee A. Smithey
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195395877
- eISBN:
- 9780199914470
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195395877.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Protestant unionist and loyalist organizations and communities in Northern Ireland have used public ritual and cultural expressions, such as parades, bonfires, murals, and commemorations, to build ...
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Protestant unionist and loyalist organizations and communities in Northern Ireland have used public ritual and cultural expressions, such as parades, bonfires, murals, and commemorations, to build and sustain collective identity over the course of the region’s long-standing conflict. Ethnic and political division remains prominent since the signing of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement in 1998, and this book examines the evolution of identity work among unionists and loyalists as they adapt to new political circumstances. Working within a model of conflict transformation that seeks to include as many quarters as possible, the book asks how recursive relationships between collective identity and collective action, such as traditional cultural expressions, provide opportunities for experimentation and the incremental reconstruction and softening of identities that have long contributed to the intractability of conflict in the region. Drawing on participant observation, fieldwork, documentary evidence, and interviews with community workers and leaders, the book argues that ethnic identity change that contributes to conflict transformation and a sustainable peace is most likely when it originates from within even the most ideologically committed unionist and loyalist organizations and communities. The book draws on both qualitative and quantitative methods to document initiatives that mitigate contentious symbols and rituals and reveal a growing openness to civic and cross-community engagement.Less
Protestant unionist and loyalist organizations and communities in Northern Ireland have used public ritual and cultural expressions, such as parades, bonfires, murals, and commemorations, to build and sustain collective identity over the course of the region’s long-standing conflict. Ethnic and political division remains prominent since the signing of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement in 1998, and this book examines the evolution of identity work among unionists and loyalists as they adapt to new political circumstances. Working within a model of conflict transformation that seeks to include as many quarters as possible, the book asks how recursive relationships between collective identity and collective action, such as traditional cultural expressions, provide opportunities for experimentation and the incremental reconstruction and softening of identities that have long contributed to the intractability of conflict in the region. Drawing on participant observation, fieldwork, documentary evidence, and interviews with community workers and leaders, the book argues that ethnic identity change that contributes to conflict transformation and a sustainable peace is most likely when it originates from within even the most ideologically committed unionist and loyalist organizations and communities. The book draws on both qualitative and quantitative methods to document initiatives that mitigate contentious symbols and rituals and reveal a growing openness to civic and cross-community engagement.
Eran Halperin
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199659180
- eISBN:
- 9780191772238
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199659180.003.0019
- Subject:
- Psychology, Social Psychology, Developmental Psychology
This chapter focuses on the role of different collective emotional elements in creating, preserving, and resolving intractable conflicts. The main premise is that collective emotions play a pivotal ...
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This chapter focuses on the role of different collective emotional elements in creating, preserving, and resolving intractable conflicts. The main premise is that collective emotions play a pivotal role in shaping individual and societal responses to conflicting events as well as in contributing to the evolvement of social contexts that maintain the emotional climate and collective emotional orientation that have developed. The chapter deals mainly with the mutual relations between long-term emotions as part of the context of the conflict (i.e., collective emotional orientation, emotional sentiments, and emotional climate) and group-based emotions evoked as individual-level reactions to conflict-related events. Finally, in addition to describing the emotional process which takes place within an intractable conflict, it will also introduce strategies of collective emotion regulation as a possible path for constructive conflict resolution.Less
This chapter focuses on the role of different collective emotional elements in creating, preserving, and resolving intractable conflicts. The main premise is that collective emotions play a pivotal role in shaping individual and societal responses to conflicting events as well as in contributing to the evolvement of social contexts that maintain the emotional climate and collective emotional orientation that have developed. The chapter deals mainly with the mutual relations between long-term emotions as part of the context of the conflict (i.e., collective emotional orientation, emotional sentiments, and emotional climate) and group-based emotions evoked as individual-level reactions to conflict-related events. Finally, in addition to describing the emotional process which takes place within an intractable conflict, it will also introduce strategies of collective emotion regulation as a possible path for constructive conflict resolution.
Anthony Ware and Costas Laoutides
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- June 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190928865
- eISBN:
- 9780190055899
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190928865.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Conflict Politics and Policy
Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims have been subject to human rights abuses, been denied citizenship, and most recently, faced ethnic cleansing. Well over half the Rohingya population who use to live in ...
