Nationalism and Ethnic PoliticsModule Details

Rationale 

This course explores topics surrounding the terms of nationalism and ethnic politics.  It analyses how nationalism emerged and continues to be a fundamental factor in modern politics and society. The political contestations that underpin the concept of nationalism, as well as other critical themes such as nation-building, global mobility, and national identity, will be examined. In a further step, this course provides students with a thorough understanding of how race and ethnicity shape politics today and examines the conditions and contexts within which ethnic conflicts occur. It concludes by discussing the impact of globalization on contemporary nationalism and offers an analysis of the future of nationalism and its significance in contemporary politics.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course students will be expected to:

(i)    Analyse the historical and sociological origins of nationalism.
(ii)   Recount the major classical and contemporary theories of nationalism.
(iii)  Appraise the impact of nationalism on ethnic conflict.
(iv)  Explain the relationship between state and regional nationalism.
(v)   Analyse the ways nationalism interacts with other political processes.
(vi)  Identify the actors that challenge or empower the notion of “homogeneity” of the nation-state.
(vii) Appreciate the role group identity, race and ethnicity play in various political processes.
(viii)Identify fundamental commonalities as well as distinguishing features of ethnic and nationalist politics in many political, geographical, and cultural contexts.
(ix)  Discuss how the two opposing disciplines of globalization and nationalism coexist today. 
(x)   Think critically about nationalist ideologies and politics.
(xi)  Describe major debates within the study of nationalism and ethnic politics.