THE CONCEPT OF RACISM AND ETHNICITY AS FACTOR OF CONFLICTS AND WARS IN AFRICA :RESEARCH NOTE

This research note provides a conceptual analysis of racism and ethnicity as central factors in the prevalence of conflicts and wars in post-colonial Africa. It critiques simplistic explanations and distinguishes between the concepts of race, which is often tied to colonial power structures, and ethnicity, which relates to cultural and linguistic group identity. The study argues that many contemporary ethnic conflicts have their roots in the colonial policy of "divide and rule," which often politicized and rigidified previously fluid ethnic identities. The research note examines how, in the post-colonial era, competition for control of the state and its resources has frequently been articulated along ethnic lines by political elites. The paper concludes that a deep understanding of the historical construction and political mobilization of racial and ethnic identities is essential for analyzing and resolving the continent's most intractable conflicts.

The prevalence of internal conflicts and wars in post-colonial Africa has been a subject of intense academic and policy debate. This research note focuses on the conceptual and historical role of racism and ethnicity as key explanatory factors. The analysis begins by carefully defining and distinguishing between the terms. "Racism" is discussed in the context of the overarching power structures created by European colonialism, which established a clear racial hierarchy. "Ethnicity" is examined as a more fluid concept of group identity, which the paper argues was often hardened and politicized by colonial administrative practices. The core of the note is an exploration of the legacy of these colonial policies. It posits that the drawing of arbitrary colonial borders that paid no heed to existing ethnic groups, combined with "divide and rule" strategies that favored certain groups over others, created the structural conditions for post-independence conflict. The paper then analyzes how, after independence, political entrepreneurs have often mobilized ethnic identities in the struggle for power and control over the scarce resources of the state. The case of the Rwandan genocide is cited as a tragic and extreme example of this deadly dynamic. The findings emphasize that African conflicts are rarely about "ancient tribal hatreds," as is often portrayed, but are modern political phenomena rooted in the complex historical interplay of colonial legacies and post-colonial power struggles.