The Global Ethnic Conflicts paper

Prior to beginning work on this assignment review the web pages The World Factbook (Links to an external site.) and Global Conflict Tracker (Links to an external site.). There are also several web pages and websites listed under Recommended Resources in the Course Guide that can assist you in gathering additional information.

Social scientists have long sought to better explain the dynamics of ethnic conflict and racial violence. Violent ethnic conflict is rarely, if ever, caused by ethnic differences alone. Frequently, there are structural foundations of the conflict, including political, social, economic and/or religious inequalities. However, at the same time, in ethnic conflicts participants regard themselves as distinct ethnic groups from opposing factions. Often, opposing sides explicitly emphasize their racial, religious, and cultural differences as a conflict strategy. This is a very interesting time to study the causes and consequences of ethnic conflict as today we can see many tensions that have escalated to violent conflicts.

For this assignment, select from the list of ethnic conflicts provided below and evaluate its causes and consequences:

Chechnya/Russia
China/Tibet
Former Yugoslavia (Croatia, Bosnia, and Serbia)
India/Pakistan
Israel/Palestine
Myanmar
Nigeria
South Sudan
Syria
Ukraine
Then, be sure to thoroughly describe the different ethnic groups involved in the conflict (including any cultural similarities between the groups), the source of the tensions that led to violence between them (paying attention to structural inequalities as causes), and describe how the ethnic conflict has affected the country (or countries). Additionally, explain how the social construction of ethnic divisions can be seen in the case of your selected ethnic conflict.

NOTE: If you would like to select a different ethnic conflict, please contact your instructor for approval before submitting the assignment.

The Global Ethnic Conflicts paper

Must be five double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s APA Style (Links to an external site.) resource.
Must include a separate title page with the following:
Title of paper
Student’s name
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
Date submitted
For further assistance with the formatting and the title page, refer to APA Formatting for Word 2013 (Links to an external site.).

Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice (Links to an external site.) resource for additional guidance.
Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
For assistance on writing Introductions & Conclusions (Links to an external site.) as well as Writing a Thesis Statement (Links to an external site.), refer to the Ashford Writing Center resources.
Must use at least two scholarly sources in addition to the course text.
The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
Must document any information used from sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) guide.
Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. See the Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resource in the Ashford Writing Center for specifications.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/index.html
https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/?category=us

ANSWER

The Ogoni and Andoni Conflict

Introduction

Ethnic conflicts are a significant factor that has hampered positive development in most African countries because of the adverse outcomes of these conflicts that have affected countries’ performance. Considering Nigeria, an African country with over 300 ethnic groups, competition and rivalry among these groups led to many ethnic conflicts (Olayinka 2009). Although these conflicts were common before independence, even after the country had acquired self-rule, the conflicts became widespread, primarily due to unequal national development, distribution of power, and national resource allocation. Although the Nigerian government has established a suitable form of democracy for all Nigerians, many ethnic factors have worked against this endeavor. Extensive ethnic diversity is known to be one of the major causes of increased ethnic conflict. This perception is based on the fact that Nigeria is one of Africa’s countries that have experienced the highest number of ethnic conflicts on the continent.

Ethnic groups involved in the conflict

The two ethnic groups involved in this conflict are that Ife and Modakeke, who are both tied to the Yoruba of Osun state located in the southwestern part of Nigeria. According to an ancestral myth, the two communities are descendants of Oduduwa of the Yoruba people. These communities do not just share some similarities in their political systems but also their socio-cultural systems. However, despite these similarities, these communities have engaged in ethnic conflict for over a century. This conflict also remains one of the oldest in Nigeria. The Modakeke people are considered strangers and migrants into the lands of Ife (Olayinka 2009).

History account claims that the Modakeke migrated from their location in the South after the Old Oyo Empire’s collapse in the 19^th century and settled in Ife. After the settlement, two groups came into existence in the area, the original settlers (Ife) and the refugees (Modakeke). It is this categorization of the people that sparked the conflicts between the two groups. Conflicts will likely arise when parties of communities believe in having divergent aspirations and contradictory values and needs. Although these two communities have similar socio-cultural activities, the differences between their political and economic standings brought about superior and inferior perceptions that affected peace between these two communities. This conflict took place between two communities, the Ife and Modakeke, but lasted for the longest time.

