Political culture in communities open to conflict

In multi-ethnic, multi-cultural societies, political culture remains essentially a matter of participation. However, political participation in such societies have often been perceived as premises of ethnical and social cleavages or even ethnical and social conflicts. Europe at large, and the post-communist societies in the easten half of Europe in particular, have often been the space of ethnical conflict and have brought forward the issue of political participation as a matter of political activism for the rights of minorities, contentious politics or just collective action. It is the relationship between the individuals, groups and ccommunities with the state as governance structures and with the state institutions which could enhance or deterr the political participation in communities open to cleavages and conflicts. The role of political culture in this context is not just to measure the level and quality of participation but also to reveal the type of relationship between the individuals, groups and communities with the state and with state institutions. The complexity of this relationship might allow us to better understand the emergence of social and political cleavages, conflicts, and their associated sub-cultures.