Sectarianism

Sectarianism is division or conflict among groups distinguished by religious or ideological affiliation. It can shape identity, political organization, discrimination, and violence.

Social identity theory: A theory explaining how group membership shapes identity, perception, and behavior toward in-groups and out-groups. It explains how religious or ideological affiliations can become emotionally charged group boundaries.
The Troubles: A conflict in Northern Ireland from the late 1960s to 1998 involving national identity, politics, and communal violence. It shows how divisions associated with Catholic and Protestant communities intertwined with competing national identities.
Sunni–Shia relations: The historical and contemporary relations between the two largest branches of Islam. Their varied histories show how theological differences can become entangled with state power and political rivalry.
Religious pluralism: The coexistence of multiple religious traditions within a society, often with recognition of their public presence. Pluralism permits religious difference without requiring the antagonism characteristic of sectarianism.
In-group and out-group: An in-group is a group someone identifies with; an out-group is one they regard as separate. Sectarian division often organizes people into opposing in-groups and out-groups.
Lebanese Civil War: A multifaceted conflict in Lebanon from 1975 to 1990 involving Lebanese factions and foreign powers. Its political system and wartime alliances were strongly shaped by communal and sectarian affiliations.
The Reformation: A sixteenth-century movement that divided Western Christianity and produced Protestant churches. Religious fragmentation in Europe helped establish enduring patterns of confessional rivalry.
Ecumenism: Efforts to promote cooperation or unity among Christian churches and traditions. It seeks to bridge divisions within Christianity rather than mobilize them against rival groups.
Othering: The process of portraying people as fundamentally different from, and inferior to, a dominant group. Sectarian rhetoric can turn religious difference into social distance and exclusion.
Partition of India: The 1947 division of British India into India and Pakistan, accompanied by mass migration and communal violence. It illustrates how religiously framed political separation could culminate in displacement and mass violence.

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