Yoshiko Herrera considers the relationship between national or imperial identities and conflict using the case of Russia’s war on Ukraine

One of the challenges for International Relations theory that has been brought up by Russia’s war on Ukraine is that we need to do a better job of understanding the role of identity in conflict and political violence. Identity is not the only factor in the causes of the war, and changes in identities are not the only, nor most important consequences, but for theories of war, the Russian invasion and war in Ukraine forces us take another look at how we understand the relationship between identity and conflict. In this paper I map out a theoretical framework for identity and conflict, and then I discuss relevant aspect of identity in both Ukraine and Russia, with an emphasis on how identities might have contributed to the war and been changed as a consequence.

Yoshiko M. Herrera is Professor of Political Science at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research focuses on Russian & Eurasian politics, identity, and political economy. Herrera teaches courses on comparative politics, social identities and diversity, and a new course on the Russian war on Ukraine.  In 2021, she was a recipient of the Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award at UW-Madison. Her most recent article (with Andrew Kydd) is “Don't look back in anger: cooperation despite conflicting historical narratives” published in the American Political Science Review.

REDS: RETHINKING EUROPEAN DEVELOPMENT AND SECURITY

The REDS Seminar Series aims to deepen the research agenda on the new challenges facing Europe, especially on its eastern flank, and to build intellectual and institutional bridges across Stanford University, fostering interdisciplinary approaches to current global challenges.

REDS is organized by The Europe Center and the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, and co-sponsored by the Hoover Institution and the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies.

Learn more about REDS and view past seminars here.

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