McGarry, J. (1998) ‘‘Demographic engineering’: the state-directed movement of ethnic groups as a technique of conflict regulation’

McGarry, J. (1998) ‘‘Demographic engineering’: the state-directed movement of ethnic groups as a technique of conflict regulation’, Ethnic and Racial Studies 21 (4), 613-38.

Introduction

1. Focus: state-directed movement of Ethnic groups as a technique to manage ethnic diversity: states move agents on behalf of the state and enemies perceived as threats to that state.
2. Shaped by nationalism – ‘ethnicized’ states and minority-based nationalist movements.
3. Securitization of minorities.

Why does the state move ethnic groups?

1. State agents moved in:
   1. To promote security.
   2. Consolidate state control over a territory
   3. Strategies:
      • Garrison-peoples;
      • Assimilationist strategies (ethnic intermixing);
2. States ‘enemies’ moved out:
   1. To consolidate control (reducing risk);
   2. To deter others from challenging the state;
   3. To assist in their assimilation;
   4. To break link between ‘enemy group’ and its ‘homeland’.

How are ethnic groups moved?

1. States ‘pull’ agents to desired locations
   1. Free or subsidized land, jobs, salaries
   2. New communications infrastructures;
   3. Favorable linguistic environment
   4. Military installations
2. States ‘push’ agents to move
   1. Soldiers who garrison outposts
   2. Compulsory jobs for graduating students
3. States often actively move enemy groups
   1. Exchange of minority populations;
   2. Initiating refugee flows;
   3. Direct force;
   4. Indirect coercion;
   5. Use of surrogates to inflict violence on minorities;
   6. Discriminatory measures;
   7. Stripping citizenship.

When do states move ethnic groups?

1. Imperial control strategies gave way to ethnically-based nationalisms: key role of nationalist ideologies in determining state agents and state ‘enemy’ groups.
2. Temporal factors:
   1. State captured by radical elites: importance of political leadership;
   2. State security perceived as threatened by minority groups:
      • Minority leaders reject state authority: The Rebel Threat;
      • Inter-state conflict when minority group is perceived as security risk: The Fifth Column. – movements are both punitive and preventive, based on revenge, radicalization, and instrumental reasons; facilitated and covered up by wars.
      • Neighbouring states dispute a region inhabited by minority group: The Irredentist Threat.
      • State acquires new territory inhabited by minority groups or Ethnonational group acquires statehood (with outside help) in a heterogenous territory: ‘Nationalizing state’: particularly when state is captured by radical nationalist elites who use conflict as opportunity to forcibly expel a minority and replace it with members of dominant group.

Conclusion

1. State-directed movement of ethnic groups is a technique of ethnic conflict management.
2. Main goal: consolidation of control over territory by facilitating control / assimilation of a minority group, or by its removal from a specific territory.
3. Continuum of tools deployed in particular when state captured by radical nationalist elites.