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Overcoming Ethnic Hatred: Peacebuilding and Violent Conflict Prevention in Divided Societies

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Peace Psychology in the Balkans

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Abstract

This chapter examines dynamics of Romanian nationalism, and the ­marginalization of the Roma and Hungarian minorities while dealing with issues of integration and assimilation. It addresses the relationship between the facilitation of peace between Hungarians and Romanians as well as episodic ethno-national intolerance and violence that has beset the Roma minority in Romania contemporaneously. The Hungarian minority’s experience of the 1990s is employed to create a model of ethnic conflict dynamics as a contribution to the theory and practice of peace as part of the field of peace psychology. The mitigation of conflict in this case involved processes of peacemaking and peacebuilding that were used ad seriatim to avoid what was seen as inevitable violence between Romanians and Romania’s Hungarian minority. Subsequently, the model may be employed to facilitate a peaceful relationship between Romania and its Roma minority in a similar manner.

Romanian nationalism is unmitigated by civic notions of national identity. It is rooted in ethnicity rather than in a concept of citizenship and rights.

Martyn Rady (1995, p. 138)

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Acknowledgments

The author would like to express his sincere appreciation to all those who read through drafts of this chapter and provided insightful feedback.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Aberdeen, 687 Doehle Avenue, V9P 2V4, Parksville, BC, Canada

    Scott Nicholas Romaniuk

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  1. Scott Nicholas Romaniuk
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Correspondence to Scott Nicholas Romaniuk .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Griffith University, Griffith Law School, Gold Coast, 4222, Queensland, Australia

    Olivera Simić

  2. , School of Journalism and Communication, University of Queensland, --, Brisbane, 4072, Australia

    Zala Volčič

  3. , School of Psychology, University of Queensland, McElwain Building, St. Lucia, 4072, Queensland, Australia

    Catherine R. Philpot

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Romaniuk, S.N. (2012). Overcoming Ethnic Hatred: Peacebuilding and Violent Conflict Prevention in Divided Societies. In: Simić, O., Volčič, Z., Philpot, C. (eds) Peace Psychology in the Balkans. Peace Psychology Book Series. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1948-8_13

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