Modern Hatreds: The Symbolic Politics of Ethnic War (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs) [Paperback]

Stuart Kaufman (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Cornell University Press (July 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801487366
• ISBN-13: 978-0801487361
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #222,181 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Modern Hatreds review, March 21, 2007

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PenName - See all my reviews

This review is from: Modern Hatreds: The Symbolic Politics of Ethnic War (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs) (Paperback)

Stuart J. Kaufman presents a political theory that can explain why ethnic violence and war begin and how it can be prevented in his book Modern Hatreds: The Symbolic Politics of Ethnic War. Kaufman believes that ethnic violence has its roots in the prevalent myths and symbols of the ethnic groups involved in the conflict, and dismisses other prominent theories as being too narrow to explain multiple conflicts and wars.
The idea of a "myth-symbol complex" is what Kaufman credits as being the root of ethnic conflict. This complex is the combination of various myths, symbols, histories, and cultural values that define who a person is and of which group that person is a part. These myths and symbols evoke strong emotions from the masses. If wielded properly by a leader, symbols can lead the masses' energy towards a chosen conflict simply because of the emotional baggage that is accompanied by many controversial symbols.
To support his theory, Kaufman presents empirical examples. The case studies that are examined are each a former Soviet, eastern European state. He chose these cases because they are all former soviet bloc states and have survived a similar past of occupation and dominance. By choosing cases that have similar histories, Kaufman is able to eliminate unnecessary differences and therefore concentrate on relevant asymmetries and circumstances, thus he is able to better examine the roles of myths and symbols in each case. An example that he puts forth is the conflicts involving Azerbaijanis after the collapse of the Soviet Union. While Azerbaijanis in Armenia and Azerbaijan were enveloped in conflict with Armenians, Azerbaijanis in Georgia had no conflict with the chauvinistic Georgians. The reason, he asserts, is because the myths and symbols in Georgia are not gauged against Azerbaijanis; rather, they are directed against other larger Georgian minorities. Likewise, Azerbaijani myths are not directed against Georgians.
In addition to the presenting his theory, rejecting other prominent theories, and examining case studies, Kaufman also presents ideas on avoiding ethnic violence through peace keeping and peace building efforts. He is optimistic about the great potential of peace keeping if people are promoting said peace by monitoring and controlling the prevalence and intensity of controversial ethnic myths and symbols. Kaufman mentions the event which is illustrated on the cover of the book as being a symbolic action which contributed to aggravation of ethnic conflict between Serbs and Croats. Had Tudjman refrained from kissing the flag that represented both Croatian and Ustasha fascist, the Serbs would have been less fearful of Croats and therefore less willing to engage in violence.
Kaufman's theory is sound; however he too quickly dismisses other theories in the outset of the work before turning to incorporate them into his own at the end of the book. He rightly asserts that the other theories, if combined, account for why ethnic conflicts exist. But by the end of his argument, he incorporates emotion into his theory as being a driving force behind the outbreak of ethnic violence. Compared to other various types of theories that have been used to explain ethnic conflict, such as rational choice, economic, or emotional theories, Kaufman's is a well rounded and adaptable theory. He recognizes the immense roles that emotion and opportunity play in the escalation of conflict, but maintains that cultural myths and symbols are at the roots of ethnic animosity. According to Kaufman, the histories and memories of a culture shape their myths, which in turn produce symbols that evoke strong emotion from the masses. Should the opportunity present itself, emotions lead those masses to violence gauged against mythical adversaries.
While myth-symbol complex theory is a good basis for explaining ethnic conflict in post Soviet areas, it is unclear whether it would fit as nicely to other conflicts in a different region. Kaufman's attempt to demonstrate the universal applicability of the theory is less concise and less effective than his arguments supporting the theory as an explanation for former Soviet bloc conflicts. He provides an example in the United States, which although emotionally loaded and relevant to symbolic politics, is not an issue that would lead to massive violent conflict, thus weakening his argument. Overall, however, the book was well written, easy to read, and very useful for providing information on infamous ethnic conflicts. Where other authors tend to assume a reader's knowledge of the conflicts before presenting theory content, Kaufman explains the histories and progression of events and interjects why different situations can be explained by his theory.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book, January 16, 2012

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Hunyadi "BC" (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Modern Hatreds: The Symbolic Politics of Ethnic War (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs) (Paperback)

Great book demonstrating the theories of ethnic violence and the hysteria involved with creating tension and breeding violence among different ethnic groups. Great book for research or for general education on ethnic violence.

1 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Award Given for This Book, December 4, 2002

By 

Robert C. Adams (Milton, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Modern Hatreds: The Symbolic Politics of Ethnic War (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs) (Paperback)

I haven't read this book, so I obviously can't review it. I gave it five stars based on the following note that appeared in today's (Dec. 4, 2002)on-line notes from the Chronicle of Higher Education, the "industry" newspaper for colleges and universities. I quickly add that I do not know Professor Kaufman, nor do I work in academia (unless paying college tuition for kids counts), but the fact that he was receiving this award suggests that his peers and other professionals consider this an important and noteworthy work. The Chronicle noted that

THE GRAWEMEYER FOUNDATION at the University of Louisville
today will give the 2003 Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving
World Order to Stuart J. Kaufman, an associate professor of
political science at the University of Kentucky. Mr. Kaufman
was chosen for his book on the causes of ethnic conflict.

Given world tensions, this sounds like a timely contribution to finding ways to understand differences and to resolve conflicts without the last resort of violence and war.