THE STATE AND NATION APPROACH IN RESOLVING PROBLEMS OF ETHNICITY

This article revisits classic and contemporary debates on how “state” and “nation” logics interact in multiethnic polities. It argues that ethnic conflict often intensifies when juridical statehood outpaces the formation of an inclusive nation, leaving communities to compete for recognition, resources, and security. Drawing on experiences from South Asia and other regions, the study contrasts top-down integration, consociational bargains, and decentralization as tools for conflict management. It emphasizes that institutions only work when embedded in credible guarantees, equitable development, and symbols that broaden the imagined political community. The paper also examines pitfalls—tokenism, elite cartels, and administrative fragmentation—that can hollow out reforms. Ultimately, it proposes a layered strategy that couples constitutional accommodation with robust service delivery and civic nation-building, suggesting that neither coercive assimilation nor rigid partition offers a durable pathway to peace in heterogeneous states.

The body begins by unpacking definitions: the “state” as a coercive-administrative apparatus and the “nation” as a community of belonging. Section One traces how mismatches between the two generate security dilemmas for minorities, who perceive central institutions as biased or predatory. Section Two surveys institutional designs: proportional representation to improve descriptive inclusion; federal and asymmetrical autonomy to localize authority; and independent commissions that police discrimination in hiring, education, and policing. Section Three interrogates political economy, showing how unequal development maps onto identity and how targeted social spending, language policy, and resource-sharing formulas can reduce zero-sum contests. Section Four treats narrative and symbolism, arguing that school curricula, national days, and shared civic rituals can enlarge solidarity without erasing difference. A final section synthesizes lessons from cases where reforms failed due to elite manipulation or underfunded mandates. The conclusion outlines a pragmatic sequencing: early violence reduction and humanitarian relief; medium-term institutional bargains tied to measurable social outcomes; and long-term investments in inclusive citizenship that make interethnic cooperation rational, familiar, and dignified.