Ethnic and National Conflicts

Lecturer: Raghav Sharma, MA

Office Hours: Tuesday- 1400-1600 hrs. Willy Brandt School of Public Policy,
Room 0109.
Credits: 3
Semester: Winter 2013/ 2014
Seminar Timing: Wednesday- 1600-1800 hrs.
Location: TBA
Course Level: MA

Course Description
The period following the collapse of the communist bloc between 1989-1991 was
accompanied by numerous bloody conflicts stretching from former Yugoslavia,
Russia to Africa and Asia. In a large majority of these cases conflict got framed
pre-dominantly in ethno-national terms. With the emergence of these violent
confrontations forces of nationalism and ethnicity suddenly seemed on the rise as
a potent social and political forces. This was a largely unexpected development
and forced scholars to revisit their understanding of this phenomenon.
A large number of these conflicts have at best achieved what can be termed as a
negative peace i.e. the absence of violence but have not been able to address
the root causes of conflict thus making many of these regions vulnerable to
falling back into the conflict trap.
The seminar will carefully examine and critique theories of nationalism and
ethnicity and the origins of ethnic conflict. Second, examine the possible
mechanisms that can be employed to respond to situations of such conflict which
may hold the potential for achieving a peaceful settlement. Third, we will
examine actual cases of ethnic conflicts in Eastern Europe, South and Central
Asia through the lens of the theoretical tools we have acquired. The emphasis of
the course will be on combining theoretical literature with real world case studies
that will help evaluate the validity of the theoretical research in light of real world
cases of conflict.
Learning Outcomes
Throughout the semester you should acquire an understanding of key concepts
and theoretical approaches to the study of conflicts centered on ethnicity and
national identity, which you will be asked to critically evaluate.
Breakdown of Assignments and an explanation of the grading scheme
Class Participation (20%): The class is a combination of lecture-seminar
format. Normally I will present a short lecture and then open the class to
discussion. During the discussion you are expected to actively contribute to
the debate; my role would be to primarily moderate the debate and put the
discussion in a broader context by helping you tease out the main themes from
the readings. To facilitate this process I will ask you to come up with questions
prepared for the days discussion, based on the reading. You are expected to
send me one question per reading assigned. The questions must be sent to me
by email (raghav.sharma@uni-erfurt.de) an evening prior to the start of class
(ideally by 12 midnight). The questions must be sent to me by email, failure to
do so will be duly noted and this will negatively affect your grade.
Presentation (20%): You will be asked to do one class presentation of no more
than fifteen minutes, on a topic that will be determined during the course of
the introductory seminar.

Take Home Mid-Term (20%): The take home mid-term will be in essay format.
You will be asked to write essay(s) in response to questions posed about the
themes of the course specified in advance. The purpose is to demonstrate that
you are able to understand, assess and evaluate the competing theories we will
examine and present your own well-argued point of view. Instructions concerning
the exam will be given in the class.
Research Paper (40%): Outside the required readings you will be asked to
undertake original research culminating in a research paper that will allow you to
apply theories and concepts to a case study of particular interest to you. The
topic of the research paper must be individually discussed with and approved by
the course instructor. The research paper should be between 3,000-4,000 words.
The deadline for submission of the research paper shall be announced in the
class.
Note Bene (A): Please note that deadlines are non-negotiable; grant of
extensions is not possible. Failure to meet the deadline will negatively
affect your grade.
Note Bene (B): Plagiarism will result in a FAIL grade for the relevant
assignment. If you are not sure what constitutes plagiarism, you may consult
me/ read the Brandt Schools Academic code of conduct/ consult the Academic
Writing center.
Note Bene (C): The course instructor reserves the right to change the course
content at any time during the semester, depending on the needs of specific
students taking the course. Please check the online course platform and
university email ids for course related announcements. Some of the course
readings are available online through JSTOR and have hence not been included in
the course reader.

Course Content
Seminar 1: Introduction (23.10.2013)
Film Screening and Discussion. Course Overview and selection of presentation
topics.

Theme 1: Theories of Nationalism and Ethnicity

Seminar 2: Theories on the origin of nations (30.10.2013).
By Way of Definition
Selections from Anthony Smith and John Hutchinson eds.-Nationalism, Oxford
Readers, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1994
1. The Question of Definition..P.
15-16

2. Ernst Renan, Quest-ce-quune nation?...................................................P.17-18

2.
Joseph
Stalin,
Nation..P.18-21

The

3. Max Weber, The Nation....................................P.2129

Primordialists
4. Clifford Geertz, Primordial and Civic Ties..
P.29-34
5. Walker Connor, A Nation is a Nation, is a State, is an Ethnic GroupP.36-46
Recommended
Walker Connor-Ethno-Nationalism: The Quest for Understanding,
University Press, Princeton, NJ, 1994

Princeton

Seminar 3: Theories on the origin of nations (06.11.2013)

Ethno-Symbolism
1.
Anthony
D
Smith,
The
Nations.P. 147-154

Origins

of

Constructivists
2.
Eric
HobsbawnThe
Nation
Tradition..P.76-83
3.
Ernest
GellnerNationalism
CulturesP. 63-70

as
and

Invented
High

4.
Benedict
Anderson..P.
89-95
Recommended
Anderson. B- Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of
Nationalism, Verso, New York, 2003
Smith, A.D., Modernism and Nationalism: Theory Ideology History, Polity Press,
Cambridge, 2001
Seminar 4: Theories of Ethnicity (13.11.2013)
Selections from Anthony Smith and John Hutchinson eds- Ethnicty, Oxford
Readers, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1996
1. Concepts
of
Ethnicity
..P.1-14

2. Clifford
Geerz,
Primordial
ties.P.40-45
3. Paul
R.
Brass,
Ethnic
Groups
and
Identity
Formation.P. 85-90
4. Donald
Horowitz,
Symbolic
Politics
and
Ethnic
Status...P. 285-291
Recommended
Horowitz Donald. L- Ethnic Groups in Conflict, University of California Press,
Second Edition, London, 2000
Brass Paul. R- Ethnicity and Nationalism: Theory and Comparison, Sage
Publications, New Delhi, 1991

Seminar 5: Boundaries and Ethnic groups (20.11.2013)

Barth, Fredrick. Pathan Identity and its Maintenance in Barth, Fredrick, ed.
Ethnic Groups and Boundaries: The Social Organization of Cultural Difference.
1969, Little Brown and Company: Boston, p.117-134
Horowitz, Donald, Ethnic Groups in Conflict, University of California Press, 2000,
p.55- 89

Recommended
Hastings Donnan and Thomas M Wilson- Borders: Frontiers of Identity, Nation and
State, Berg, Oxford and New York, 1999pp. 1-41
Brass, P. R. (1991). Ethnicity and Nationalism: Theory and Comparison. New
Delhi, India: Sage Publications.
Glatzer, Bernt- War and Boundaries in Afghanistan: Significance and Relativity of
Local and Social Boundaries, Weld des Islams (Leiden) 41, 3, 2001
Coser, L. A. (1964). The Functions of Social Conflict. New York: The Free Press .
Theme 2: Theories of Ethnic and National Conflict (27.11.2013)
Seminar 6: State and Elites as a Source of Ethno-political Conflict
Edward E Azar- The Management of Protracted Social Conflict: Theory and Cases,
Dartmouth, 1190, pp. 1-17
Michael E Brown: The Causes of Internal Conflict an Overview in Michael E Brown,
Owen Cote and Sean Lynn Jones and Steven Miller eds.- Nationalism and Ethnic
Conflict, MIT Press, Cambridge, 1997, pp. 3-25
Seminar 7: Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict (04.12.2013)

