The Dynamics of Ethnic Competition and Conflict.

Abstract

This study of ethnic violence in the United States from 1877 to 1914 reveals that not all ethnic groups were equally likely to be victims of violence; the author seeks the reasons for this historical record. Earlier theories of race and ethnic conflict often assumed that ethnic conflict is primarily a function of poverty or deprivation but Olzak suggests that conflict can equally arise during times of economic growth. She explains this by arguing that conflict erupts when racially ordered systems break down, in other words when different ethnic groups find themselves competing for key resources such as jobs and houses. 'This analysis of the causes of urban racial and ethnic strife in large American cities at the turn of the century is a tour de force. It is bound to become an important empirical and theoretical reference for social scientists and historians alike.' -William Julius Wilson, University of Chicago