DSPO 25A17 - Nation and nationalism : several approaches to basic concepts

Nationalism manifests itself as a modern ideology, whose relations with democracy and the state must be carefully explored. It also appears as something almost undefined, given its various connections with the left and the right, traditionalist and modernist views, local and global perspectives, and cultural and political realities. This course is about nations and nationalism since the 18th century. It will provide basic concepts and historical examples. Nation and nationalism are presented in a rather neutral way, which means neither nationalist nor curative. This approach reflects today’s global understanding of national realities, nationality and nation-states. As the scope of the course is more international than French, nationalism will not be presented as “nationalisme”, which is often understood as a social disease in current French debate. Examples will be taken from world history and issues will be addressed on a world scale. The course will also compare the different paths of state-building: the city, the empire and the nation.

Main topics: Founding fathers of the modern nation. Founding fathers of nationalism. Relevance of the nation in the 19th and 20th centuries. The dominant feature: equality or liberty. Modern nationalism. Wars, nations and empires. History vs sociology. Ethnocultural reality vs political myth. From resistance to unity. New types of nationalism.

None

One oral presentation (25% of final mark)

A final test 75%