Final Flashcards
Main parts of social cohesion
- Trust and in particular social (i.e., ‘generalized’) trust
- Trust and confidence in state and social institutions
- Acceptance/respect/tolerance/openness with regard to diversity
- Common identification
Security Dilemma
- Weak federal government
- Vacuum of power
- The advantage of striking first
- Increase the insecurity of others
Study of social cohesion
The study of social cohesion entails understanding the factors that contribute to the togetherness of society as a whole.
–> The UNDP has recognized the importance of social cohesion for peace-building and sustainable development.
Buraj on why economic rivalry not sufficient for yugoslavia
It does not explain why people engage politically as doing so is irrational. Pursuit of individual self-interest does not explain torture, murder, or risking one’s own life in battle.
Spiral of insecurity
- Anarchy was not the cause of the run-up to war, but the result of the run-up to war.
- Security dilemmas did not arise between Croatia and Slovenia despite some border disputes; neither did Macedonia feel compelled to arm itself against Serbia in spite of historical rivalry.
Symbolic politics and Yugoslavia
- -> hostile myths
- -> Ethnic symbols= tool for elites to use in mobilizing ethnic groups.
- ->Ethnic symbols only work when there is some real or perceived conflict of interest at work and mythically based feelings of hostility
These hostile myths and extreme goals, not the mere fact of anarchy, created the fears that set off a security dilemma and motivated the drive to war.
Ethnic symbols and motivation
–> All elements needed to make mobilization happen: –>need perceived conflicts of interest for reason to mobilize. –>Need emotional commitment based on hostile feelings,
–> need leadership to organize.
Myth-symbol complex
Core of ethnic identity= combo of myths, memories, values, and symbols that defines not only who is a member of the group but what it means to be a member
Key conditions for symbolist
Myths justifying ethnic hostility
Ethnic fears
Opportunity to mobilize and fight
Buraj explains fall of Yugoslavia
- -> elite-led violence (but not only)
- ->Government extreme nationalism
- ->Aided by a Chauvinist nationalist mythology
- ->Symbol manipulation
- ->Backlash brought to power defensive nationalist in other republics
- –>Manipulation of symbol of Kosovo lead to manipulation of others symbols
- ->Resentment amplified by economic downturn
symbolic synthesis
People make political choices based on emotion and in response to symbols
Risk of intervention
- Responsibility to protect
- Norm in 90s to intervene
- Encourages rebel groups of vulnerable populations
- Sometimes it may help to achieve the goal
- Provokes retaliation from state
- Creates a situation of moral hazard: situation in which there is no guarantee for insurance
Moral hazard of humanitarian intervention
- -> “Responsibility to protect”
- -> Sub-state actors rebel because expect relation, enabling success
- -> state retaliates with genocidal violence before intervention
- -> intervention helps some rebels succeed and encourages new ones
Groups vulnerable to genocidal retaliation
- Do not perceive credible threat by state to retaliate
- expect victimization anyway, nothing to lose
- Expect victory at tolerable cost w/out intervention
- Expect intervention to enable victory at tolerable cost
- Do not behave as unitary rational actors
Players in military intervention
a) state, b) sub state, and c) interveners
Transitional justice
how societies respond to the legacies of massive and serious human rights violations.
about victims: Criminal justice (domestic and international) Reparations (material and symbolic) Truth and memory Institutional reform Gender Justice Youth engagement (breaking inter-generational cycles of abuse and impunity) Prevention (address exclusion) Peace process
Conformity
Between peers
Obedience
Hierarchy, orders from above
Asch expirement responses
Shows conformity: 1/2 conform, 1/2 do not:
- Distortion of perception
- Distortion of judgements
- Distortion of action–> others confident, fall in line
Normative influence
- Avoidance of disapproval.
- You know it is wrong.
- Change your behavior because you want to fit in.
General conformity strongest when
Time spend in the group
Less Exposure to other groups
Social integration of the group
Perceived competence of Other(s)-> Milgram/Obedience
Perceived group status of Other(s)-> Milgram/Obedience
Important lessons from Milgram
- Distance to “victim” matters
**LESS LIKELY TO OBEY closer - (Distance to) Authority matters
- Behavior of others matters
- Evil (and good) is in the social situation not in the individual
Milgram and Browning
- 1st Massacre: Józefów
- –> closer –> manually killing victims–> disobedience higher
- -> Major Trapp: not present, crying, option to opt out - 2nd Massacre: Łomazy
- -> More distance–> lower disobedience –> war conditions–> Gnade= anti-semite
- -> Group conformity not established early on
- -> role of Hiwis
Difference in wartime with Milgram
People get used to killing
Social Identity Theory-Main principles
- People have natural tendency to categorize when they see contrast
- Contrast is necessary for you to see and feel categories.
- Groups that you belong to only exist when there is an out-group that you do not belong to.
SIT: Identification
a. With those who are similar
b. Against those who are different
c. Activated by inequality, competition or threats.
SIT: Reciprocal reinforcement
We start seeing ourselves as more similar to ingroup and more different as outgroup
Even if groups are not that different
SIT: Consequences
Outgroup animosity
Ingroup favoritism
Robbers Cave Experiment
Summer camp, all white boys
Stage 1: Isolation–> Boys are divided into 2 groups—> Rattlers v. Eagles
–>Cooperative tasks.
• Encouraged to identify as a group
Stage 2: Competition created • Pocket knives, trophies and medals • Researchers arranged an eagles win • Perceived as treated unfairly --> Dinner--> flag burning, name calling
Stage 3: Integration
- -> would not work together
- -> needed “vandals” messing with water supply to join together
- *COOPERATION AND EXTERNAL ENEMY
Takeaways of Robbers Cave
- social identity formation and intergroup conflict.
- –>Shows how easily people come to identify with groups - People have a natural tendency to categorize when they see contrast
- Regardless of how small this contrast is.
SIT Formation spiral
- Identify, in group out group, stronger when in danger or group threat We identify with those who are similar to us
- We start seeing our ingroup as more similar. outgroup as more dissimilar to us, outgroup animosity. and Ingroup favoritism.
- Animosity strengthens group identity, can be exploited by political elites to increase power/group integration.
