Renowned comparative political scientist and former CASBS fellow (1999-2000) David Laitin has influenced generations of scholars through his investigations of the intricate interplay of cultural phenomena – such as language, religion, and ethnicity – with politics and political life across societies. The complex dynamics he reveals get to the roots of conflict, cooperation, identity formation as well as nation- and state-building. Laitin takes us on a sweeping tour of some of his career’s principal works, findings, and collaborations in conversation with 2025-26 CASBS fellow Olukunle Owolabi.
Renowned comparative political scientist and former CASBS fellow (1999-2000) David Laitin has influenced generations of scholars through his investigations of the intricate interplay of cultural phenomena – such as language, religion, and ethnicity – with politics and political life across societies. The complex dynamics he reveals get to the roots of conflict, cooperation, identity formation as well as nation- and state-building. Laitin takes us on a sweeping tour of some of his career’s principal works, findings, and collaborations in conversation with 2025-26 CASBS fellow Olukunle Owolabi.
DAVID LAITIN: Stanford faculty page | Google Scholar page | National Academy of Sciences bio | Wikipedia page | Johan Skytte Foundation article |
OLUKUNLE OWOLABI: Villanova faculty page | CASBS bio | Villanova article on six awards won by Kunle's 2023 book |
David Laitin books:
D. Laitin. Politics, Language, and Thought: The Somali Experience (Univ. of Chicago Press, 1977).
D. Laitin. Hegemony and Culture: The Politics of Religious Change among the Yoruba (Univ. Chicago Press, 1986).
D. Laitin and S. Samatar, Somalia: Nation in Search of a State (Westview Press, 1987).
D. Laitin. Language Repertoires and State Construction in Africa (Cambridge Univ. Press, 1992).
D. Laitin. Identity in Formation: The Russian-speaking Populations in the Near Abroad (Cornell Univ. Press, 1998).
D. Laitin. Nations, States and Violence (Oxford Univ. Press, 2007).
D. Laitin, C. Adida and M. Valfort. Why Mulsim Integration Fails in Christian-heritage Societies (Harvard Univ. Press, 2016).
D. Laitin and D. Christensen. African Politics since Independence: Order, Development and Democracy (Yale Univ. Press, 2019).
David Laitin articles referenced in this episode:
D. Laitin and R. Ramachandran, "The Historical Sources of Language Policy," Journal of Politics (2014).
D. Laitin and R. Ramachandran, "Language Policy and Socioeconomic Outcomes," Palgrave Handbook of Economics and Language (2026).
D. Laitin and R. Ramachandran, "Linguistic Diversity, Official Language Choice and Human Capital," Journal of Development Economics (2022).
D. Laitin, R. Ramachandran and S. Walter," The Legacy of Colonial Language Policies and their Impact on Student Learning: Evidence from an Experimental Program in Cameroon," Economic Development and Cultural Change (2019).
D. Laitin and R. Ramachandran, "Language Policy and Human Development," American Political Science Review (2016).
D. Laitin, J. Hainmueller, et al., "Breaking Down Barriers to Naturalization for Low-income Immigrants: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Design," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2018).
D. Laitin, T. Gurr, et al., "Socially Relevant Ethnic Groups, Ethnic Structure and AMAR," Journal of Peace Research (2015).
D. Laitin and J. Fearon, "Civil War Non-onsets: The Case of Japan," Journal of Civilization Studies (2014)
D. Laitin, C. Adida and M. Valfort, "Identifying Barriers to Muslim Integration in France," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2010).
D. Laitin and J. Fearon, "Sons-of-the-soil, Migrants, and Civil War," World Development (2011).
D. Laitin and A. Krueger, "Kto-Kogo? A Cross-country Study of the Origins and Targets of Terrorism," in Terrorism, Economic Development, and Political Openness (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2008).
D. Laitin and E. Berman, "Religion, Terrorism and Public Goods: Testing the Club Model," Journal of Public Economics (2008).
D. Laitin and A. Krueger, "'Misunderestimating' Terrorism: The State Department's Big Mistake, Foreign Affairs (2004).
D. Laitin and J. Fearon, "Neotrusteeship and the Problem of Weak States," International Security (2004).
D. Laitin and J. Fearon, "Ethnicity, Insurgency, and Civil War," American Political Science Review (2003).
D. Laitin and J. Fearon, "Violence and the Social Construction of Ethnic Identities," International Organization (2000).
D. Laitin and J. Fearon, "Explaining Interethnic Cooperation," American Political Science Review (1996).
D. Laitin, "The Tower of Babel as a Coordination Game: Political Linguistics in Ghana," American Political Science Review (1994).
D. Laitin, S. Kalyvas and C Sole, "Language and the Construction of States: The Case of Catalonia in Spain," Politics and Society (1994).
D. Laitin, "Linguistic Conflict in Catalonia," Language Problems and Language Planning (1987).
David Laitin's full curriculum vitae accessible from his Stanford University faculty page.
Postscript
In the episode, David Laitin acknowledges the influence of two towering social scientists -- Clifford Geertz and Albert Hirschman -- both of whom were CASBS fellows (Geertz in 1958-59, Hirschman in 1968-69). Hirschman, notably, wrote the seminal book Exit, Voice, and Loyalty: Responses to Decline in Firms, Organizations, and States while at CASBS. In this podcast episode, David Laitin describes developing the argument for his book Identity in Formation by following the conceptual framework of the classic Hirschman book.