A perfect match? The dampening effect of interethnic marriage on armed conflict in Africa

How does interethnic marriage influence the occurrence of ethnic violence in sub-Saharan Africa? Previous studies on the relationship between intergroup contact and conflict onset have produced mixed findings. Some scholars have argued that this might be due to the way interethnic contact is measured. Building on insights of social psychology, this study examines the influence of interethnic marriage as the ultimate form of positive intergroup contact. In doing so, we combine information of the Demographic and Health Surveys with event data on ethnic conflict. Our analysis shows that areas with higher levels of exogamy significantly experience less ethnic conflict.

Cash Crops, Print Technologies, and the Politicization of Ethnicity in Africa

What are the origins of the ethnic landscapes in contemporary states? Drawing on a preregistered research design, we test the influence of dual socioeconomic revolutions that spread throughout Africa during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries—export agriculture and print technologies. We argue these changes transformed ethnicity via their effects on politicization and boundary-making. Print technologies strengthened imagined communities, leading to more salient—yet porous—ethnic identities. Cash crop endowments increased groups’ mobilizational potential but with more exclusionary boundaries to control agricultural rents. Using historical data on cash crops and African language publications, we find that groups exposed to these historical forces are more likely to be politically relevant in the postindependence period, and their members report more salient ethnic identities. We observe heterogenous effects on boundary-making as measured by interethnic marriage; relative to cash crops, printing fostered greater openness to assimilate linguistically related outsiders. Our findings illuminate not only the historical sources of ethnic politicization but also mechanisms shaping boundary formation.

RELIGIOUS IDENTITY AND INTRODUCTION OF CHILDREN TO RELIGION IN INTERETHNIC FAMILIES (ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE REPUBLIC OF BASHKORTOSTAN)

The article reveals some results of a sociological study on the features of religious identity of spouses and social practices of children's inclusion in interethnic families (on the example of the Republic of Bashkortostan). This topic is most relevant for multi-ethnic regions, where interfaith marriages are quite common, despite the presence of isolationist attitudes among a part of the population. Marriages between representatives of various religious movements lead to the formation of a special cross-cultural environment of interaction, which requires the spouses to make many decisions, including on the confessional affiliation of children, on the choice of mechanisms for the formation of religious identity. Based on the author's research, the article analyses the state of religious identity of a resident of a multi-ethnic region in a dynamic aspect. Special attention is paid to spouses who are in an interethnic marriage. The author studies variants of religious communications, among which the dominant one is the co-existence of religions in variations from "common / unified religion" to "equality". Most of the families studied are classified as egalitarian and democratic in terms of their power structure and upbringing model. The article provides data on the state of religious identity of children raised in multi-ethnic families. The authors call traditional, psychological and educational motives for introducing children to religion the predominant ones. Based on the presented material, the authors come to the conclusion that there are two most common models of introducing children to religion in interethnic families: passive (indirect) and active religious socialization. The first model is the most popular among residents of large cities, while traditional families choose the second one.

AN ANALYSIS OF LANGUAGE CHOICE OF INTERETHNIC MARRIAGE DYAK-MADURESE COUPLES

This research explained the choice of language for Dyak-Madurese couples with interethnic marriage. In this research there are the aims of the research, this research aims to investigate the language choice used by interethnic marriage Dyak-Madurese families and to investigate the factors affecting language choice of interethnic marriage Dyak-Madurese couples. The method of this research was descriptive qualitative research. The researcher selected three families of Dyak-Madurese interethnic marriage as participants to achieve the aim of the research. The data were obtained by observing and interviewing. The results of this research have shown that interethnic marriage families Dyak-Madurese prefer the Indonesia language as their first language and are commonly used in everyday contact at the home domain. This research found that the children of the third family preferred a different language when interacting with their father, he preferred the Madura language, but he also uses the Indonesia language when communicating with his parents. The finding also showed that interethnic marriage Dyak-Madurese families use the Indonesia language in another domain such as neighborhood domain and with friends. The research also found that the children of the first and second families from interethnic marriage families were unable to speak the ethnic language, it has caused the younger children not to be taught the ethnic language. The children of the third family can speak Madura language because the father taught him the Madura language. In data there are three factors affecting language choice in interethnic marriage Dyak-Madurese couples, they are the participant, social context, the function of the language. Based on the research the interethnic marriage Dyak-Madurese families show a negative attitude toward their ethnic language, but the father of the third family has a positive attitude.

Intercultural Communication Strategy in Interethnic Marriage in Tapal Kuda Areas, East Java, Indonesia

Conflicts in the family and between families that often lead to divorce often occur among ethnic marriages in the Tapal Kuda areas. This study intends to explore and describe the communication strategies used in inter-ethnic communication as an effort to anticipate and resolve intra and inter-family conflict perpetrators of interethnic marriages. The ethnographic approach to communication with the focus on sociolinguistic study is used to achieve the research objectives. Research informants are inter-ethnic marriages, parents, religious leaders, and KUA officers who are often involved in overcoming issues related to marriage and divorce. Data were collected through participant observation, interviews, and recording. The collected data were transfered in written data and analyzed qualitatively and descriptively with sociolinguistic, ethnographic communication, and pragmatic theories. This research results found that there are three factors that often trigger the failure of communication in inter-ethnic marriages so that they can often also be obstacles to the achievement of speech objectives. These three things are language skills, interaction skills, and cultural knowledge. However, the most dominant thing that occurs and often invites criticism from other cultures is the knowledge and understanding of the culture of other speech communities.

Overcoming Barriers to Interethnic Marriage among Khmer and Kinh Populations in Vietnam

This essay explores the complex set of sociological barriers to interethnic marriage that the Khmer-Kinh couples face and the facilitating factors that bridge the gaps and facilitate interethnic marriage. The findings highlight that geographical and socioeconomic disparities, as well as stereotypes between the ethnic groups, are significant barriers to Khmer-Kinh interethnic marriage. The study unpacks the significance of modernization factors, as well as recent demographic and social changes in bridging the geographical, social, cultural, and psychological gaps between groups.