2018/02/01 by Paul Dixon · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts #Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies #Post-Soviet Geopolitical Dynamics
paper · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190876050.003.0002
openalex publication_date 2018/02/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
The concept of sectarianism is often problematic because it leads to simplistic analysis and fails to take into account a range of other factors such as power politics in understanding conflict. The term itself carries derogatory connotations and is often used expansively to denote a range of in-group/out-group associations. Primordialist, Ethnonationalist and Instrumentalist explanations for sectarianism posit grand narratives that are often generalized and too deterministic. A useful lens, therefore, is Constructivist Realism that focuses on processes whereby particular identities, such as sect, become more or less salient. Constructivist Realism strikes the appropriate balance between structure and agency, acknowledging that actors make their own history but not in circumstances of their making.