Introduction : borders of the mind / Nikki Slocum-Bradley -- The making of nations in Belgium and Western Europe in historical perspective (fifteenth-twentieth century) : national ideology, ethnicity, language and politics / Sébastien Dubois -- Identity construction and citizenship conflicts in central Nigeria / Ogoh Alubo -- The formation of national identity in Israel/Palestine : the construction of spatial knowledge and contested territorial narratives / David Newman -- Borders of/on the mind, borders in the jungle : Islamic insurgency and ethno-religious irredentism in southern Thailand / David Camroux and Don Pathan -- The positioning diamond : conceptualizing identity constructions at the U.S.-Mexico border / Nikki Slocum-Bradley -- Identity construction in the EU, NAFTA, and MERCOSUR : opportunities for peace and conflict / Francesco Duina -- Religion and regional planning : the case of the emerging Shi'a region / Fathali M. Moghaddam -- Custom and identity : reflections on and representations of violence in Melanesia / Anne Brown -- Crossing mental borders : constructing a laissez-passer for peace / Nikki Slocum-Bradley.
0
Developing a solid basis for future research and training, this illuminating volume facilitates peace and mutual understanding between people by addressing a root cause of social conflicts: identity constructions. Eight case studies examine how identities are constructed, how they relate to borders and in what ways they foment peace or conflict. The volume formulates an analytical framework for understanding the role of identity constructions in conflict or peace.