Working Group 1: Conflict

In the working group ‘conflict,’ those involved in Crossroads Asia trace specific conflict figurations which result from the changed structural conditions (‘traffic-light changes’) such as the effects of globalization ‘from above’ and ‘from below’ or the erosion of the sovereignty of nation states. The global political dynamics of the past two decades have had far-reaching consequences for human patterns of forming social units on different levels (rural and urban societies, further diasporization, movements towards autonomy etc.) in Crossroads Asia which are, increasingly, only becoming visible today.

Interest in attaining a more profound understanding of the dynamics of political conflict and political logic in Crossroads Asia, over and above a general look at the macro-conflicts of the area, lies at the heart of the project. This is to be pursued through an analysis of objects of local conflict to reveal the logic through which conflict figurations emerge and are transformed. The working group will dedicate itself to five smaller projects which examine how statehood and related concepts such as citizenship and political identity are challenged through various forms of glocal exertion of influence. The following sub-projects are carried out: