Ethnic & Religious Parties
Parties organized around ethnic or religious identity, how they function in diverse societies, and the debate over whether they divide or represent.
Organizing Around Identity
In many societies, the primary political cleavage is not left-right ideology but ethnic, religious, or linguistic identity. Parties organized around these identities are common in Africa (Kenya's parties are largely ethnic coalitions), South Asia (India's BJP is rooted in Hindu nationalism), the Middle East (Israel's religious parties represent Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox communities), and parts of Europe (Belgium's language-based parties, Northern Ireland's unionist and nationalist parties).
These parties can serve important representational functions: ensuring that minority communities have a voice, protecting group rights, and channeling identity-based grievances into democratic rather than violent competition. India's Bahujan Samaj Party represents Dalits (formerly 'untouchables') and has given a politically marginalized group parliamentary power and even state government control.