Beschreibung:
This paper investigates how ethnicity was politicized, to what purpose, and with what outcomes. To explore the evolution and nuances of majority-minority relations we use a single-case study approach (post-communist Romania) that is covered for more than two decades (1990-2011). We use discourse (of political elites) and document (party programs and legislative texts) analysis. Our empirical evidence illustrates how politicization can be a process producing two types of effects for the inter-ethnic relations. Moreover, we show that the structures of opportunity in ethnic relations (i.e. minority rights legislation) lead to different outcomes for the integration of ethnic minority groups over time. (ECMI)