BSc International Disaster Management and Humanitarian Response and Spanish

The world is imagined as being made up of nations but what are they? How do they come into being? What is nationalism and why is it such a powerful, emotive mobiliser of people and politics? This module offers an introduction to theoretical approaches to nations and nationalism, providing students with the conceptual and analytical frameworks for examining how these entities are created. It explores the various components that going to making nations, from symbols and cultural artefacts to language policy and foreign relations. Taking case studies from across the world, it encourages students to think critically about how contested the concepts of ‘nation’ and nationhood are in contemporary global politics, and how they have contributed to periods of violent conflict throughout modern history. By examining post-colonial, post-conflict cases, the module problematizes processes of nation-building and post-conflict reconstruction, asking the question of what constitutes a ‘viable’ nation-state.

• To interrogate the core theories of nations and nationalism and gain deeper understanding of collective identification
• To problematise popular notions of nations and nationhood, considering stateless nations and multinational states, as well as nation-states
• To gain knowledge of a diverse range of case studies from both Europe and the Global South, in order to contrast post-colonial experiences of national self-determination and highlight the lingering legacies of colonialism
• To develop critical thinking and independent research skills through written assessments

• To develop a good understanding of key Modernist and Ethnosymbolist theoretical approaches to studying nations and nationalism
• To develop knowledge of anti-colonial and Postcolonial thought on nationalism and self-determination
• To critically discuss issues of identity, and symbolic and cultural capital as political legitimisers in social systems
• To engage with the legacies of colonialism and challenges of post-conflict transition
• To be able to apply the theoretical skills to critically examining specific case studies

• To engage critically with the relevant literature
• To reflect on historic, global power imbalances and their contemporary continued influence
• Develop critical thinking and independent research skills

• To develop an understanding of the complexities of nation formation and the various forms that ‘nations’ take in the global political arena
• To evaluate different sources of knowledge (visual, memoirs, secondary criticisms, etc.) and critique their contributions to current debates on nationalism and self-determination movements
• To demonstrate analytical, communication and debating skills with teaching staff and peers
• To utilise effective use of library resources and conducting independent research

• Advanced communication skills for a variety of audiences, both written and oral
• Effective team-work
• Ability to develop, plan and achieve individual research outcomes
• Enhanced analytical skills

Anderson, Benedict, Imagined Communities (London: Verso, 2006).

‘Imagining East Timor’, Lusotopie (2001), pp. 233-239.

Cabral, Amilcar, Unity and Struggle: speeches and writings of Amilcar Cabral (NYU Press, 1979).

Return to the Source (NYU Press, 1974).

Hobsbawm, Eric, and Terence Ranger (eds.), The Invention of Tradition (Cambridge University Press, 1992).

Hylland Eriksen, Thomas, and Richard Jenkins (eds.), Flag, Nation and Symbolism in Europe and America (London: Routledge, 2007).

Morris, Ewan, Our Own Devices: National Symbols and Political Conflict in Twentieth-century Ireland (Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 2005).

Simonsen, Sven Gunnar, ‘The Authoritarian Temptation in East Timor: Nationbuilding and the Need for Inclusive Governance’, Asian Survey, 46.4 (2006), pp. 575-596.

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