HIST164

Description

Section information text: The nation is one of the most powerful social ideas of the modern era. But what are the nations? Are they the eternally constant, fixed entities we often imagine them to be? This course accepts as its point of departure the proposition that nations are not fixed, but rather the contingent and fluid product off specific historical developments in the modern era. The goal is thus to analyze the rise of nations and the rapid spread of nationalist ideologies that espoused them. Particular attention will be given to the historical construction of constitutive components of nationalism, including the political limits of the nation, as well as arguments on ethnic and civic parameters. Instead of focusing on a specific region or chronological period, this course will pursue three goals organized around the common theme of nationalism: First, students will develop a satisfactory definition of "nations" and "nationalism." Second, they will receive an overview of the historiography of nationalism that introduces relevant theoretical issues and historical debates. Third, it will allow students a glimpse into the processes and phenomena that have shaped modern history from a broader trans-national and even global perspective. Although our "case studies" will mostly cover the European continent, the global context of nationalism will become a primary focus during the final weeks of the course.