Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This article examines how Iraq’s ethno-sectarian power-sharing system has continued despite significant generational change since 2003. Drawing on an online survey alongside structured group discussions and interviews in Baghdad and Erbil, it shows that three interacting mechanisms—identity reconfiguration, legitimacy erosion, and priority divergence—fragment reform coalitions and reinforce elite incentives for institutional continuity. The findings revealed a paradox: although majorities across ethno-sectarian communities oppose identity-based political parties, voting patterns remain largely communal due to electoral design and institutional constraints that entrench elite interdependence. The study contributes to consociational theory by integrating temporal and generational dimensions, offering insights into institutional endurance in deeply divided societies and the challenges of political transformation in post-conflict settings.
Source: Nationalism and Ethnic Politics
Author: Kamaran Palani
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4414599160