Following the end of the Cold War, the wave of violent ethnic conflict and civil war in post-communist countries (especially in the former Yugoslavia) dwarfed the low-level political violence in the West. Western foreign policies and academic interest in identity-based political conflicts seemed to imply that identity driven violence became a non-Western form of contentious politics. However, the ongoing political turmoil in the West over identity politics and the rise of “identitarian movements” painfully reminds both academic and policy circles that identity conflicts are not exclusively a “non-Western” phenomena. What can both the East and the West learn from the legacy of Balkan ethno-nationalist conflicts and civil wars? How do shared identities emerge and collapse? Who produces identities? Are identities imposed or negotiated? Does conflict necessarily leads to violence? What forms of violence exist and what drives them? Are we mistakenly labeling ethnic conflicts as “ethnic”? This course will introduce students to major theories of ethnic and national identity formation, including theories of ethnic conflict and political violence. Students will be expected to show understanding of concepts and theories by writing essays and literature reviews and by participating in class debates. By the end of the class, students will learn theories of national identity formation, how to recognize them in everyday conversation, and why that is important. Next, students will become able to distinguish between ethnic and other types of political conflicts, conflict and violence, and various forms of violence. Lastly, students should become able to articulate an informed position on public policies concerning identity conflicts and their violent forms. (Lecturer: Mladen Mrdalj)
