Etnische polarisatie in de steun voor minderheidsrechten in Oost-Europa

Samenvatting

The collapse of the Soviet Empire provides many instances where conflicts between majority and minority ethnic groups constitute a potential problem for the consolidation of democracy. This paper examines divisions between majority and minority ethnic groups over attitudes towards minority rights in 13 post-communist East European societies using national sample surveys undertaken in the mid-1990s. It examines the effectiveness of competing explanations of ethnic polarization in attitudes towards minority rights and cross-national variations in such polarization. These explanations include 'economic and political insecurity', 'size and threat', 'similarity', and 'social distance'. Using multilevel models we find that indicators of social distance (inter-marriage and social interaction) account most effectively for ethnic polarization. Regional polarization between majority and minority groups is explained most effectively by cultural (linguistic and religious) differences. These findings accord with research in the West indicating the importance of cultural differences as a source of ethnic polarization, while offering little support for theories focusing on economic and structural factors or the size of minority groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]; Copyright of Mens en Maatschappij is the property of Amsterdam University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)