Comparative Politics

B16 - Identity, Conflict, and Displacement

Date: Jun 5 | Time: 08:30am to 10:00am | Location:

Chair/Président/Présidente : Hari Jnawali (U Waterloo)

Discussant/Commentateur/Commentatrice : Luke Melchiorre (Universidad Los Andes)

Beyond Battlefields: Rebuilding Education and Redefining Identity and Conflict through Schooling in Post-War Burundi: Emily Dunlop (Cornell University)
Abstract: Unequal schooling also contributes to violence, conflict, and war. This “education inequality to war” pipeline has resulted in addressing these inequalities being a key priority for peacebuilding. However, we know very little about how addressing education inequalities can contribute to peace. Several factors inhibit the presumed short- and long-term benefits: legacies of violence can take years to overcome, and the politics and polarization of identities can influence how youth interpret changes in their education. In this paper, I explore the case of education in post-war Burundi. I draw on interviews with 72 secondary, 25 university, and 17 out-of-school youth in the country, which I conducted over 4 field visits. I explore how youth in this post-war, resource-poor country envision inequality (and equity) across ethnic, regional, political, and gender identities in their schooling and lives. I argue that attempts to redress educational inequalities after civil wars and identity-based violence may paradoxically reinforce existing disparities and create new perceptions of inequality. I contend that both pre- and post-war institutional structures influence the effectiveness of policies aimed at reducing educational inequalities, and that such institutional structures sometimes working against each other. By adding youth voices to the study of education redistribution, I hope to contribute to a growing literature elevating these voices in times when youth resilience and hope in education are needed more than ever. This paper offers a cautiously realistic pathway for how such governments and non-governmental organization could contribute to short- and long-term peacebuilding goals through education redistribution.

Reverberations of Genocide: Reclaiming Identity and Recognition Post-Ottoman Genocide: Christine Betsargis (Wilfrid Laurier University), Andrew Basso (Wilfrid Laurier University)
Abstract: “Why have the Assyrians, Armenians, and Greeks not combined efforts to achieve recognition?” This project is focused on multi-community genocide recognition efforts following the Ottoman genocide of Christian minorities (1914-1925). Christian minorities were cast as internal enemies, resulting in the killing of 2.5 million Christians and their dispersal to Armenia, Greece, and Syria. This research will focus on survivor community identity reconstruction efforts amidst Turkish denialism, critically examining the politics of recognition as it influences the reconstruction process. This comparative study offers insights into how affected communities have largely not combined efforts to achieve genocide recognition and how post-atrocity identity constructions have limited recognition efforts. Postcolonial and social identity theory analytical frameworks will uncover intergroup relations, historicize how individuals and communities re-established identities, and explore changing identity constructs. A discursive, institutional approach and cross-case analysis will examine how power and legitimacy are embedded within the language and institutions that continue to shape identity, memory, and recognition. Despite the genocide’s widespread, persistent impacts, recognition remains understudied, a problem found in broader political violence and genocide studies literature. This research will draw on orally transmitted tellings from 1914-1925, including stories, lullabies, and songs central to post-genocide memory and identity construction efforts, as well as central works regarding the post-genocide identity construction efforts of the three communities. The conclusions of this research will serve as a steppingstone in sovereign identity reconstruction and post-genocide recognition, aiding in understanding diaspora and genocide’s effects on communal identity.

Erasing Home, Shaping Identity: Gendered Dimensions of Domicide in Ireland, Canada, and Ukraine: Amanda Kurp (Wilfrid Laurier University), Andrew Basso (Wilfrid Laurier University)
Abstract: This paper examines why violent domicidal processes lead to gender-specific negative biopsychosocial outcomes among affected communities. Extreme domicide—a deliberate and violent destruction of homes leading to forced eviction and systemic oppression—profoundly impacts individuals and communities, though it remains underexplored in political violence and human rights literatures. Recent scholarly innovations argue extreme domicide is a powerful concept to help explain and predict the loss of home during political violence. Despite the newfound attention to domicide’s widespread usage worldwide, its gendered aspects remain significantly undertheorized. Domicide lacks explicit recognition as a crime in international law, creating a gap that enables perpetrators to act with impunity and leaves gender-specific human rights violations unaddressed. To address this, this study employs a most-different case study approach using within-case analysis and process tracing, focusing on extreme domicide across three distinct historical and cultural contexts: the Great Famine in Ireland (1845-1852), Canada's Sayisi Dene expulsions (1956-1979), and Russia's (2022-present) aggressive war in Ukraine. Each case illustrates different facets of systematic home destruction and forced eviction processes, though from diverse temporal and political backgrounds. While forced evictions and violent conflicts are widely discussed, this paper uniquely explores how gender shapes the experience and aftermath of domicide. The study fills a critical gap in the scholarly understanding of domicide's gender-specific impacts and contributes to developing targeted policies for prevention and accountability. Findings aim to influence international legal frameworks by establishing domicide as a recognized, punishable offense and advocating for gender-responsive policies addressing this form of violence.