Political Manifestations of

Ethnic Diversity

Martha B. SharmaAPHG Test Development Committee

NCGE, Kansas City

October 22, 2004

III. Cultural Patterns and ProcessesB. Cultural differences

3. Ethnicity

IV. Political Organization of SpaceB. Evolution of the contemporary political pattern

3. Internal political boundaries and arrangements

C. Challenges to inherited political-territorial arrangements

3. Spatial relationships between political patterns and patterns of ethnicity …

Integrating Themes in Human Geography

Some Basic Vocabulary

• Ethnic group – “…a group, which is part of a larger population, that possesses a distinct culture of its own. The members of such a group feel a common origin, real or imaginary, and are frequently set apart by race, religion, or national origin, or a combination of these.”

• Territoriality – “A behavioral phenomenon associated with people’s …organization of space….reflects the need that individuals and groups have for space for reasons of security, identify ….area over which [they] wish to assert control….”

Source: Dictionary of Human Geography (Penguin, 1987)

Challenges to the State

• A perceived threat to a group’s sense of identity can be a strong centripetal force, binding the group together for common defense against the ‘other’

• Competing claims among ethnic groups for territory, control, or recognition can be a strong centrifugal force , threatening to undermine the stability of the state

Contemporary Conflicts Rooted in Ethnic Identity

• Ethnicity stirs human emotions that, under certain circumstance, can erupt into public displays, civil disturbances, even open political conflict.

• Some manifestation of ethnicity lies at the heart of tensions that mark events at various places and scales around the world, including …

• French Canada

• Nigeria

• Sudan

• Lebanon

• Mexico (Chiapas)

• Sri Lanka

• Russia (Chechnya)

• Northern Ireland

• Philippines

• Eritrea

Language is often a symbol of ethnic identity

Source: Atlas of Canada. http://atlas.gc.ca/site/english/maps/peopleandsociety/ officiallanguages/mothertonguefrench

KFC becomes PFK (Poulet Frait de la Kentucky).

Source: http://www.travelin-tigers.com/ztravel/can08.htm

• Nigerian languages represent three different language families Nilo-Saharan Afro-Asiatic Niger-Congo

# Languages Spoken

1 - 5

5 - 25

25 - 50

50 - 75

Source: Http://www.uiowa.edu/intlinet/unijos/nigonnet/nlp/regions.htm

The Number of languages spoken in the states of Nigeria is a clue to ethnic diversity

Ethnic Diversity – a Legacy of Colonialism

• Tensions among Nigeria’s main ethnic groups erupt into open conflict in the streets of Lagos.

Source: http://www.msu.edu/course/iss/325/stein/revolt.htm#Nigeria

Ethnic Conflict Puts Nigeria at Risk

• 53,787 people died in ethnic and religious clashes between Christians and Muslims in Plateau State between September 2001 and May 2004NY Times (October 8, 2004)

Plateau State

Chad-Sudan Border Zone

• Border zone marked by ethnic diversity

• Open conflict has destroyed villages

• Thousands have fled to refugees camps on both sides of the international border

Source: Human Rights Watch [http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/darfur/map.htm]

Source: http://www.usaid.gov/locations/sub-saharan_africa/sudan/images/satellite/index.html

Source: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/africa/darfur_villages_0802_2004.jpg

More than 1 million people have fled as Arab militias attack black African populations.

The High Price of Conflict

• Two families arrive in Bredjing camp after walking for many days from Sudan bearing on their heads all the possessions they were able to grab when soldiers drove them from their villages in Darfur.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/04/africa_chad_refugee_camp/html/5.stm

Sri Lanka’s Complex Cultural Environment

Source: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/ltte.htm

• Ethnic diversity– Sinhalese – 74%– Sri Lankan Tamils – 12%– Indian Tamils – 6 %– Other minorities –

Muslims, Burghers, Veddas

• Religious diversity– Sinhalese – Buddhist– Tamils – Hindu– Muslims - Sunni

Sri Lanka's conflict has cost thousands of lives

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/2256215.stm

Source: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ world/para/ltte.htm

Ethnic Mosaic of the Former Soviet Union

Source: http://es.rice.edu/projects/Poli378/Maps/Former_USSR/People/Ethnic.gif

Source: http://www.reisenett.no/map_collection/commonwealth/Russia_Ethnic94.jpg

Russia’s Ethnic Republics

Chechen (58%) + Russian (23%) = Formula for Conflict

• Chechen boy with a toy helmet and toy gun leads his sister through Grozny. A Russian mortar shell is in the foreground on the left.[AP/Wide World Photo]Source: http://www.warchildren.org/images/

children_shell.jpg

Source: http://www.mirrorimage.com/ai/actions/russia/trip/nazran-2.html

Religion lies at the core of ethnic identity

Source: Cain Project. [http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/images/maps/map10.htm]

Barriers Emerge out of Diversity

One of the main gates on the 'peace line' in west Belfast. This particular gate is used to seal a road that runs between the Catholic Falls Road area and the Protestant Shankill district.

Source: CAIN Project. [http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/images/ photos/belfast/peaceline/gate1.htm#gate1]

Former Yugoslavia –A Patchwork

Quilt with Frayed Threads

Source: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/europe/yugoslav.jpg

Source: http://www.msnbc.com/modules/ bosnia/map1993.htm

Searching for the Roots of Conflict

A class investigation …• Divide the class into groups of 2 or 3• Assign each group a country of region

experiencing ethnic conflict (see slide #5 for a list; add more for larger classes)

• Direct each group to prepare a “briefing paper” addressing the questions on the following slide, including at least one map

• If time permits, each group can report back to the class, or the briefing papers can be posted on a class bulletin board or copied for distribution

Cultural Patterns and Processes – Ethnic Conflict

• Location of the conflict (map)• What lies at the root of this conflict?• What form has this conflict taken (tension,

discrimination, open violence)?• What is the spatial extent of the conflict?• How long has there been tension or conflict?• In what ways has this conflict been manifested?• How many people have been affected? In what

ways?• Sources ( a complete bibliography of all sources

used, print and electronic)

Starting the investigation …

The following Internet sites provide a wealth of information on world events:

• http://www.washingtonpost.com [click on “world” and then “region” in the sidebar]

• http://www.cnn.com [use the site search engine]

• http://www.bbc.co.uk [use the site search engine]

• http://www.state.gov/countries [click on Background Notes; Country Reports]

Check for databases, such as CountryWatch.com or LexisNexis in your school library

Additional Sources …

• The map collection at the University of Texas Perry Castañeda Library is a great place to start a search for maps [http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/]

• Additional source links for some countries are provided on your workshop CD

• Students will want to “google” this assignment. Take time to discuss critical evaluation of the variety of resources that may turn up in an open search