Time Schedule:
Daniel Chirot
SIS 522
Seattle Campus
Topics vary, but always focus on ethnic group relations and nationalism viewed from a broad, comparative, interdisciplinary perspective. Emphasis is heavily cross-cultural, and the geographical coverage world-wide.
Class description
Ethnonationalist and Ethnorelgious Conflicts: Causes and Solutions
Ethnicity, religion, and nation are all defined as if they are distinct from each other, and sometimes they are, but often not. We will look at how closely they are intertwined, and at the conflicts that result from competition between ethnic, religious, and national groups. Differences, however, do not always result in conflict, and we will also examine why that is. The readings include works by Benedict Anderson and Ernest Gellner on the theory of nationalism, by Vali Nasr on types of Islam and the current situation in the Middle East, by Anthony Marx comparing American, Brazilian, and South African histories of racial relations, by Daniel Chirot on genocide, and by Ashutosh Varshney on how civil society institutions in India mitigate conflict. There will also be a few articles on religion. Each student will write six short papers 3 to 5 pages long, one about each book assigned. Students will also be responsible for class presentations on some of the readings. There will be some formal lectures as well, and quite a bit of class discussion.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
Recommended preparation
Class assignments and grading
