Psychology
The Psychology of Ethnic Conflict and Reconciliation
Quick fact
Psychological experiments, like the Robbers Cave study, show that arbitrarily dividing people into groups can trigger hostility within days, demonstrating that ethnic conflict often arises not from ancient hatreds but from the psychology of group membership.
Why this is interesting
Why do neighbors who have lived together for decades suddenly turn against each other? And what makes some societies heal while others stay trapped in cycles of revenge?