Rogers Brubaker-Nationalism Reframed: Nationhood and the National Question in

the New Europe, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1996, pp.55-76
Stephen Van Evera-Hypotheses on Nationalism and War in Michael E Brown,
Owen Cote and Sean Lynn Jones and Steven Miller eds.- Nationalism and Ethnic
Conflict, MIT Press, Cambridge, 1997, pp. 26-60
Recommended
Kalevi Holsti- The State, War and the State of War, Cambridge University Press,
Cambridge, 1996, P. 19-40
Jack Synder and Karen Ballentine- Nationalism and the Marketplace of Ideas in in
Michael E Brown, Owen Cote and Sean Lynn Jones and Steven Miller eds.Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict, MIT Press, Cambridge, 1997, pp. 61-96
Brass, Paul, Elite Groups, Symbol Manipulation and Ethnic Identity Among
Muslims of South Asia in Paul Brass ed. Ethnicity and Nationalism: Theory and
Comparison, SAGE Publications, New Delhi, 1991, p. 69-108
Seminar 8: IR Theories and Ethnic Conflicts (11.12.2013)
Cordell, Karl and Wolff, Stefan, The Study of Ethnic Conflict in ibid., Ethnic
Conflict (Polity Press 2009), pp. 4 -22

Recommended

Cordell, Karl and Wolff, Stefan, Motive, Means and Opportunity - A Framework for
Understanding the Causes of Ethnic Conflict, in: ibid., Ethnic Conflict, (Polity
Press 2009), pp. 44 -75

Seminar 9: Security Dilemma Explanations (18.12.2013)

Barry Posen- The Security Dilemma and Ethnic Conflict in Michael Brown ed.Ethnic Conflict and International Security, Princeton University Press, Princeton,
NJ, 1983, pp. 103-124
James D Fearon Commitment Problems and the spread of Ethnic Conflict in David
Lake and Donald Rothschild eds.- The International Spread of Ethnic Conflict: Fear
Diffusion and Escalation, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 1998
Recommended
Lake and Rothchild- Containing Fear: The Origins and Management of Ethnic
Conflict, p. 292-326, in in Michael E Brown, Owen Cote and Sean Lynn Jones and
Steven Miller eds.- Theories of War and Peace, MIT Press, Cambridge,
Massachusetts, 1998

Seminar 10: Are Civil Wars inherently Ethnic? (08.01.2014)

John Mueller- The Banality of Ethnic War in Michael E Brown, Owen Cote and Sean
Lynn Jones and Steven Miller eds.- Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict, MIT Press,
Cambridge, 1997, pp. 97- 125
Bowen, John. R- The Myth of Global Ethnic Conflict in Alexander Laban Hinton
ed. Genocide: An Anthropological Reader, Blackwell, Oxford, UK, 2002, p.334-343
Recommended
Paul Collier and Anke Hoeffler- Greed and Grievance in Civil War, Working paper,
Wolrd Bank, 21 October 2001, p. 1-32
Michael L Ross- How do Natural Resources Influence Civil Wars?, International
Organization 58, 1 (Winter 2004): 35-68
--------------------------------------------------TAKE
EXAM-------------------------------------------

HOME

MID-TERM

Theme 2: Testing Theory: Case Studies (15.01.2014)

Seminar 11: Collapse of Yugoslavia

Sabrina Petra Ramet- Balkan Babel: The Disintegration of Yugoslavia from the
Death of Tito to Ethnic War, Boulder, Westview, 2002, pp. 3-77
Recommended
Samantha Power- Bosnia: No More than Witness at a Funeral: A Problem from
Hell: America and the Age of Genocide, Harper Collins, New York 2002 (selections
to be determined)
VP Gagnon- The Myth of Ethnic War: Serbia and Croatia in the 1990s, Cornell
University Press, 2004
Hayden M. Robert- Imagined Communities and Real Victims: Self-Determination
and Ethnic Cleansing in Yugoslavia in Alexander Laban Hinton ed. Genocide: An
Anthropological Reader, Blackwell, Oxford, UK, 2002,p.231-253
Seminar 12: The Afghan Conflict- 1992-1996 (12.01.2014)

Rubin, Barnett The Fragmentation of Afghanistan: State Formation and Collapse in

the International System, Yale University, 1995, p.146-175
Gilles Dorronsoro- Revolution Unending: Afghanistan 1979 to the Present, Hurst &
Co., London, 2000, p. 257-271
Recommended
Gilles Dorronsoro- Kabul at War (1992-1996): State, Ethnicity and Social Classes,
South Asia Multi-Disciplinary Academic Journal, 2007, P.1-25

