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Rationality, emotions, and ethnicity: Explaining elite political alignments in a deeply divided society

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  • Omar Shahabudin McDoom

Abstract

The role of ethnicity in political behaviour remains unsettled theoretically. Instrumentalist theories emphasize cognitive processes, arguing that political actors strategically employ ethnicity to attain certain goals, while expressivist theories highlight affectual forces, arguing that actors are motivated by the intrinsic emotional power of identity. I show that neither approach adequately explains real-world intra-ethnic and cross-ethnic behaviour. I develop a new theory, integrating rationality and emotion, and argue that they work together in political decision-making.

Suggested Citation

  • Omar Shahabudin McDoom, 2023. "Rationality, emotions, and ethnicity: Explaining elite political alignments in a deeply divided society," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2023-122, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2023-122
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Norris, Pippa & Mattes, Robert, 2003. "Does Ethnicity Determine Support for the Governing Party? The Structural and Attitudinal Basis of Partisan Identification in 12 African Nations," Working Paper Series rwp03-009, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.
    2. Rafti, Marina, 2004. "The Rwandan political opposition in exile: a valid interlocutor vis-à-vis Kigali?," IOB Discussion Papers 2004.01, Universiteit Antwerpen, Institute of Development Policy (IOB).
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