Abstract
This paper gives in the first two chapters an overview of the development of the theory of consociational democracy and power-sharing structures and institutions. “Classical”
consociational theory was originally developed on the basis of the socio-cultural histories and political structures of Belgium, Switzerland, and Austria in the 1960s and was then adapted to a “new wave” of South-East European, African, and Asian countries after the breakdown of communist or authoritarian regimes from the late 1980s on. As a consequence, consociational theory was perceived as a tool for the management of conflict in deeply ethnically divided societies with two opposing theoretical camps: “accommodationists” versus “integrationists/ centripetalists.” The second chapter highlights pros and cons of the arguments of both camps on how to navigate the conundrums of the two basic goals of peace and democracy which are, paradoxically, not identical. The final chapter describes under researched fields concerning theoretical literature and empirical evidence for future research, in particular the combination of consociational democracy with transitional justice and reconciliation, thereby addressing the problem of how to overcome the theoretical divide between accommodation and centripetalism through much more interdisciplinary research.