The topic aims to introduce students to the problematic and ambivalent relationship between religious and ethnic identity, and the impact that each of these can have - separately or together - on politics and national identity. After a consideration of each of these elements in the abstract, along with alternative secular, civic and multicultural construction of national identity and politics, the topic will focus on case studies drawn from contemporary world politics (including Australia) and the history of the twentieth century. They will include both bloody and benign examples of religious and ethnic nationalism operating in authoritarian, democratic, and international environments.
Students will be expected to scrutinise an appropriate case study. They might choose to study a particular state, religion, ethnicity, leader, election, coup, political party or movement, persecution, conflict, war or genocide.
The topic aims to introduce students to the problematic and ambivalent relationship between religious and ethnic identity, and the impact that each of these can have - separately or together - on politics and national identity. After a consideration of each of these elements in the abstract, along with alternative secular, civic and multicultural construction of national identity and politics, the topic will focus on case studies drawn from around the world. Students should emerge from the topic with a nuanced understanding of ethnic and religious nationalism and the politics of ethnic and religious identity as they manifest themselves in contemporary world politics.
Timetable details for 2021 are no longer published.