Micro-level dynamics of pro-government mobilisation amongst Ukraine’s Crimean Tatars

Why ethnic minorities mobilise for pro-government armed groups in civil wars? Previous studies identified greed, grievances, loyalty and the shift of ethnic identity as key factors influencing decision of ethnic minority groups to support governments in their military campaigns against rebels. Notwithstanding existing research, not much is known about micro-level dynamics of ethnic minority mobilisation. What role do local communities, networks, families, and sociocultural traditions play in individual decisions to mobilise? This project proposes conducting original fieldwork amongst Crimean Tatar former combatants of pro-government volunteer battalions in Ukraine in order to improve our understanding of micro-level processes of pro-government mobilisation amongst ethnic minorities. Relying on interdisciplinary research methods to collect its empirical data, this study will combine theoretical insights from political studies, sociology and cultural anthropology. The project will both contribute to the literature on participation in armed conflicts and will offer insights for policy-making in the context of international conflict prevention and resolution efforts.