Nations and nationalism remain ever-present concepts in our contemporary news, politics, and day-to-day lives. In recent years, we have seen their importance in sporting events, independence referendums, and conflicts between neighboring countries, among countless other notable arenas. Yet, as historians, how exactly should we understand these two terms? What constitutes a nation? And what constitutes nationalism? What are their respective relationships to race, ethnicity, language, culture, religion, politics, and the past? Are nations longstanding and permanent institutions or rather imagined communities with invented traditions? Throughout this 12-week course, students will answer these questions and others by engaging with the prominent debates concerning nations and nationalism, from the early eighteenth century until present day.
The course is divided into two sections. The first section focuses on the emergence of nations and nationalism, familiarizing students with the key ideas and core theories relevant to this subject. The second section follows a more thematic organization to trace the evolution of nations and nationalism in global history. These topics will cover a range of issues, from revolutions and counter-revolutions, to the rise of the nation state, to the relationship between nation and empire, to colonial and anti-colonial nationalism, among others. By the end of the semester, students will be able to apply their understanding of the ideas developed in the first section of the course to their analysis of case studies around the world and across centuries, such as those featured in the course鈥檚 second section. In doing so, they will grapple with the complex history of nations and nationalism to better understand how these ideas have shaped our understandings of both the past and present.
