In political science, minoritarianism (or minorityism) is a neologism for a political structure or process in which a minority group of a population has a certain degree of primacy in that population's decision making,[1][2] with legislative power or judicial power being held or controlled by a minority group rather than a majority that is representative of the population. Minoritarianism is sometimes used to describe minority rule,[3] rule by a dominant minority such as an ethnic group delineated by religion, language, or some other identifying factor.
Examples
editAfrica
editChristians in Sierra Leone are an example of minoritarianism. As of 2020, they make up 21% of its population compared to 78% Muslims.
The Tutsi in Rwanda from 1884 to 1959 exerted minoritarian rule over the Hutu population. The Tutsi-led[4] Rwandan Patriotic Front has been Rwanda's ruling political party since 1994.
South Africa
editSouth Africa was ruled by the apartheid regime from 1948 to 1994, wherein White South Africans (especially Afrikaners) wielded predominant control of the country although they were never more than 22% of the population. All non-white South Africans were subject to segregation and discriminatory laws, resulting in disparities in quality of life.[5]
Liberia
editIn Liberia, African American-descended nationals (known as Americo-Liberians) settled in Liberia during the 19th century. Americo-Liberians were culturally disconnected from native Liberians, preferring Western-style wear, American food, Protestantism, and the English language.[6] They formed an elite that ruled as a de facto one-party state under the True Whig Party (TWP). The 1980 Liberian coup d'état overthrew the administration.[7]
Asia
editIran
editThe Mongols killed 15 million Indo-Iranians[8] as the Mongols ruled Iran.
China
editChina experienced minoritarian periods in two separate instances. The Mongol Empire was founded by Mongols and Han governors ruled over the majority of the population of China from 1271 to 1368.[9]
The Qing regime of China in 1682 until 1911 created a law making everybody wear Manchu-syle clothing and styles.[10][11]
Taiwan
editDuring the Kuomintang-led authoritarian rule of "White Terror" (1947–1987), Taiwan was ruled by the minority Waishengren, and the political rights of the majority Benshengren were restricted.[12]
Americas
editUnited States
editSee also
editNotes
edit- ↑ Ramachandran, Narayan (October 6, 2013). "Majority, minority, authority". Mint.
- ↑ "In India, is it Secularism or minorityism?". The New Indian Express. 22 April 2018.
- ↑ https://www.nationalaffairs.com/blog/detail/media/the-lefts-embrace-of-minority-rule
- ↑ Reyntjens, Filip (2021-11-24). "From ethnic amnesia to ethnocracy: 80% of Rwanda's top officials are Tutsi". African Arguments. Retrieved 2024-06-18.
- ↑ Pilger, John (April 13, 2024). "South Africa: 20 years of apartheid by another name". John Pilger. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
- ↑ "Americo-Liberians". 16 June 2009.
- ↑ Peterson, Dave (1996). "Liberia: Crying for Freedom". Journal of Democracy. 7 (2): 148–158. doi:10.1353/jod.1996.0035.
- ↑ Steven R. Ward (2009). Immortal: A Military History of Iran and Its Armed Forces. Georgetown University Press. p. 39. ISBN 978-1-58901-587-6. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
- ↑ Kuzmin, Sergius L.; Dmitriev, Sergey (2015). "Conquest dynasties of China or foreign empires? The problem of relations between China, Yuan and Qing". International Journal of Central Asian Studies. 19: 59–92.
- ↑ Wang, Yi (2019-09-19). "Contesting the past on the Chinese Internet: Han-centrism and mnemonic practices". Memory Studies. 15 (2): 304–317. doi:10.1177/1750698019875996. ISSN 1750-6980. S2CID 204374195.
- ↑ Kuzmin, Sergius L.; Dmitriev, Sergey (2015). "Conquest dynasties of China or foreign empires? The problem of relations between China, Yuan and Qing". International Journal of Central Asian Studies. 19: 59–92.
- ↑ Tun-jen Cheng; Deborah A. Brown, eds. (March 26, 2015). Religious Organizations and Democratization: Case Studies from Contemporary Asia. Taylor & Francis. p. 66.
Successive KMT governments controlled by the minority Waishengren ruled the island until the late 1980s, even though the Benshengren represented a majority of the population.
References
edit- Derbyshire, John (2002-01-29). "Minoritarianism". National Review. Retrieved 2007-01-29.
- Barzilai, Gad. Communities and Law: Politics and Cultures of Legal Identities (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2003). ISBN 978-0-472-03079-8
- Gibson, Richard. African Liberation Movements: Contemporary Struggles against White Minority Rule (Institute of Race Relations: Oxford University Press, London, 1972). ISBN 0-19-218402-4
- Russell, Margo and Martin. Afrikaners of the Kalahari: White Minority in a Black State ( Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1979). ISBN 0-521-21897-7
- Johnson, Howard and Watson, Karl (eds.). The white minority in the Caribbean (Wiener Publishing, Princeton, NJ, 1998). ISBN 976-8123-10-9, ISBN 1-55876-161-6
- Chua, Amy. World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability (Doubleday, New York, 2003). ISBN 0-385-50302-4
- Haviland, William. Cultural Anthropology. (Vermont: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers, 1993). p. 250-252. ISBN 0-15-508550-6.
Further reading
edit- Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People―and the Fight to Resist It (April 2024) by Ari Berman
- Tyranny of the Minority (2023) by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt