The Complexity of Majority-Minority Relations in Deeply Divided Democracies: Theoretical and comparative perspectives

Introduction This research examines, both theoretically and empirically, the suitability of the structure of a “civic nation state” to deeply divided societies. More specifically, following an initiative raised by several political groups in Israel to create a major change in the Israeli political structure from “a Jewish and democratic state” to “a citizens’ democracy” or “a state of (all) its citizens, " I will examine, by comparative analysis, whether this move will necessarily lead to the desirable improvement in the minority’s status in Israel. Within this context, I intend to further elucidate majority-minority relations, especially the status of homeland minority communities, by comparing the state’s attitude toward two homeland minorities in procedural democracies: the Arab-Palestinian minority in Israel and the Muslim minority in India. This analysis will help us assess the odds of sustaining a framework of a civic nation state in plural societies.