Ethnic Conflicts and Civil Society

A collection of papers focusing on how ethnic and political cooperation can be accomplished in ethnically and politically heterogeneous countries after the collapse of communist regimes. They address ethnic conflicts in Eastern Europe, with a particular focus on the former republics of Yugoslavia.

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The papers presented in this volume are based on the discussions of a workshop which asked: how can ethnic and political cooperation be accomplished in ethnically and politically heterogeneous countries after the collapse of the communist regimes which left a void for nationalist and even chauvinist movements? The objectives are: to promote a better understanding of the contemporary "ethnic" conflicts and their social, cultural and political causes; to determine the historical, structural and political developments that have led to or intensified these conflicts; to analyze and develop positive role models for coping with such conflicts; to provide constructive proposals for future conflict resolution mechanisms; and to identify the crucial elements for building trust-generating institutions on the basis of the civil society model. The papers address ethnic conflicts in Eastern Europe, with a particular focus on the former republics of Yugoslavia. They aim to go beyond the analysis of causes and manifestations of such conflicts and to offer constructive ideas for the post-Civil-War period.