Ethno-Territorial Conflict and Coexistence in the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Fereydan

EAST Seminar

Lecture

Babak Rezvani will present his study of ethno-territorial conflicts and peaceful coexistence between ethnic groups in the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Fereydan (Iran), all of which are ethnically, linguistically and religiously heterogeneous.

The demographic dominance of titular groups in their autonomous region drastically increases the probability of conflict in regions of Central Eurasia. The transborder dominance of an ethnic group may also enhance the probability of such conflicts.

In the first half of the twentieth century, and based on their own interpretation of the right to national self-determination, the policy-makers in the Soviet Union decided that the (larger) peoples should possess autonomous homelands. This policy resulted in a hierarchical ethno-territorial system that eventually is responsible for the outbreak of ethno-territorial conflicts after the demise of the Soviet empire.

Rezvani constructed a dataset of 129 ethno-territorial encounters and filled it in on the basis of fieldwork, literature, and governmental and non-governmental (statistical) data. In addition to thorough descriptions of ethno-territorial conflicts, systematic qualitative comparative (QCA) and statistical analyses were performed using this dataset.

Rezvani’s research emphasizes the importance of political-territorial factors. Besides the possession of territorial autonomy, demographic dominance of titular groups within such territories and transborder dominance, ethno-geographical configuration also plays an important role.

About Babak Rezvani

 

Babak Rezvani (PhD) has studied Political Science (International Relations., Human Geography (Political and Cultural Geography), and Teaching Social Sciences, at the University of Amsterdam.

He was admitted by the Hague Academy of International Law (Peace Palace) to follow its summer program in 2011. In 2005, he received a prestigious grant from the Dutch Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) for his PhD project entitled: “Ethnic conflict in multi-ethnic and multi-religious regions: Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Fereydan (Iran)".

He has been a board member of Ceres, the research school for the sources of development, form 2007 until 2011.

In addition to his home University (Amsterdam) Rezvani has delivered guest lectures in universities such as Harvard and Montana.

He is the founding chairman of “Ethno-Geo-Politics”, a professional-scientific body for research and education about the International politics and ethnic conflict, especially in Central Eurasia. 

Registration 

 

If you are interested in attending a seminar, please contact Sara Crombach (s.g.crombach@uva.nl) as space is limited. 

Published by  AISSR