Ethnic Divisions and Segregation

Ethnicity divides society into groups based on the belief that members of each group share a common origin and a unique culture. The course discusses the following questions in research on ethnic divisions: how are the boundaries that separate ethnic groups created, maintained, or changed? How do states deal with ethnic divisions and ongoing or potential conflicts between ethnic groups? How does economic inequality between ethnic groups maintain or change? Under which conditions do immigrants assimilate into other ethnic groups or become more segregated from them? What role do ethnic identities play in people's everyday lives? When does ethnicity get politicized? What causes ethnic violence? What might motivate ordinary people to participate in ethnic violence?