Publications
You can find my Google Scholar profile here.
2021. Beyond Belief: How Religion Fosters Self-Determination, Nations and Nationalism, 27(4):924–942. doi: 10.1111/nana.12761.
Abstract
Religious conflicts are an enduring feature of domestic andinternational politics. This article offers the first systematic quantitative treatment of religion in nationalist demands for autonomy or independence on a global scale. I argue that subnational groups capitalizing on mobilization advantages from sacred land are more likely to demand self-rule. Sacred places link collective identities to the contested territory, which is the main conflict issue in self-determination demands. I rely on data on sacred land and religious identification of subnational groups worldwide and compare claimants and non-claiming groups to capture the effect of sacred land on self-determination. The analysis supports the expectation that sacred land and religious identities are closely linked to demand incidence. The findings shed light on the understudied relation between religion and self-determination and improve our understanding of the significance of sacred places on a global comparative scale.
Replication data and code available from the author upon request.
2021. Why Escalate?: Symbolic Territory and Strategy Choice in Conflicts Over Self-Determination, Nationalism and Ethnic Politics, 27(1): 1-22. doi: 10.1080/13537113.2020.1851072
Abstract
The quest for self-determination on the basis of shared identities motivates many subnational conflicts worldwide, but our understanding of the linkages between identity, contested land, and strategies is incomplete. What role do symbolic territorial attachments play for strategy choice in self-determination demands? I argue that groups tend to escalate their demands if they can exploit mobilization advantages of symbolic territory, creating identity-based territorial focal points for mobilization. I present new data on strategy choice in self-determination demands worldwide between 2005 and 2015. Using multinomial logit estimations, I find that symbolic territory contributes to limited degrees of escalation, and discourages armed conflict.
Replication data and code available from the author upon request.
2017. To Claim or not to Claim? How Territorial Value Shapes Demands for Self-Determination. Comparative Political Studies 50 (7): 992-1020. doi:10.1177/0010414016666837.
Abstract
The literature on nationalism and civil war provides compelling evidence that territory is highly identity-relevant and strongly associated with conflict. However, it remains unclear which territorial characteristics determine this process, and how groups demanding self-determination differ from their counterparts not seeking greater rights. I argue that groups claim self-rule if they assign symbolic relevance to their land in contrast to material or strategic value, due to the positive effect of symbolic attachments on group cohesion. I present new data on the value of territory and self-determination demands, and propose a new and comprehensive measure of symbolic territory. The findings reveal that variation in symbolic value shows a considerably stronger association with self-determination demands than material and strategic territory. This highlights new research avenues investigating the role of territorial value in subnational conflicts, as well as the systematic differences in conflict behavior between groups demanding self-rule and non-disputants.
Replication Data | Code (Stata & R)
2017. Selbstbestimmung und Gewalt: Zur Rolle von Territorialität in subnationalen Selbstbestimmungskonflikten. Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft, 27(4): 509-527. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41358-017-0114-z.
(“Self-Determination and Violence: On the Role of Territoriality in Subnational Demands for Self-Determination“)
Abstract
Substaatliche Konflikte über Selbstbestimmung sind in den vergangenen Jahren zunehmend in den Fokus der Konfliktforschung gerückt. Dieser Literaturbericht untersucht die Bedeutung territorialen Wertes für die Erklärung der Ursachen und der Wahl von Konfliktstrategien in Selbstbestimmungsforderungen. Die Unterscheidung symbolischen, strategischen und materiellen territorialen Wertes leistet einen wesentlichen Beitrag für die Erklärung des Auftretens und der Eskalation dieser Forderungen. Der Literaturbericht offenbart Ansatzpunkte für die differenzierte Definition von Konflikt, die Untersuchung gewaltloser Selbstbestimmungsforderungen und beschränkt gewalttätiger Konflikte, sowie bezüglich einer vertieften Analyse der dargestellten Zusammenhänge.
