From Competitive Interests, Perceived Injustice, and Identity Needs to Collective Action: Psychological Mechanisms in Ethnic Nationalism

A look at events in the contemporary world reveals an increase in the frequency and intensity of conflict between ethnocultural groups that are part of a larger social category, notably the “nation-state.” In most developing countries, in Eastern Europe, as well as in Western countries, the revival of ethnic affiliation and identification and the emergence (or resurgence) of ethnic nationalism are becoming a potent challenge to the legitimacy of existing international boundaries and a precursor of intergroup hostility and violence. What are the sources of this nationalism? Is the promotion of a distinct ethnic identity a sufficient motive for individuals to organize, support or participate in organized collective action? Or, are there rational motives related to material self-interest that lead individuals to act on behalf of their ethnic group? The main purpose of the present chapter is to demonstrate the contribution of social psychological theory and research to the development of a global understanding of nationalism and ethnic group conflicts by delineating the processes and mechanisms which connect individual-level variables to group-level and institutional variables. 1