[EQ] Global Pattern Formation and Ethnic/Cultural Violence

Global Pattern Formation and Ethnic/Cultural Violence

May Lim,^1,2 Richard Metzler,^1,3 Yaneer Bar-Yam^1*
1 New England Complex Systems Institute, MA, USA.
² Brandeis University, Waltham, USA.
³ Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA.

 

Science 14 September 2007: Vol. 317. no. 5844, pp. 1540 - 1544

DOI: 10.1126/science.1142734

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/317/5844/1540

“…..We identify a process of global pattern formation that causes regions to differentiate by culture. Violence arises at boundaries between regions that are not sufficiently well defined. We model cultural differentiation as a separation of groups whose members prefer similar neighbors, with a characteristic group size at which violence occurs. Application of this model to the area of the former Yugoslavia and to India accurately predicts the locations of reported conflict. This model also points to imposed mixing or boundary clarification as mechanisms for promoting peace….”.

Press Release

Mathematical model predicts ethnic violence
Clear boundaries between groups prevent bloodshed

Cambridge, MA—“….A mathematical model detailed in today's issue of Science can predict the likelihood of ethnic violence in a region by analyzing its ethnic census data. As ethnic violence claims millions of lives around the world, the scientists from The New England Complex Systems Institute (NECSI) who performed the study say the model could help to end these conflicts.

"Science can help by providing a clearer understanding of the impact of policy decisions," says Dr. Yaneer Bar-Yam, president of The New England Complex Systems Institute. "With many factors involved in cultural and ethnic conflict, a model that helps to pinpoint the most critical factors can help to bring bloodshed to an end by allowing us to make interventions that actually work."

According to the study, violence takes place when ethnic groups reach characteristic sizes and population structures

More information is available at: http://necsi.org/research/ethnicviolence/sci317/

 

 

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