ETHNIC PROTEST IN CORE AND PERIPHERY STATES

Social scientists have not yet considered the role of world-level proc esses that might explain ethnic movements. This article offers the arg ument that the increasing integration of a world economic and politica l system facilitates ethnic fragmentation within states. Two key proce sses are related to integration of the world system: (a) increases in the politics of ethnic inclusion: and (b) decreases in ethnic inequali ty. Both contribute to the rise in ethnic protest in contemporary stat es. Taken together these two processes suggest why core countries tend to experience a greater number of ethnic protests that are more tempe rate, whereas peripheral countries tend to experience only sporadic in cidences of ethnic protest that are more likely to be confrontational and violent.