POLISCI 34N: Nationalism

Course Description

From the 2016 US election, to Brexit, to the BJP’s success in India, nationalist platforms have been on the rise for years across the globe. The success of nationalist parties and candidates is often accompanied by backlash against outgroups, from immigrants to religious and ethnic minorities. Identifying with a national community often leads people to act against their material interest, from voting for economic policies that lower their personal standing, to undertaking extreme actions like self-sacrifice. Why is nationalism such a dominant force in today’s world? And why is national identification such a powerful driver of human behavior?In this course, we will explore this question through a broad interdisciplinary lens, drawing lessons from the social sciences and history. We will ask what national identity is, where it comes from and why it has such appeal for humans. We will go back to the roots of nationalism in early modern Europe in order to understand the historical origin of national identities and modern nation-states. And we will try to identify the forces that drive the rise in nationalism today, by exploring a number of country cases across the world.

This seminar will rely on readings and active class participation. You will work on historical or modern country cases, leading class discussion and presenting your case summaries to the rest of the class.