Bloodlines: From Ethnic Pride to Ethnic Terrorism

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Summary: If you put an "ethnic enterpreneuer" on the couch...
Review: ...or better yet, several, you get something mirroring Volkan's work. Trained as a psychoanalyst, Vamik Volkan brings this unique perspective to the analysis of ethnic conflict. Particularly insgihtful is his recounting of his interviews with Abdullah Ocalan, the now-jailed leader of the PKK...Kurdish Workers Party. Volkan's study of ethnic pride, mobilisation, and terrorism and violence examines the problem of ethnic conflict upon a myriad of levels, focusing upon upper-level leadership, mid-level elites (i.e. intelligentsia), and grassroots behaviours.

This is a superb book, written in a wonderfully analytic fashion. Herein, a valuable foundational framework is offered for the understanding of ethnic conflict: relevant for students and scholars of conflict, and also for the person who wishes to attempt to make some sense of ethnic warfare.

Rating:
Summary: ozler
Review: I find this book too much informative

Rating:
Summary: A Tent
Review: Volkan writes a great book that helps those who are interesting in understanding ethnic conflict and violence understand what goes on within those groups that act out with such actions. What I liked about this book was the ego damage theory that he provides for the root of all ethnic conflict. This theory is the tent theory. The group's tent has been damaged, so they come together, rally around a leader or the pole of the tent, and they try to repair the canvas of that tent. This theory has been extremely helpful for me in understanding the conflicts in Bosnia, Rwanda, etc. I have applied this theory to many of things. It has been extremely useful.

The book is rich on new vocabulary. This book is a hard read, but it is not impossible. Overall this is an extremely well written and put together book. I would recommend it to others who are interesting in the study of violence.

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