Identity and State Capacity: Religious Discrimination in Late-imperial Russia

Posted on by Volha Charnysh

Scholars of state capacity and ethnic politics rarely talk to each other. Yet ethnic identity plays an important role in the development of state institutions, as highlighted in a number of recent posts.[1] In a brand-new World Politics article,[2] I contribute to the scholarship on the relationship between ethnic identity and state building by highlighting … Continue reading Identity and State Capacity: Religious Discrimination in Late-imperial Russia

Studying Precolonial Legacies in the Present: Insights from Fieldwork

Posted on by Martha Wilfahrt

The West African state of Senegal’s precolonial geography often feels very much alive and well. Rather than traveling to Kanel or Podor Department, modern-day administrative divisions, Senegalese speak of traveling to ‘Fouta’ - short for Fouta Toro, one of the many precolonial kingdoms that populated the territory prior to French colonization. To take another example, … Continue reading Studying Precolonial Legacies in the Present: Insights from Fieldwork

Identity Taxation

Posted on by Mohamed Saleh

Rulers who do not identify with certain segments of the population on religious, cultural, political, economic, or sexual orientation grounds are often motivated to induce these “unwanted” populations to convert, assimilate, emigrate, or any other means of complying with the ruler’s identity. Both the historical and social sciences literatures have largely focused on the persecution … Continue reading Identity Taxation