Digital Commons Network^™

Constructing A Shared Identity In Deeply Divided Societies, John M. Nagle

John M Nagle

In order to bolster sustainable peacebuilding in violently divided societies, a normative suggestion is that efforts should be made to construct a shared public identity that overarches ethnic divisions. A number of different centripetal/transformationist processes are identified as engendering a shared identity in comparison to consociational arrangements, which are accused of institutionalizing ethnic differences and perpetuating conflict. These transformationist approaches essentially rest on the premise that since ethnicity is constructed it can be reconstructed into new shared forms. Looking at Northern Ireland, we argue there are limits to the extent that ethnicity can be reconstructed into shared identities. By analysing …

Summary: Israeli- Palestinian Ethnic Conflict, Allen Gnanam

Allen Gnanam

The Israeli- Palestinian ethnic conflict will continue to escalate throughout both the short term and long term world future. The current and future animosity between both ethnic groups can be attributed to (a) history based accounts and religious tensions, (b) polarizing ideologies held by both sides, and (c) middle eastern resentment toward the Jewish state of Israel. History based accounts will refer to both biased historical accounts and factual historical events that have contributed to the Israeli- Palestinian ethnic conflict. Concepts such as ethnicity, nationalism, ideology, Palestinians, Israeli’s, Arabs, and religion will be conceptualized in the research paper.

Israeli- Palestinian Ethnic Conflict, Allen Gnanam

Allen Gnanam

This research paper discusses the historical, religious, and ideological factors linked to the Israeli- Palestinian ethnic conflict, and how these factors have contributed to middle eastern resentment toward the Jewish State of Israeli. The Modernist Theory, Perceptual Framework, and he Domestic Framework have been applied to the analysis of the Israeli- Palestinian ethnic conflict, in order to demonstrate the intensity of the above factors and their provocative role in the conflict. Other provocative issues that are discussed in this paper include territorial wars, ethnic nationalism, the competition for natural resources, the biased dissemination of historical text through educational institutions, and …

Oromummaa As The Master Ideology Of The Oromo National Movement, Asafa Jalata

Asafa Jalata

Oromummaa, as an element of culture, nationalism, and vision, has the power to serve as a manifestation of the collective identity of the Oromo national movement. The foundation of Oromummaa must be built on overarching principles that are embedded within Oromo traditions and culture and, at the same time, have universal relevance for all oppressed peoples. The main foundations of Oromummaa are individual and collective freedom, justice, popular democracy, and human liberation all of which are built on the concept of saffu (moral and ethical order) and are enshrined in gada principles. Although, in recent years, many Oromos have become …

Ethiopia: The State Of Terror And War In The Horn Of Africa, Asafa Jalata

Asafa Jalata

My discussion focuses on two central issues. First, I will demonstrate how global connections, war, and terrorism have been used as the main political tools in creating and maintaining the Abyssinian/Ethiopian state. Second, I will assert how there cannot be peace, democracy, stability, and development in the Horn of Africa without removing the Tigrayan-led minority Ethiopian government that intensifies terrorism, external dependency, and war in the Horn of Africa.

評陳佳宏著《台灣獨立運動史》, Weider Shu

Weider Shu

No abstract provided.

Streets Not Named: Discursive Dead Ends And The Politics Of Orientation In Intercommunal Spatial Relations In Northern Greece, Olga Demetriou

Olga Demetriou

In light of recent discussions on the anthropology of space and theories of governmentality, this article analyzes the entrenchment and interaction in space of ethnic and national identities in an environment in which competing conceptualizations of space persist. The town of Komotini, in northern Greece, is inhabited by both Greek and Turkish speakers; both communities have claims to a variety of ethnic and geographical origins. These claims are presented in different contexts, such as national celebrations, street naming, and instances of communal and intercommunal interaction. The article analyzes how the claims of different actors are related through the examination of …

Transforming National Identity In The Diaspora: An Identity Formation Approach To Biographies Of Activists Affiliated With The Taiwan Independence Movement In The United States, Weider Shu

Weider Shu

Located within the literature on racial/ethnic identity formation theory, especially the transformational stages developed by William E. Cross in his “Psychology of Nigrescence,” the purpose of this dissertation is to interpret and analyze the biographical information of six selected activists affiliated with the Taiwan Independence Movement (hereafter TIM) in the United States, especially their experiences of identity shifting from Chinese identity to Taiwanese identity.

While contending that the essence of national identity --- especially the elements relevant to the construction of subjective meaning --- has often been neglected by most of the students of nationalism, the basic theoretical concern of …

Comparing The African American And The Oromo Movements In The Global Context, Asafa Jalata

Asafa Jalata

The African American and Oromo movements have been anti-colonial struggles, and they have aimed to dismantle racial/ethnonational hierarchies legitimated by the ideology of racism in the hegemonic state of the United States and the peripheral and imperial state of Ethiopia.

Who Joined The Clandestine Political Organization? Some Preliminary Evidence From The Overseas Taiwan Independence Movement, Weider Shu

Weider Shu

The focus of this paper is the political activism of the activists affiliated with overseas Taiwan Independence Movement (TIM), especially those residing in the United States. Based upon the in-depth interview with fourteen TIM activists and two other published data sets about the demographical characteristics of TIM activists, this essay deals with a very fundamental aspect of activism in the clandestine political organizations: what is the social composition of these activists. Two approaches can be seen as direct approaches of political activism in the social movement literature: marginality thesis and privilege thesis. On the one hand, proponents of marginality thesis …

中國民族主義˙帝國主義˙台灣獨立運動︰評三本90年代中國出版的「台獨研究」專書, Weider Shu

Weider Shu

Based on three books conducted by Chinese scholars regarding the Taiwan Independence Movement (TIM), this paper tries to critically examine the so-called “imperialism,” --- the thesis adopted by most, if not all, Chinese scholars while analyzing the issue relevant to TIM. According to this thesis, the origin and development of the postwar TIM is conceived as the product caused by foreign power, which is led by the United States, for the purpose of interfering Chinese domestic politics. This paper argues that we have to explore these Chinese scholars’ notion of nationalism for comprehending their rationale of adopting the imperialism as …

The Emergence Of Taiwanese Nationalism: A Preliminary Work On An Approach To Interactive Episodic Discourse, Weider Shu

Weider Shu

Examines the emergence of separatist nationalism in Taiwan, suggesting an alternative explanatory model. Taiwan's modern history is traced, focusing on the dominant ideologies imposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), counterideologies advocated by opposition forces, the dynamic relationships between state & opposition forces, rise of democracy, & appearance of a more moderate version of nationalism. The advantages & shortcoming of separatist nationalism theories of primordialism, internal colonialism, & constructionism are described, & a more consistent framework focusing on interactive episodic discourse is introduced. This approach sees the "making of nation" as a "crafting identity" process shaped by socioeconomic & political …