Reflection: Political Salience. Literature & Language Article

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Reflection: Political Salience
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Reflection: Political Salience
Cultural differences tend to be the basis for conflicts between communities. However, cultural cleavages can also lead to political strife. Posner (2004) argues that “political salience of a cultural cleavage will depend on the sizes of the groups that it defines relative to the size of the arena in which political competition is taking place” (529). If the cultural cleavage is large and significant enough, politicians can choose to mobilize such groups. If the groups are small, they will not be politically relevant, and they will not be mobilized.
I admit that cultural differences can lead to a complicated relationship between communities. An example is the Tumbukas and Chewas, who are adversaries in Malawi but are in conflict in Zambia. As a result, the Tumbuka-Chewa cleavage is more salient in Malawi when compared to Zambi...