In his talks, he underlined how ethnic politics can shape political competition, with systemic effects. The talk sets out the theoretical basis and empirical demonstrations of how permanent minorities search for group preservation by championing liberal rights that would protect them from the tyranny of the majority. This translates into broader ideological preferences and political behavior, inducing the formation of liberal political poles. This dynamic is system forming as it configures political cleavages, shapes party systems, and informs the absorption of new political issues. Ultimately, Rovny’s research shows that the presence of ethnic minorities can be a force for liberal democracy. Simultaneously, ethnic liberalism is circumstantial, as conditional factors cross-pressure the ethnic minority search for rights and liberties, potentially attenuating ethnic liberalism and inducing exclusionary particularism.
The talk went beyond the book’s key takeaways and also presented the most recent results from the AUTHLIB project that demonstrate that other minorities — particularly Muslim minorities in Western Europe — behave in very similar ways to the minorities studied in the book, suggesting a broader applicability of its theory and arguments.
