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Basque Violence: a Reappraisal of Culturalist Explanations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 2008

Jan Mansvelt Beck  and
Jan D. Markusse
Jan Mansvelt Beck
Affiliation:
Senior researchers at the Amsterdam Institute of Metropolitan and Development Studies, University of Amsterdam. [[email protected]]
Jan D. Markusse
Affiliation:
Senior researchers at the Amsterdam Institute of Metropolitan and Development Studies, University of Amsterdam. [[email protected]]
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Abstract

David Laitin has explained the occurrence of Basque and Georgian nationalistviolence as the outcome of language revival in a bilingual setting and aspecific locale. Based on game theory, he has suggested that violence, as arational nationalist strategy, will increasingly be used if specific thresholdslevels in language choice for education are met. A critical reappraisal of hisapproach is made in which the conceptual and methodological limits to theempirical testing are highlighted. Subsequently, an extensive dataset of Basquemunicipalities in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country is used tostatistically verify Laitin’s model by multivariate analysis. In someareas of the Basque Country Laitin’s model seems to fit while inothers not. With the help of both quantitative and qualitative data, alternativeexplanations for Basque ethnic violence are explored.

Résumé

David Laitin a voulu voir dans la violence au pays basque le produit du renouveaud’une langue régionale dans un contexte local bilingue.S’appuyant sur la théorie des jeux, il aconsidéré que la violence, en tant que stratégienationaliste rationnelle, augmentait quand les systèmes scolairesoutrepassent des seuils critiques en matière linguistique.L’article propose un réexamen critique, à la foisméthodologique et empirique du modèle. Une base dedonnée importante a été constituée pour lesmunicipalités des provinces basques d’Espagne. Certainsrésultats d’analyse multivariée vérifientle modèle de Laitin, d’autres nullement. Deséléments d’explication alternatifs sontavancés.

Zusammenfassung

Für David Laitin erklärt sich die Gewaltbewegung der Baskendurch ein Aufleben der baskischen Sprache in einem zweisprachigen und noch dazuörtlich begrenzten Umfeld. Aufbauend auf der Spieletheorie schliesster, dass Gewalt, als rationale, nationalistische Strategie, besonders dannzunimmt, wenn der Bildungsbereich gewisse Grenzen im sprachlichen Bereichüberschreitet. Der vorliegende Aufsatz setzt sich kritisch mit dieserThese auseinander, sowohl methodologisch als auch empirisch. Es wurde eineausführliche, kommunale Datenbank des spanischen Baskenlandes erstellt,um Laitin’s Modell zu überprüfen. In manchenGebieten stimmen die Ergebnisse überein in anderen jedoch nicht. DerAufsatz gibt alternative Erklärungen für die baskischeGewaltwelle.

Type
Research Articles
Information
European Journal of Sociology / Archives Européennes de Sociologie , Volume 49 , Issue 1 , April 2008 , pp. 91 - 118
Copyright
Copyright © A.E.S. 2008

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