Publication

This paper discusses the issue of inter-ethnic violence and nationbuilding in areas where inter-ethnic conflicts occur. Based on a comparison of three cases - the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Malaysia - the authors argue that the onset as well as the enduring quality of inter-ethnic violence in some cases, as well as its absence or successful resolution in others, are partly brought about by differences in the interpretations of community, leadership, state and nation. The paper concludes by providing a list of dos and don’ts of nation- and statebuilding in multi-ethnic and post-civil war societies.