ABSTRACT
Since this book takes the prominence of the identity group in conflict as its point of departure this first chapter aims to cover the discussion on identity, social identity and its relation to violence and conflict. It discusses approaches that focus on processes of group formation and group attachment as possible sources of violent conflict. First, we will look into ideas surrounding the definition of identity, and in particular social identity, and into critiques on the representation of identity groups as bounded and unitary. We then focus the discussion on the connection between identity groups and violent conflict by zooming in on ethnic groups, explaining and contrasting primordial and constructivist understandings of ethnic conflict. After highlighting the argumentation supporting the claim that ethnicity is socially constructed, this chapter then aims to specify how it is constructed, pointing at the role of violence as ‘group-maker’. Consequently, we look into theoretical traditions that emphasize the political functionality of ethnic war and theories that primarily understand it as the outcome of historically conditioned cultural meanings. The chapter concludes by answering the book’s leading questions and by looking at the assumptions underlying the various constructivist approaches to violent conflict.
