The Nordic Africa Institute

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Great books on Africa: Au cœur de l’ethnie a classic critique of ‘ethnic identity’ concept

Date • 20 Apr 2018

Au cœur de l’ethnie by Jean-Loup Amselle and Elikia M’bokolo criticises the concept ‘ethnic identity’.

“Although published in 1985, it became even more interesting in the 1990s when several conflicts in Africa were labeled as ethnic conflicts. The authors argue that ethnic identity is a result of political processes rather than an explanatory factor”, NAI researcher Cristiano Lanzano says.