In many countries, the inherent stratification of ethnic groups in relation to each other can come to crisis in times of economic and political stress. In these situations, ethnic groups can be pitted...

In many countries, the inherent stratification of ethnic groups in relation to each other can come to crisis in times of economic and political stress. In these situations, ethnic groups can be pitted against one another in struggles for prestige and power. Loyalty to one’s ethnic group then becomes a paramount factor in taking sides, only exacerbating underlying tensions and furthering the processes of ethnic identification and conflict. Just such a crisis developed in the 1980s and 1990s in the former Yugoslavia.