Ethnicity, Race Nation

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

Ethnicity, race, and nation are three of the most powerful concepts in modern political and social life. They structure everything from the way we think about the proper boundaries of a state, to how we conceive of social equality and inequality, to what we believe determines a range of social behaviors from voting to violence. This course provides a critical examination of the history, development, and use (and misuse) of these concepts around the world. Readings are derived from classic texts as well as from contemporary social science research. Major themes include the origins of group identity, the creation of social categories through censuses and other forms of state intervention, the legacies of imperial and colonial systems, the nature of cooperation and conflict, the determinants of territorial secession, and the rise of nationalism.