Can Evolutionary Theory Explain Nationalist Violence? Czecho Slovak and Bosnian Illustrations

Dados Bibliográficos

ID6307193
AutoresRobert Hislope (Grinnell College, autor correspondente)
Ano1998
Volume4
Fascículo4
Páginas463-482
Data de publicação1998-10-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoNations and Nationalism (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1345-5078 • E-ISSN: 1469-8129
EditoraWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1354-5078.1998.00463.x
OpenAlexW1993252329
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas1
Referências citadas24

This study tests whether evolutionary theory can explain the outbreak of ethnic conflict. Microlevel hypotheses of cultural evolutionary theory are developed and applied to the peaceful breakup of Czechoslovakia and the violent collapse of Bosnia‐Hercegovina. The more traditional social science approaches of Donald Horowitz and David Laitin are presented as a comparative base to assess the relative explanatory power of evolutionary theory. It is found that in conjunction with Horowitz's and Laitin's work, evolutionary theory can make sense of some patterns of ethnic conflict. However, its central weakness is linking proximate triggering mechanisms of nationalist violence to biological foundations. Without a convincing connection between microlevel propositions and survival and reproductive imperatives, evolutionary theory fails to offer a unique and credible explanation of nationalist violence

Bosnian · Economics · Epistemology · Ethnic group · Evolutionary theory · Explanatory power · Nationalism · Political science · Politics · Positive economics · Slovak · Sociology · Anthropology · Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation · Law · Philosophy