Abstract:
Politicisation of identity is the operative and most pertinent term for the paper’s central
argument. The gravity of the people’s identity problematic and state’s security concerns
correlates closely with the extent to which societal identity is politicised. The more
politicised these identities become, the more they display a ferocity which makes them a
force to be reckoned with. By applying ‘Relative Deprivation Theory’ embedded alongside
an appreciation of societal security, this research offers unique insights into how this
process of politicisation takes place. This paper examines how identity, legitimacy and
dissent from the existing state order have come to define a new security dynamic that
denies agency to a purely Realist understanding of security dilemmas. This study builds
upon an array of secondary qualitative sources, both in order to construct the theoretical
argument and to back this theory up with historical and social scientific data. By combining
the concept of societal security and Relative this research fuses two interrelated theories
that allow the paper to make an innovative and original contribution to understanding the
complexity of the internal security dilemmas and the process of political identity.
Machine summary:
Relative Deprivation Theory, Nationalism, Ethnicity and Identity Conflicts Alam Saleh*- Ph. D in Politics and International Studies, Department of Peace Studies, University of Bradford, UK Received: 31/12/2011 Accepted: 27/09/2012 ____________________________________________________________________________ Abstract Politicisation of identity is the operative and most pertinent term for the paper’s central argument.
By combining the concept of societal security and Relative this research fuses two interrelated theories that allow the paper to make an innovative and original contribution to understanding the complexity of the internal security dilemmas and the process of political identity.
Keywords : Relative Deprivation Theory, Nationalism, Ethnicity, Societal Security, Political Identity.
In short, conflict occurs when the dominant ethnic community in the country exercises a prejudicial control over all economic opportunities, leaving members of other groups disadvantaged, this, however, increases the likelihood of political violence, particularly in the multi-ethnic states (Saleh, 2011: 234).
This article looks at how nationalism and ethnicity two important variables in terms of security have been socially constructed, and by employing the theory of relative deprivation argues how such constructions impacts upon the state security.
She maintains that ethno-national mobilisation occurs when ethnic groups are politically politicised ‘in the form of some sort of collective objective of recognition’ (2003: 12).
In other words, when ethnic minorities are denied legitimate access to the state’s resources, and are not capable of achieving their expectations, conflict inevitably becomes the only option for the deprived group to act against the regime and acquire political agency.
Ethnic Conflicts and the Nation-State, London: Macmillan Press LTD.