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Communalizing Colonial Policies and Postcolonial Ethnic Warfare: A Multimethod Analysis of the British Empire

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 November 2021

Matthew Lange ,
Emre Amasyali  and
Tay Jeong
Matthew Lange
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, McGill University, Montreal [matthew.lange@mcgill.ca].
Emre Amasyali
Affiliation:
Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals, Barcelona, Spain [eamasyali@ibei.org].
Tay Jeong
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, McGill University, Montreal [tay.jeong@mail.mcgill.ca].
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Abstract

In this article, we reorient the literature on colonialism and ethnic violence by exploring how different types of communalizing colonial policy (CCP) affected postcolonial patterns of ethnic warfare. We hypothesize that CCPs have limited or mixed effects when they simply recognize or empower communities but that they promote ethnic warfare when explicitly favoring some communities over others, especially when this discrimination affects the power of communities. To test these hypotheses, we combine a statistical analysis of the British Empire with a focused case study of Myanmar. We find that two relatively non-discriminatory CCPs—the use of communal census categories and high levels of indirect rule—had limited or mixed effects on postcolonial ethnic warfare. Unequal communal representation in the legislature and security forces and a mixed use of indirect rule, on the other hand, are three highly discriminatory CCPs, and we provide evidence that they increased the odds of postcolonial ethnic warfare.

Résumé

Résumé

Dans cet article, nous réorientons la littérature sur le colonialisme et la violence ethnique en explorant comment différents types de politiques coloniales communalisantes (PCC) ont affecté les types postcoloniaux de guerre ethnique. Nous émettons l’hypothèse que les PCC ont des effets limités ou mitigés lorsqu’elles reconnaissent ou autonomisent les communautés, mais qu’elles encouragent la guerre ethnique lorsqu’elles en favorisent explicitement certaines par rapport à d’autres, en particulier lorsque cette discrimination affecte le pouvoir des communautés. Pour tester ces hypothèses, nous combinons une analyse statistique de l’Empire britannique avec une étude de cas ciblée du Myanmar. Nous constatons que deux PCC relativement non discriminatoires – l’utilisation de catégories de recensement communales et des niveaux élevés de pouvoir indirect – ont eu des effets limités ou mitigés sur la guerre ethnique postcoloniale. Une représentation communautaire inégale au sein de la législature et des forces de sécurité, et un usage mixte de la règle indirecte, d’autre part, sont trois PCC hautement discriminatoires, et nous fournissons la preuve qu’elles ont augmenté les chances de guerre ethnique postcoloniale.

Zusammenfassung

Zusammenfassung

In diesem Beitrag wird die Literatur über Kolonialismus und ethnische Gewalt neu ausgerichtet, um die verschiedenen Formen kolonialer Kommunalisierungspolitik (KKP) und deren Einfluss auf postkoloniale Muster ethnischer Kriege zu analysieren. Wir stellen die Hypothese auf, dass KKPs einerseits begrenzte oder zwiespältige Auswirkungen haben, wenn sie Gemeinschaften anerkennen oder stärken, und andererseits ethnischen Kriegen Vorschub leisten, sobald manchen Gemeinschaften ausdrücklich der Vorzug gegeben wird, insbesondere dann wenn die Ausgrenzung die Macht der Gemeinschaft beeinträchtig. Zwecks ihrer Überprüfung haben wir eine statistische Analyse des britischen Empire mit einer gezielten Fallstudie Myanmars kombiniert. Diese zeigen, dass zwei relativ diskriminierungsfreie KKPs – der Rückgriff auf kommunale Volkszählungskategorien und auf ein hohes Maß an indirekter Macht – begrenzte oder zwiespältige Auswirkungen auf postkoloniale ethnische Kriege gehabt haben. Die ungleiche Vertretung der Volksgruppen in der Legislative und in den Sicherheitskräften einerseits sowie die zwiespältige Anwendung der indirekten Regel andererseits sind dagegen drei äußerst diskriminierende KKPs. Wir weisen darüberhinaus nach, dass beide Strategien die Wahrscheinlichkeit eines postkolonialen ethnischen Krieges erhöht haben.

Keywords

British colonialismEthnic warfareCommunalizing colonial policiesMyanmarMultimethod analysisColonialisme britanniqueGuerre ethniquePolitiques coloniales communalisantesMyanmar (Birmanie)Analyse multi-méthodesBritischer KolonialismusEthnische KriegeKommunalisierende KolonialpolitikMyanmar (Burma)Multimethodenanalyse
Type
Research Article
Information
European Journal of Sociology / Archives Européennes de Sociologie , Volume 62 , Issue 3 , December 2021 , pp. 337 - 379
Copyright
© European Journal of Sociology 2021

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Footnotes

This article was originally published with two authors’ names omitted. The error has been rectified and the HTML and PDF versions updated.

References

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