Rubin, Barnett (1992). Political Elites in Afghanistan: Rentier State Building,

Rentier State Wrecking. International Journal of Middle East Studies , 24 (1), 7799.
Oliver Roy- Afghanistan: Internal Politics and Socio-Economic Dynamics and
Groupings, WRITENET paper No. 14/2002, CNRS, Paris, March 2003, P. 1-16.
Accessible online http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/pdfid/3e9ae5535.pdf
Paying for the Talibans Crimes: Abuses Against Ethnic Pushtuns in Northern
Afghanistan,
Human
Rights
Watch,
April
2002,
Available
at
http://www.afghanistanica.com/afghan0402.pdf
Seminar 13: Pakistan (22.01.2014)
Stephen P. Cohen- The Idea of Pakistan, Brookings Institution Press, Washington
D.C, 2004, pp. 201-239
Siddiqi, Farhan Hanif, The Politics of Ethnicity in Pakistan: The Baloch Sindhi and
Mohajir Ethnic Movements, Routledge, 2012, p.42-55
Recommended
Saimina Ahmed- Centralization, Authoritarianism and the Mismanagement of
Ethnic Relations in Pakistan, pp. 83- 127 in Michael E Brown and Sumit Ganguly
eds.- Government Policies and Ethnic Relations in Asia and the Pacific, MIT Press,
Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1997
Seminar 14: Jammu and Kashmir (29.01.2014)
Navnita Chaddha Behra- Demystifying Kashmir, Brookings Institution Press,
Washington D.C, 2006, pp. 104-144
Recommended
Sumantara Bose- Kashmir: Roots of Conflict Paths to Peace, Harvard University
Press, Cambridge, 2003
Navnita Chaddha Behra- Demystifying Kashmir, ibid, pp. 170- 207

Theme 3: Potential Solutions to Ethnic and National Conflicts

Seminar 15: Institutional Arrangements (05.02.2014)
Sammy Smooha and Theodor Hanf, Conflict Regulation in Deeply Divided
Societiespp. 326-333
John McGarry and Brendan OLeary-Eliminating
Differences..pp. 333- 341

and

Managing

Ethnic

Gerald Knauss and Felix Martin- Travails of the European Raj, p. 58-66 Available
Online
http://www.britishcouncil.org/brussels-democraticpapers-travails-of-theeuropean-raj.pdf

Recommended
Schneckener, Ulrich, Making Power-Sharing Work: Lessons from Successes and
Failures in Ethnic Conflict Regulation, in: Journal of Peace Research, Vol. 39, No. 2
(Mar., 2002), pp. 203-228
Brancati, Dawn, Decentralization: Fueling the Fire or Dampening the Flames of
Ethnic Conflict and Secessionism? in: International Organization, Vol. 60, No. 3
(Summer, 2006), pp. 651-685
Lijpjart, Arend, Non-Majoritarian Democracy: A Comparison of Federal and
Consociational Theories, in: Publius, Vol 15 No 2, (Spring 1985), pp. 3-15
Reilly, Benjamin, Introduction: democracy in divided societies, in: ibid.,
Democracy in Divided Societies. Electoral Engineering for Conflict Management,
(Cambridge 2001), pp. 1-26
Stephen Krasner- Governance Failures and Alternatives from Sovereignty, CDDRL;
Stanford,
2004.
Available
online
http://iisdb.stanford.edu/pubs/20667/enhanced_sov_krasner_Aug_1_04.pdf
Seminar 16: International Intervention (12.02.2014)

Alan Dowty and Gil Loescher, Refugee Flows as Grounds for International Action
International Security, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Summer, 1996), pp. 43-71 (Available online
through JSTOR)

Ethics and International Affairs, Vol. 15, No.1, Carnegie Council on Ethics and
International Affairs ( Available online
http://www.carnegiecouncil.org/publications/journal/15_1/review_essay/legitimizin
g_use_force_Kosovo/_res/id=sa_File1/EIA%2015.1%20Mertus.pdf )
Recommended
Milner, James, Refugees and the Regional Dynamics of Peace-building, Refugee
Survey Quarterly, Vol. 28, No. 1