ABSTRACT
Effective management of ethnic, separatist, and religious conflicts by civil and international authorities presupposes an understanding of their nature, their causes, and the outcomes of past efforts at management. This essay surveys some current evidence about communal conflicts. Four general factors determine the nature, intensity, and persistence of the group's actions. The first general proposition is that the greater the salience of ethnocultural identity for people who share common descent, cultural traits, and historical experiences, the more likely they are to define their interests in ethnocultural terms. The second general proposition is that the greater the shared incentives among members of an ethnocultural identity group, the more likely they are to support and participate in communal action. The third is that the greater the cohesion and mobilization of an ethnocultural identity group, the more frequent and sustained its participation in political action. Finally, a sense of collective identity and some awareness of common interests are necessary preconditions for mobilization.