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Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims have been subject to human rights abuses, been denied citizenship, and most recently, faced ethnic cleansing. Well over half the Rohingya population who use to live in Myanmar have been displaced by violence, with over a million Rohingya refugees now sheltering in Bangladesh. This conflict has become a litmus test for change in Myanmar, a country in transition, and current assessments are far from positive. Whitewashing by the military, and a refusal by Aung San Suu Kyi's government to even use the name 'Rohingya', adds to international skepticism. This book explores this long-running tripartite conflict between the Rohingya, Rakhine and Burman ethnic groups, and offers a new analysis of the complexities of the conflict: the fears and motivations driving it and the competition to control historical representations and collective memory. By exploring these competing narratives in detail and interrogating their historicity, by offering detailed sociopolitical analysis of the conflict dynamics against models of conflict in the literature, and by examining the international dimensions of the conflict, this book offers new insights into what is preventing a peaceful resolution to this intractable conflict.Less
Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims have been subject to human rights abuses, been denied citizenship, and most recently, faced ethnic cleansing. Well over half the Rohingya population who use to live in Myanmar have been displaced by violence, with over a million Rohingya refugees now sheltering in Bangladesh. This conflict has become a litmus test for change in Myanmar, a country in transition, and current assessments are far from positive. Whitewashing by the military, and a refusal by Aung San Suu Kyi's government to even use the name 'Rohingya', adds to international skepticism. This book explores this long-running tripartite conflict between the Rohingya, Rakhine and Burman ethnic groups, and offers a new analysis of the complexities of the conflict: the fears and motivations driving it and the competition to control historical representations and collective memory. By exploring these competing narratives in detail and interrogating their historicity, by offering detailed sociopolitical analysis of the conflict dynamics against models of conflict in the literature, and by examining the international dimensions of the conflict, this book offers new insights into what is preventing a peaceful resolution to this intractable conflict.
Lasana T. Harris
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780262035965
- eISBN:
- 9780262339049
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262035965.003.0004
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience
The fourth chapter argues that explanation may be the function of social cognition, aiding survival and driving human evolution. It explores the psychological literature on anthropomorphism—instances ...
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The fourth chapter argues that explanation may be the function of social cognition, aiding survival and driving human evolution. It explores the psychological literature on anthropomorphism—instances where people bring non-human agents and entities to life by engaging social cognition—and describes it as a type of ‘magical’ or imaginary thinking. It then contrasts this ability with dehumanizing people, describing the brain mechanisms enabling dehumanization, and the functions of withholding social cognition to people. It then considers extending social cognition to animals as a domain where the flexible nature of social cognition is revealed. Finally, it implicates explanation as a causal factor in intractable group conflict.Less
The fourth chapter argues that explanation may be the function of social cognition, aiding survival and driving human evolution. It explores the psychological literature on anthropomorphism—instances where people bring non-human agents and entities to life by engaging social cognition—and describes it as a type of ‘magical’ or imaginary thinking. It then contrasts this ability with dehumanizing people, describing the brain mechanisms enabling dehumanization, and the functions of withholding social cognition to people. It then considers extending social cognition to animals as a domain where the flexible nature of social cognition is revealed. Finally, it implicates explanation as a causal factor in intractable group conflict.
Anthony Ware and Costas Laoutides
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- June 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190928865
- eISBN:
- 9780190055899
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190928865.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Conflict Politics and Policy
Chapters Three and Four articulate the competing historical narratives and representations of memory sustaining Myanmar’s ‘Rohingya’ conflict. This chapter examines what the authors designate the ...
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Chapters Three and Four articulate the competing historical narratives and representations of memory sustaining Myanmar’s ‘Rohingya’ conflict. This chapter examines what the authors designate the Rohingya ‘Origin’ narrative, and interrogates it against the available historical record; the next chapter considers the Rakhine and Burman perspectives. Drawing on the concept of intractable conflict, this chapter commences with an assessment of ‘Rohingya’ written historical sources and their sociopolitical context, then presents an overview and critique of these historical accounts. The chapter summarizes the key narrative of Rohingya origins, examining their representation of various waves of Muslim migration in the distant past, seeking to establish the Rohingya as a national race with deep historical roots in Arakan—and a people integral to Arakan’s political and socioeconomic life until its 1784 conquest by the Burmans. The chapter then offers an analysis of the pre-colonial Muslim population, and assesses their perspectives about the origins of the contemporary conflict. The chapter thus documents and analyses Rohingya claims that various waves of settlers have been assimilated, over centuries, into what is now a single ethic identity with a strong historical connection to the land, and a distinct language, culture and history which should now be considered indigenous to the region.Less
Chapters Three and Four articulate the competing historical narratives and representations of memory sustaining Myanmar’s ‘Rohingya’ conflict. This chapter examines what the authors designate the Rohingya ‘Origin’ narrative, and interrogates it against the available historical record; the next chapter considers the Rakhine and Burman perspectives. Drawing on the concept of intractable conflict, this chapter commences with an assessment of ‘Rohingya’ written historical sources and their sociopolitical context, then presents an overview and critique of these historical accounts. The chapter summarizes the key narrative of Rohingya origins, examining their representation of various waves of Muslim migration in the distant past, seeking to establish the Rohingya as a national race with deep historical roots in Arakan—and a people integral to Arakan’s political and socioeconomic life until its 1784 conquest by the Burmans. The chapter then offers an analysis of the pre-colonial Muslim population, and assesses their perspectives about the origins of the contemporary conflict. The chapter thus documents and analyses Rohingya claims that various waves of settlers have been assimilated, over centuries, into what is now a single ethic identity with a strong historical connection to the land, and a distinct language, culture and history which should now be considered indigenous to the region.
