Comparative Historical Methods

Week 2 - The Janus-Faced nature of Nationalism

This module will start by analyzing the so-called ‘Dark side’ of Nationalism often associated with xenophobia, ethnic cleansing and racism. In contrast, the Democratic side of Nationalism will be connected with the quest for recognition of national and ethnic minorities in the West.

Key questions: What are the major strengths of Nationalism? What do we mean by Nationalism? In which circumstances can we refer to nationalism as an ideology of inclusion and exclusion?

Week 3 - Globalization and National Identity

Identity is a definition, an interpretation of the self that establishes what and where the person is both in social and psychological terms. We will explore the contrast between Individual and Collective forms of identity. Key theories of nationalism will be will be taken and discussed in class into account the relevance of Nationalism in modern History.

Week 4 - The Rise of the Radical Right in Europe

We are witnessing a widening gap between the elites and the unemployed. In this context, feelings of vulnerability, fear of immigrants and resentment towards both the state and society come to the fore. Inequality comes to the fore and, in this context, the Radical Right is able gain support.

Key Questions to be debated in class:

1. How to generate national identity in peace time?
2. Identify some key connections between ‘nationalism and war’
3. In your view, what are the main reasons that explain the rise of the radical right?

This module is designed for MPhil and PhD students as part of the Social Science Research Methods Centre (SSRMC) training programme - a shared platform for providing research students with a broad range of quantitative and qualitative research methods skills that are relevant across the social sciences.

Number of sessions: 6

Week 2 - The Janus-Faced nature of Nationalism
Week 3 - Globalization and National Identity
Week 4 - The Rise of the Radical Right in Europe

Presentation only

Marx, K. & Engels, F. Basic Writings on Politics and Philosophy (Feuer, L.S. (ed) (Collins. The Fontana Library: Glasgow, 1976).

Smith, A. D. Nationalism and Modernism (Routledge: London, 1998)

Smith, A. D. National Identity (Penguin Books: London, 1991)

Connor, W. ‘Homelands in a World of States’ in Guibernau, M. and Hutchinson, J. (eds) History and National Destiny (Blackwell: Oxford, 2004).

Hobsbawm, E. J. Nations and Nationalism since 1780 (CUP: Cambridge, 1992). Page 4 of 7

Guibernau, M. Nations without States (Polity Press: Cambridge, 1999) chapter 4.

Guibernau, M. and Rex, J. The Ethnicity Reader (Polity Press: Cambridge, 2010).

Hylland Eriksen, T. ‘Ethnicity, race and nation’ in Guibernau, M. and Rex, J. The Ethnicity Reader (Polity Press, 2010) p.46ff.

Betz, Hans-Georg Radical Right-Wing Populism in Western Europe (Macmillan: London, 1994).

Held, D. and McGrew, A. The Global Transformations Reader (Polity Press: Cambridge, 2003) 2nd ed.

Cordell and Wolff, Ethnic Conflict: Causes, Consequences, Responses (Cambridge: Polity 2010) Chs. 2-3.

• To gain maximum benefits from the course it is important that students do not see this course in isolation from the other MPhil courses or research training they are taking.
• Responsibility lies with each student to consider the potential for their own research using methods common in fields of the social sciences that may seem remote. Ideally this task will be facilitated by integration of the SSRMC with discipline-specific courses in their departments and through reading and discussion.

Four sessions of one and a half hours each

Once a week for four weeks