Oxford University Press, September 2023
To what extent do minority grievances contribute to intrastate conflict? Against the backdrop of rising discrimination against religious minorities worldwide, Religious Minorities at Risk offers new insights into classic debates on the influences of discrimination, deprivation, and inequality (DDI) on minority grievances and conflict behavior. It does so by utilizing original data on 771 religious minorities in 183 countries between 2000 and 2014. The book demonstrates that DDI is a significant cause of minority grievances which, in turn, deeply influence their conflict behaviors. It also shows the different effects of governmental and societal religious discrimination versus political and economic marginalization. Ultimately, the book shows that collective grievances remain a powerful explanation for minorities’ conflict behaviors; although influenced by DDI, they are not reducible to them. An essential work on the causes of intercommunal and intrastate conflict.
About the Authors
Matthias Basedau, PhD is the Director of the GIGA Institute of African Affairs and an adjunct Professor at Hamburg University.
Jonathan Fox, PhD is the Yehuda Avner Professor of Religion and Politics at Bar-Ilan University and director of the Religion and State (RAS) project.
Ariel Zellman, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Studies at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel.
Academic Endorsements
Religious Minorities at Risk is a superb work of scholarship. This accessible volume raises and effectively answers important research questions, such as why and how minorities express grievances against states. Data on religious minorities around the world from 2000 to 2014 confirms that deprivation, discrimination and inequality produce grievances and a wide range of resulting conflict behavior. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in religion or international relations.
Patrick James, Dean’s Professor of International Relations, University of Southern California and former president of the International Studies Association
Scholars, activists and policymakers have long suspected religious discrimination leads to much of the turmoil the world is experiencing. The specifics, however, remain unclear. In this book, Basedau, Fox and Zellman’s extensive new dataset and rigorous analysis clarify this situation. The result is a compelling work that promises to be a foundational text for future research and the catalyst for numerous debates on religion’s role in world politics.
Peter Henne, Professor of Political Science, University of Vermont
An important contribution by leading authorities investigating the empirical relationship between religious minority grievances and conflict, this careful analysis illuminates the complexities of this association. The authors illustrate that grievances do motivate religious minority conflict participation but in a significantly more nuanced way than previously articulated. The substantively notable findings emphasize the importance of disaggregating both grievance type and conflict outcomes for a clearer picture of this critical relationship.
Johanna K. Birnir, Professor of Government and Politics, University of Maryland and Director of the All Minorities At Risk (AMAR) project.
In this pathbreaking book, Matthias Basedau, Jonathan Fox and Ariel Zellman introduce the first major dataset of religious minorities and conflict behavior worldwide. Although group capacity also matters, they show through sophisticated quantitative analysis that grievances are by far the primary drivers of various types of rebellion. This book and its dataset are poised to become essential resources in an emerging research program on the drivers of religion-based conflict across societies.
Erin K Jenne, Professor of International Relations, Central European University
Published Reviews of Religious Minorities at Risk
Peter Henne (2024) Politics and Religion. doi:10.1017/S175504832400004X. link
Miro Leporanta (2024) Politics and Religious Journal. 18 (1). link
How to access our book and resources
Oxford University Press – print | ebook | free access to first chapter
Google Books – preview
Dr. Ariel Zellman 