Urban inequalities and the identity-to-politics link in the Netherlands and Nigeria

Abstract

This article examines the entanglements of diversity, urban inequalities, group politics and conflict in advanced and emergent democracies. Though advanced democracies are considered to be generally more egalitarian than their emergent counterparts, there is need for further understanding of the specific ways in which the dimensions and parameters of diversity and inequalities resemble or contrast in the two contexts. In this article, we explore the repertoires of interactions between diversity, inequalities and local politics in Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Jos (Nigeria). We suggest that whereas in Amsterdam an anti-Muslim discourse, more so than group level inequalities, led to the politicization of immigrant groups, in Jos group politics is driven by a strong overlap between ascribed identities and inequalities. While immigrant groups in Amsterdam articulate and pursue their interests within the confines of a regulated political space dominated by formal institutions, groups in Jos deploy violent strategies in pursuing their interests because of the prevalence of weak institutions. The conclusion reiterates a few key insights derived from this cross-fertilization.