Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

One of the fundamental issues in understanding the Middle East – past and present – is to recognize the diverse nature of the countries in the region. Far from being a homogeneous region, the Middle East is a patchwork of peoples and religions giving home to numerous minorities. Among the ethno-national and religious minorities, the minorities most frequently studied are the Berbers, Kurds, Turkmen, Armenians, Palestinians, Circassians, Assyrians, Copts, Jews, Hindus, Druze, Alawis, Yezidis, Zoroastrians, Baha'is, Orthodox Christians, Roman Catholics, and Protestants.This chapter focuses on minorities in the contemporary Middle East with particular emphasis on state-minority relations and minority mobilization. The chapter begins with a brief introduction to the study of minorities in general as well as in the Middle East, and then proceeds to outline the theoretical model behind the analysis. The core of the chapter focuses on state-minority relations and minority mobilization in the Middle East, showing how factors such as state policies, the strength of group identity, the degree of group cohesion, the political environment, state violence, external support, and the international status of the ‘host’ state, have affected minority mobilization among a number of select minorities in the Middle East.Despite the fact that the plight of minorities has been studied for decades there ... log in or subscribe to read full text