How does political fragmentation within dominant ethnic groups shape whether challenger organizations use electoral politics, nonviolence, or violence? Evidence from Sri Lanka

Bibliographic Data

ID24225191
AuthorsAgatha Skierkowski Hultquist (0000-0002-6654-5631, University of Wisconsin–La Crosse)
Year2026
Publication date2026-10-09
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Peace Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-3433 • E-ISSN: 1460-3578
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1093/jopres/xjag067
OpenAlexW7221075643
LanguageEN
References cited53

How does political fragmentation within dominant ethnic groups—i.e., politically relevant ethnic groups that control the executive branch of government—impact whether challenger organizations representing politically disadvantaged ethnic groups use violence, nonviolence, or electoral politics to achieve their political goals? We know that fragmentation within politically disadvantaged groups who advocate for self-determination affects the violent and nonviolent tactics that challenger organizations use. However, ethnic mobilization is not unique to politically disadvantaged groups, and politically dominant groups may be just as fragmented as the disadvantaged groups over whom they govern. I argue that fragmentation within politically dominant ethnic groups conditions the political opportunity structures in which challenger organizations operate. As political fragmentation in the dominant group increases, creating elite divisions and leverage points, challenger organizations are more likely to use nonviolence or electoral politics, while violence becomes a tactic of last resort when these divisions are lacking. Using an original measure of political fragmentation based on legislative roll call votes in Sri Lanka, I find support for the theory. These results demonstrate that unlike fragmentation within politically disadvantaged groups, which has been found to increase the use of violence against the state, fragmentation within politically dominant ethnic groups incentivizes challenger organizations to realize their goals through nonviolent channels, lending additional insights to the literature on tactical choice in conflicts and elite divisions in social movements and nonviolent resistance.

Electoral politics · elite divisions · ethnic mobilization · Nonviolence · nonviolent resistance · political fragmentation · political opportunity structure · Political violence · self-determination (international law) · Sri lanka · tactical choice · Political Conflict and Governance · South Asian Studies and Conflicts · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence

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