Political Sources of Ethnic Identification in Africa
Author(s)
Eifert, Benn
Abstract
This paper explores the role of ethnic identity in African political processes. It finds that political competition influences the salience of ethnic identities in Africa. The role of ethnic identity increases when elections near. The study concludes, moreover, that African ethnic identities are malleable and subject to manipulation by political actors. Survey data from 33,000 respondents in 10 African countries informs this study.
