Wilfried Heller:
Ethnizität und Globalisierung. Zum Bedeutungswandel ethnischer Kategorien
in Transformationsländern (Ethnicity and globalisation. On the
significance of ethnical categories in countries undergoing transition.)
During the 1990s, ethnic conflict and war placed
tremendous strain on a number of countries undergoing transition in Eastern and
South Eastern Europe. The reasons for these conflicts can be better understood
by examining the history of these countries and their ethnic groups. This paper
tries to find out why this kind of conflict has arisen during transition,
taking into account the fact that the affected states are now subject to
globalisation processes to an unprecedented extent. The study begins with an
overview of the ways in which the term ethnicity has been used in the past, and
discusses several theoretical approaches to explaining ethnic conflict.
Socially relevant aspects of the new critical cultural geography may also be of
use. The paper concludes that a qualified, constructivist ethnicity concept
could provide a better explanation of the complex phenomenon of ethnically
influenced politics and ethnic conflict. The paper also discusses the process
of globalisation, as this can contribute additional perspectives as well as
spatially differentiated knowledge of the significance of economic, social and
political structures and national and supranational institutions for different
ethnic groups and their living conditions. The paper concludes by offering
suggestions for reducing or preventing ethnic conflict.