Cultural similarities between the groups

The first factor to note when considering the similarities between these two groups is that they are both Yorubas that share a common lineage from Oduduwa. Having a common ancestry indicates that these two communities are kin and kith. Ife is the cradle of the Yorubas, and it is much older than the Modakeke, who is due to the many wars the Yoruba people waged against each other in the 19^th century. Another cultural similarity that existed between these two communities is their worship system. Although these two communities waged war against each other for the longest time, both the Ife and Modakeke paid lip-service to a spiritual union and common ancestor Oduduwa.

According to Robert Smith, Yoruba land did not have a common political system, and the name they used ‘Yoruba’ originally belonged to their neighbors, the Hausa in the north. The traditional customs and cultures of the Ife and Modakeke communities are similar, although not in their entirety. The two communities made scarifies to different deities that they worshiped throughout the year and paid tributes. Additionally, the communities spoke a language that had some similarities. Although an individual could tell the difference when Ife and Modakeke speak, their language was almost the same. Being neighbors and from the same lineage of Oduduwa, it goes without saying that these two communities shared some cultures and beliefs.

Source of the tensions that led to violence

The Ife and Modakeke being the longest and oldest ethnic conflict in Nigeria, have attracted much research. Some researchers tried to identify reasons that could have led to the conflict between these two communities that shared a lineage. The first source is that the economic and political differences between these communities brought many differences that made the conflict inevitable. The Ife people, who were the original settlers, considered the Modakeke as refugees and farmhands who had no right to enjoy equal political rights. This political inequality pushed the Modakeke to fight for their rights hence conflict. Additionally, there was a question on the Modakeke people’s sovereignty and their rights to stay with the Ife people.  The Ife people felt they were superior to Modakeke and did not want them to stay closer (Author, 2021).

Boundary disagreements were also factors that increased the tension between the two countries. The two communities kept crossing into each other’s territories, and over time this led to conflict with each other. Although the communities had a designed boundary between them, none respected the boundaries and kept crossing over. Boundaries are a sensitive issue in African communities, and when effective measures are not implemented to ensure they are respected, conflicts are likely to arise. Furthermore, land issues also played a significant role in the emergent of conflict between these two communities. In addition to the boundaries, the size of land and other issues relating to land owned by the two communities pushed them into an ethnic conflict that lasted for over a century.

How the ethnic conflict has affected the country

Ethnic conflicts have extensive impacts on any country where they occur; the Ife and Modakeke ethnic conflict is just one of the many conflicts the country has suffered. The first way through which the conflict has affected the country is through poor economic development. A country can only develop when there is peace and people have time to engage in productive economic activities. The Ife and Modakeke ethnic conflict did not just rob Nigeria of the time to engage in economic activities but also the death of healthy and strong community members affected the country’s economic performance.

An increase in internal refugee flow is another negative effect of ethnic conflict. Just like the Modakeke moved from the South after the collapse of the Old Oyo Empire in the 19^th century, the conflict between the Ife and Modakeke communities displaced many people and some of who had not taken an active part in the conflict (Author, 2021). The government of Nigeria is left responsible for resettling the refugees and incurring any financial costs involved in the process. These additional costs affect the Nigerian government’s financial standing.

How the social construction of ethnic divisions can be seen

Social construction the knowledge that people acquire concerning their communities based on their interactions either internally or with other communities and how they impact their social and cultural lives. Considering the two communities explained in this essay, the major social construction that brought about the conflict is the social status difference. The Ife people who were the original settlers believed they were superior to the Modakeke community, and the Modakeke community was, therefore, required to submit to them. Superiority brought about conflict between communities that lasted for over a century and affected many people, not just from the two communities but from all over the country. The social construction of these communities was instrumental in fueling the conflict.

Conclusion

To conclude, the information collected in this essay indicates that ethnic conflicts do not just arise between communities that are different but also between communities that share a lineage, like in the case of Ife and Modakeke. This essay includes information on the communities involved in the ethnic conflict, their similarities, causes of the conflict, the impact of the conflict on Nigeria, and how the social construction of ethnic divisions is seen between the two communities. Considering the information presented in this essay, we can conclude that their ethnic conflicts have extensive impacts on the communities and the entire country. To control the effects of ethnic conflicts in Nigeria, it is necessary for the local government to put in place measures to resolve their conflicts in a peaceful way.

References

Akanle, Olayinka. (, 2009). Ife–Modakeke conflict. The International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest: 1500 to the Present.. 10.1111/b.9781405184649.2009.00742.x.

Author, O. (2021). GRIN – A Historical Analysis of Ethnic Conflict in Nigeria. Retrieved 1 January 2021, from https://www.grin.com/document/202626

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