The Handbook of Cross-Border Ethnic and Religious Affinities

(Hardback)

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Increasingly, ethnic and religious variables are taken into account to explain conflict and relations between nations. However, ethnic and religious groups exist beyond the confines of frontiers. In Africa, for example, hundreds of ethnic groups were divided by colonial borders, and many retained kinship connections to their brethren in other countries, thus creating cross-border ethnic/religious affinity. Such cross-border connections affect a variety of foreign policy, from diplomacy to the use of force. An internal problem can spread to other states, or external actors can become involved in domestic disputes due to such factors. Therefore data on cross-border connections are essential to measure and assess their actual or potential effects on foreign policy or conflict. This unique resource provides a detailed account of cross-border ethnic and religious affinities that will serve both qualitative and quantitative researchers. For ease of use, it is divided in sections for each region of world, with the entries organized by pairs of contiguous countries. Each entry for a pair of countries briefly discusses the various ethnic and religious groups living in each country, what groups are common to both countries, the historical connections between groups, how they interact with each other, and their impact on diplomacy and conflict. These entries are organized based on the Correlates of War (COW) country codes. These are widely used by researchers and allow for dyads to be organized geographically within each section to facilitate finding data.

Reviews

Although ethnicity is often considered purely at the domestic level, many ethnic groups have segments or close links to groups in other countries. Butcher provides a very useful summary of cross-border links. This volume will be an invaluable reference to all scholars interested in transnational ethnic networks and relations. -- Kristian Skrede Gleditsch, Regius Professor of Political Science, University of Essex
Kinship ties across borders have played a key role in mobilization for civil war. Yet, until now we have lacked systematic data on a broad set of groups that cross borders. Moreover, analysis of such relationships often suffers from an over aggregation of groups based on analyst perceptions. This book offers an important corrective, providing nuanced data on transborder groups around the world. Professor Butcher has carefully documented the distribution of ethnic and religious groups across borders of contiguous countries. -- Kathleen Gallagher Cunningham, Associate Professor of Politics, University of Maryland

Author Bio

Charity Butcher is an Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science and International Affairs and the Department Online Coordinator for Distance Education, Kennesaw State University.