This is likely one of the best and worst thesis questions I’ve seen.

The straight forward answer is to do the work and find out. 

The long answer, and likely comment you’ll get from everyone else is that’s a silly question, because there is no one ethnic conflict. Which leads back to the first point- you made the question, so you frame it better, you refine it, and you answer it. You don’t come to a group of cynics In the hopes of a lit review.

can architecture cure cancer?

Do you want to bridge the disparity or end the conflict?

There is a saying, good fences make good neighbors. Like that?

I think it's a fantastic thesis question and a worthwhile topic, but like others have mentioned the question needs further thought out and framed. There are projects out there that try to address this. A couple addressing the Israeli/Palestinian conflict come to mind, but I can't recall the exact names. Pursue it, this could be really damn interesting.

There has been for a long time been an urban planning solution for ethnic conflict where there are enclaves for each type of ethnic or religious minority and a few common "Public" places where a city or community interact. I don't think there are many current examples that get to the level of architecture, except for the concept of defensible space meant to curb the rampant crime and violence plaguing american public housing in the 80s and 90s but that was more racial disparity than ethnic.

The other third rail on this topic, in reference to the Palestinians in particular, is that people displaced by war or ethnic cleansing are refugees. That status of being a refugee is a political one and often attempts at building or normalizing their current communities (decades old refugee camps) into something more permanent is seen as settling and giving up the idea that they may return to their "homes". Bear this in mind if doing a project for refugees as buildings that evoke permanence in their refugee camps can be seen as undermining their political struggle.

Over and OUT

Peter N

negative forces have to be overcome by a positive force of some kind.  The more powerful the negative force is, the more powerful the positive force will need to be.  First, understand the negative forces, sociopolitical, historical, ideological, etc.  Pick a situation that is potentially solvable (not too extreme).   Second, identify common desires, needs, etc.  Third, identify junctions between communities where this can happen naturally. I suspect programming will be far more important than form.  

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"good fences make good neighbors" - frost

"architecture professors hate fences" - shellarchitect

Do bad fences make bad neighbors?