Ethnic conflict without ethnic groups: a study in pure sociology.

Full Abstract

Despite growing awareness of the limitations of group-level analyses in ethnic studies, research on ethnic conflict has paid virtually no systematic attention to variation at the individual or micro level. Addressing that gap, the present paper draws upon data from interviews conducted with members of two broadly-defined categories recently arrived in the Republic of Ireland, Muslims and Nigerians. Results indicate that while members of both immigrant categories experience a good deal of ethnic conflict or hostility, such conflict is rarely collective and invariably varies across individuals. The research data are consistent with Donald Black's theory of moralism. Black's theory, based on his theoretical system known as pure sociology, predicts that ethnic hostility increases with the social inferiority and cultural distance of the immigrant, and that higher status immigrants are more assertive in responding to hostility, though they experience less of it (the status paradox).

Author information

Author/s: Cooney, Mark (M);

Affiliation: Department of Sociology, University of Georgia, GA, USA. mcooney(-atsign-)uga.edu

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: The British journal of sociology (Br J Sociol), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Sep; vol 60 (issue 3) : pp 473-92

Dates: Created 2009/08/25; Completed 2009/11/02;

PMID: 19703171, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/2/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article
(including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.