Jeremy Ginges and Scott Atran
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- March 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199336715
- eISBN:
- 9780190255794
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199336715.003.0006
- Subject:
- Psychology, Social Psychology
This chapter reviews a body of research on sacred values and cultural conflict. Research conducted in the West Bank, Iran, Indonesia, and India reveals that when people transform a resource, idea, or ...
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This chapter reviews a body of research on sacred values and cultural conflict. Research conducted in the West Bank, Iran, Indonesia, and India reveals that when people transform a resource, idea, or activity into a sacred value, normative approaches to dispute resolution may fail. In a series of experiments, the authors find that offering material incentives to encourage people to compromise over a sacred value will often “backfre” leading to heightened opposition to such compromise. In contrast, culturally sensitive attempts to offer powerful symbolic gestures—such as a painful apology or sacrifice over one’s own sacred values—often increase flexibility towards compromise. The chapter also discusses a direction of future research focusing on the way people manage sacred values over time.Less
This chapter reviews a body of research on sacred values and cultural conflict. Research conducted in the West Bank, Iran, Indonesia, and India reveals that when people transform a resource, idea, or activity into a sacred value, normative approaches to dispute resolution may fail. In a series of experiments, the authors find that offering material incentives to encourage people to compromise over a sacred value will often “backfre” leading to heightened opposition to such compromise. In contrast, culturally sensitive attempts to offer powerful symbolic gestures—such as a painful apology or sacrifice over one’s own sacred values—often increase flexibility towards compromise. The chapter also discusses a direction of future research focusing on the way people manage sacred values over time.
Anthony Ware and Costas Laoutides
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- June 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190928865
- eISBN:
- 9780190055899
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190928865.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, Conflict Politics and Policy
Chapters Three and Four articulate the competing historical narratives and representations of memory sustaining Myanmar’s ‘Rohingya’ conflict. The last chapter examined the Rohingya ‘Origin’ ...
More
Chapters Three and Four articulate the competing historical narratives and representations of memory sustaining Myanmar’s ‘Rohingya’ conflict. The last chapter examined the Rohingya ‘Origin’ historical narrative; this chapter considers the Rakhine and Burman perspectives, and interrogates them against the available historical record. This chapter documents and analyses three Rakhine—Burman perspectives, which the authors designate: a) the Rakhine ‘Independence’ narrative, which justifies demands for their autonomy from Burman domination; b) the Burman ‘Unity’ narrative, which claims a shared ancestry and historical unity between all of Myanmar’s national races (excluding Rohingya) as the basis for expectations that minorities will unite with them, to form a political community at the heart of the Union of Myanmar; and c) the Rakhine-Burman ‘Infiltration’ narrative, which claims an influx of Bengali Muslims during the colonial and post-Independence period poses an existential threat to the ethnic Rakhine, to Buddhism and to the Myanmar nation. Discussion of each of these narratives includes an assessment of written historical sources and their sociopolitical context, and an overview and critique of these narratives in the light of known history and Bar-Tal’s (2013) ideas about intractable conflict. The chapter concludes with a demographic analysis highlighting the growth of the Muslim population in Rakhine during the colonial period.Less
Chapters Three and Four articulate the competing historical narratives and representations of memory sustaining Myanmar’s ‘Rohingya’ conflict. The last chapter examined the Rohingya ‘Origin’ historical narrative; this chapter considers the Rakhine and Burman perspectives, and interrogates them against the available historical record. This chapter documents and analyses three Rakhine—Burman perspectives, which the authors designate: a) the Rakhine ‘Independence’ narrative, which justifies demands for their autonomy from Burman domination; b) the Burman ‘Unity’ narrative, which claims a shared ancestry and historical unity between all of Myanmar’s national races (excluding Rohingya) as the basis for expectations that minorities will unite with them, to form a political community at the heart of the Union of Myanmar; and c) the Rakhine-Burman ‘Infiltration’ narrative, which claims an influx of Bengali Muslims during the colonial and post-Independence period poses an existential threat to the ethnic Rakhine, to Buddhism and to the Myanmar nation. Discussion of each of these narratives includes an assessment of written historical sources and their sociopolitical context, and an overview and critique of these narratives in the light of known history and Bar-Tal’s (2013) ideas about intractable conflict. The chapter concludes with a demographic analysis highlighting the growth of the Muslim population in Rakhine during the colonial period.