Nationalism, Religion, and Conflict

• Credit value: 30 credits at Level 7
• Convenor: Dr Matthijs van den Bos
• Assessment: a 1500-word seminar report (25%) and 3500-word essay (75%)

In this module you will develop a sound understanding of:

• the concepts of ethnic group and nation, and their performative correlates, ethnicity and nationalism
• a range of approaches to ethnic, national and religious conflict.

You will apply these analytical models to case studies across space and time.

We have been fortunate to welcome the occasional guest speaker to address the class. Past speakers include Sean O’Callaghan (formerly of the IRA) on nationalist violence and Shiraz Maher (ex-Hizb-ut-Tahrir) on Islamism.

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• understand the strengths and weaknesses of the dominant theories of nationalism and ethno-religious conflict
• critically apply these theories to concrete historical and contemporary cases
• demonstrate detailed substantive knowledge of national, ethnic and religious conflicts in several settings
• demonstrate cognitive skills, including critical evaluation and analytical investigation
• make presentations and engage in critical discussion.