The Field of Ethnic Conflict Studies: An Interplay of Theory with Reality.

Although there existed research on ethnic conflict prior to the 1990s, since then a combination of real-world events and advances in comparative case design and statistical modelling accelerated the field of inquiry. No longer were conceptual issues the core concern, but we witnessed more concerted efforts to build general explanations engaging a diverse set of questions; including the conditions under which ethnic identity is politicized, comes into conflict or conciliation, or is implicated in violent struggle and war. Statistical modelling and in-depth, sophisticated case comparisons have become the norm. Although definitive knowledge on the dynamics and mechanisms of ethnic conflict remains a work in progress, we are now in a position to make better generalizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]