Eliminationist politics: an analytical framework

The study of eliminationist policies – deliberate actions by state or non-state actors aimed at destroying, removing, or erasing groups based on salient identity categories – has yielded significant theoretical insights across the social sciences. Yet, considerable variation persists in how scholars conceptualise and operationalise various eliminationist policies, shaped by divergent research questions, methodological approaches, and sub-disciplinary commitments. While such variation is not inherently problematic, it carries important implications for theory development, empirical testing, and, crucially, for understanding both the motivations behind eliminationist policies and their prevention. To illustrate the impact of this divergence, we analyse scholarly treatment of the 1923 Greco-Turkish compulsory population exchange – a paradigmatic case of elimination – highlighting how different conceptual and operational choices shape causal inferences, theoretical frameworks, and claims to generalisability. We then introduce the seven articles in this special issue, which examine the causes, rhetoric, tactics, and consequences of various eliminationist policies. By fostering dialogue across subfields, this body of research underscores the value of cross-disciplinary engagement in refining concepts, advancing theory, generating new research questions, and improving our understanding of these abhorrent phenomena. Together, these contributions lay the groundwork for a more integrated analytical framework of eliminationist politics.