A clash of religions? Religion, territory, and contlict after the Cold War

Abstract

Different religious (or ethnic) groups create different worlds to which they want to belong. Problems rise, when different religious groups live on the same state territory. Whether conflicts are the result, depends on the way the state (elite) deals with this religious diversity and the demands of the religious minorities involved. Marginalisation of religion from the public to the private sphere or some kind of institutionalisation provides fewer chances for conflict than elimination options. But also the kind of institutionalisation masters. From the viewpoint of the stability of the political systems 'personalistic' arrangements seem to be preferable over territorial arrangements. Not only because it is almost impossible to create religiously homogeneous territories, but also because these territories may function as containers for the construction and maintenance of sub-national identities and therefore contribute to political fragmentation and even falling apart of the state involved. However, institutional arrangements will only work when some necessary conditions are fulfilled, among which the infrastructural power of the state and its performance in providing its main functions (safety, welfare, education, health, etc.) are the most important