| ID | 162776 |
| Title Proper | Beyond divide and rule |
| Other Title Information | explaining the link between British colonialism and ethnic violence |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Ray, Subhasish |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Existing cross-national research on inter-communal violence has demonstrated that ex-British colonies are more prone to inter-communal violence than ex-colonies of other European powers. This finding has been attributed to the greater prevalence of divide-and-rule policies in ex-British colonies. This explanation is, however, incomplete since it implicitly assumes that British imperial policy profoundly transformed pre-colonial political realities. This article argues, instead, that the impact of British divide and rule strategies on subsequent inter-communal violence is crucially contingent on the level of political centralization attained by communal groups in the pre-colonial era. Drawing on a novel dataset tracking ethnic group dyads in 21 ex-British colonies across the period 1940-2006, I provide robust evidence indicating that the pathway from the experience of British colonial rule to contemporary inter-communal violence is more complex than hitherto appreciated. |
| `In' analytical Note | Nationalism and Ethnic Politics Vol. 24, No.4; Oct-Dec 2018: p.367-388 |
| Journal Source | Nationalism and Ethnic Politics Vol: 24 No 4 |
| Key Words | Ethnic violence ; British Colonialism |