Abstract
Religious conflicts are an enduring feature of domestic andinternational politics. This article offers the first systematic quantitative treatment of religion in nationalist demands for autonomy or independence on a global scale. I argue that subnational groups capitalizing on mobilization advantages from sacred land are more likely to demand self-rule. Sacred places link collective identities to the contested territory, which is the main conflict issue in self-determination demands. I rely on data on sacred land and religious identification of subnational groups worldwide and compare claimants and non-claiming groups to capture the effect of sacred land on self-determination. The analysis supports the expectation that sacred land and religious identities are closely linked to demand incidence. The findings shed light on the understudied relation between religion and self-determination and improve our understanding of the significance of sacred places on a global comparative scale.
Replication data and code available from the author upon request.
2021. Why Escalate?: Symbolic Territory and Strategy Choice in Conflicts Over Self-Determination, Nationalism and Ethnic Politics, 27(1): 1-22. doi: 10.1080/13537113.2020.1851072
Abstract
The quest for self-determination on the basis of shared identities motivates many subnational conflicts worldwide, but our understanding of the linkages between identity, contested land, and strategies is incomplete. What role do symbolic territorial attachments play for strategy choice in self-determination demands? I argue that groups tend to escalate their demands if they can exploit mobilization advantages of symbolic territory, creating identity-based territorial focal points for mobilization. I present new data on strategy choice in self-determination demands worldwide between 2005 and 2015. Using multinomial logit estimations, I find that symbolic territory contributes to limited degrees of escalation, and discourages armed conflict.
Replication data and code available from the author upon request.
2017. To Claim or not to Claim? How Territorial Value Shapes Demands for Self-Determination. Comparative Political Studies 50 (7): 992-1020. doi:10.1177/0010414016666837.
Abstract
The literature on nationalism and civil war provides compelling evidence that territory is highly identity-relevant and strongly associated with conflict. However, it remains unclear which territorial characteristics determine this process, and how groups demanding self-determination differ from their counterparts not seeking greater rights. I argue that groups claim self-rule if they assign symbolic relevance to their land in contrast to material or strategic value, due to the positive effect of symbolic attachments on group cohesion. I present new data on the value of territory and self-determination demands, and propose a new and comprehensive measure of symbolic territory. The findings reveal that variation in symbolic value shows a considerably stronger association with self-determination demands than material and strategic territory. This highlights new research avenues investigating the role of territorial value in subnational conflicts, as well as the systematic differences in conflict behavior between groups demanding self-rule and non-disputants.
Replication Data | Code (Stata & R)
2017. Selbstbestimmung und Gewalt: Zur Rolle von Territorialität in subnationalen Selbstbestimmungskonflikten. Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft, 27(4): 509-527. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41358-017-0114-z.
(“Self-Determination and Violence: On the Role of Territoriality in Subnational Demands for Self-Determination“)
Abstract
Substaatliche Konflikte über Selbstbestimmung sind in den vergangenen Jahren zunehmend in den Fokus der Konfliktforschung gerückt. Dieser Literaturbericht untersucht die Bedeutung territorialen Wertes für die Erklärung der Ursachen und der Wahl von Konfliktstrategien in Selbstbestimmungsforderungen. Die Unterscheidung symbolischen, strategischen und materiellen territorialen Wertes leistet einen wesentlichen Beitrag für die Erklärung des Auftretens und der Eskalation dieser Forderungen. Der Literaturbericht offenbart Ansatzpunkte für die differenzierte Definition von Konflikt, die Untersuchung gewaltloser Selbstbestimmungsforderungen und beschränkt gewalttätiger Konflikte, sowie bezüglich einer vertieften Analyse der dargestellten Zusammenhänge.
Work in Progress
- Securing a State: Traditional Institutions and Strategy Choice in Demands for Self-Determination. With Clara Neupert-Wentz.
- To Fight or to Vote: Sovereignty Referendums as Signaling Strategies in Conflicts over Self-Determination. With Mitja Sienknecht.
- Considering Independence? Economic Crises and Support for Regionalism in Europe.
- Symbols and Support: Territorial Value and the Success of Self-Determination Demands.