Towhatextentdominoritygrievancescontributetointrastateconflict?Againstthebackdropofrisingdiscriminationagainstreligiousminoritiesworldwide,ReligiousMinoritiesatRiskoffersnewinsightsintoclassicdebatesontheinfluencesofdiscrimination,deprivation,andinequality(DDI)onminoritygrievancesandconflictbehavior.Itdoessobyutilizingoriginaldataon771religiousminoritiesin183countriesbetween2000and2014.ThebookdemonstratesthatDDIisasignificantcauseofminoritygrievanceswhich,inturn,deeplyinfluencetheirconflictbehaviors.Italsoshowsthedifferenteffectsofgovernmentalandsocietalreligiousdiscriminationversuspoliticalandeconomicandmarginalization.Religious,political,andeconomicgrievanceseachescalateconflictintensitybyaggrievedminoritiesindifferentways.Ultimately,thebookshowsthatcollectivegrievancesremainapowerfulexplanationforminorities’conflictbehaviors;althoughinfluencedbyDDI,theyarenotreducibletothem.Second,whilereligiousfactors,includingreligiousdiscriminationandgrievances,uniquelycontributetominorityconflictbehavior,theoverallpatternsobservedforreligiousminoritiescloselymirrorthosetypicallytheorizedforotherminoritygroups.Finally,minorityconflictintensityreflectsthedifficultiesstatesencounterinaccommodatingthem.Whereasreligiousgrievancesarerelativelyeasilyaccommodatedandthereforerarelyescalatebeyondrioting,politicalgrievancesinfluenceawiderrange,fromnon-violentprotesttoviolenceagainstcivilians.Economicgrievances,whichdemandcostlysystemicreforms,moreoftenescalatetorebellion.Anessentialworkonthecausesofintercommunalandintrastateconflict,thiswillassistpolicymakersdealingwiththeseissues.
