Pol S 565: Nations and Nationalism
Fall 2013, Tuesday – 4:00-6:40 (AH-2103)
Professor Latha Varadarajan
Department of Political Science
4136 Adams Humanities
lvaradar@mail.sdsu.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday, Thursday: 12:00-1:30; and by appointment
Purpose of the course:
Nationalism seems to have made a grand re-entrance onto the center-stage of global politics
after the end of the Cold War. The creation of a large number of new nation-states that
changed the political landscape of Europe, the emergence of new separatist movements in
Asia, Africa and the Americas (East Timor, Sudan, Bolivia), along with the persistence of
older tensions (Quebec, Sri Lanka, Palestine) gives the study of nationalism a new sense of
urgency in today’s world. For what holds these extremely divergent movements together is
the fact that their demands (for greater political rights, for independence) have generally
been couched in the language of nationalism, of representing the interests of a single, welldefined national community. What is it that has enabled certain groups to claim that they are
a separate nation? Given the political fallout of such movements, should nationalism be
treated as the root of political instability or the solution to it? How different is the
contemporary wave of nationalism from ones that preceded it in the past two centuries? To
answer these questions, what we need is a broader, historically contextualized understanding
of the nature and politics of nationalism. This course is an attempt to fulfill such a need.
Nationalism, it is generally accepted, emerged as an organizing political force at a specific
historical moment, and under specific conditions. What these conditions were, how the idea
of nationalism spread, and how we should it understand its various manifestations are all
issues that have been the subject of intense debate among scholars as well as those actively
involved in political struggles. While it is impossible to cover every aspect of these
deliberations in one short semester, this course will serve as an introduction to some of the
classic texts, while providing an opportunity to engage closely with the development of
nationalism in specific contexts.
The course is divided into two parts. The first part focuses on the question of the origins
and nature of nationalism by engaging with some of the most important theoretical debates
about the subject. The readings include some of the classic treatises on the subject by both
scholars of nationalism (such as Elie Kedourie, Ernest Gellner, and Benedict Anderson) and
important historical figures who inspired and were engaged in actual political struggles
(Mazzini, Herzl, Lenin, Luxemburg). Having addressed the theoretical debates, in the second
section, we turn to the question of the development of nationalism in particular times and
places. We will begin with analyses of nationalism in “Old” Europe (Britain and France),
follow it up with anti-colonial nationalism (India) and conclude with a closer look at the
“new” nationalisms of Europe (Yugoslavia). The purpose of this segment is three fold: first,
to engage seriously with the historical peculiarities of nationalist movements; second, to
compare the nature and political consequences of nationalism as an idea through the modern
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era; and third, to use this broader view to weigh seriously on the question of the relevance
and implications of nationalism for contemporary politics.
Required readings: A significant part of the course will focus on specific books. It is
strongly recommended that you purchase the following books, all of which are available at
KB bookstore.
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Elie Kedourie, Nationalism (Wiley-Blackwell, Fourth edn., 1993)
Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of
Nationalism (Revised edn., London: Verso, 1991)
Ernest Gellner, Nations and Nationalism (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1983)
Eugen Weber, Peasants into Frenchmen, 1870-1914 (Stanford: Stanford University
Press, 1976)
Paul Hockenos, Homeland Calling: Exile Patriotism and the Balkan Wars (Ithaca: Cornell
University Press, 2003)
In addition, readings for the class include articles and book chapters. Unless otherwise
indicated (with direct links), these have been posted on the blackboard site for the course.
You are strongly encouraged to print all the readings from Blackboard as soon as
possible. Be sure to bring with you to class the actual books and articles that we will
be discussing that day.
Reading for this class:
This is a reading intensive course. Every week, you will be reading approximately 100 pages
(the length of the weekly reading will vary depending upon the subject matter) of text that
will introduce you to theoretical and political debates on the subject of nationalism. In order
to help you understand the texts, I strongly urge you adopt a systematic approach to the
reading. Remember, your task as students is not to take any of the readings at face value. In
order to get the most from this class you need to read critically. It is often helpful to keep a
set of broad questions in mind as you read for the class:
 What are the main points of the author’s argument?
 Does it sound convincing? If yes, why? If no, why not?
More specifically,
 How does the author answer the questions “what is nationalism” and “what is the
nation”?
 What, according to the author, are the main conditions under which nationalism
emerged?
 How does he or she understand the relationship between nationalism and the
following: the state, the masses, capitalism, the writing of history etc.?
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Does he or she say anything about the relevance of nationalism for contemporary
politics?
Keeping a log of reading notes will be invaluable for you in addressing these questions for
yourself and preparing for the various writing assignments you will need to complete over
the course of the semester. Do keep in mind the fact that the readings are not discreet
entities. You will notice that the various authors that you read are often in conversation with
each other – for instance Anthony Smith and Ernest Gellner. Even when they are worlds
apart (literally, politically, figuratively) like Ernest Renan and Lenin, you are expected to draw
them together in class discussions as well as your various writing assignments. When you
come across particularly challenging passages or ideas, you should highlight them and bring
them to the class.
Grading and assignments:
Attendance and participation: 10%
Unlike lecture-intensive undergraduate classes, the success of a seminar like this is heavily
contingent on the discussions that you will generate through your engagement with the
readings and thematic concepts. In order to make the classroom experience not just
bearable, but fruitful and enjoyable, you should come prepared for intense and sustained
discussions each week. While I may not take attendance every week, your presence or
absence will be noted and will have an impact on your final grade. Please be aware that this
portion of your grade includes “participation” – what this means is that merely attending
every class will not guarantee you a perfect grade. You are expected to clearly express
(through your conduct in class) your engagement with the classroom discussions, as well as
the readings.
Weekly response papers: 20%
An important element of this class is a close reading of the materials that you have been
assigned for each week. Some of these may appear daunting in terms of sheer amount,
details and theoretical complexity. As such, they will demand a significant amount of your
preparation time before class. To help you work through this material, your primary type of
writing assignment for this is a weekly response paper – a single-spaced, one page paper
pertaining to the week’s reading that you will bring to class on any ten weeks starting
September 3rd.
Please keep in mind that the response paper is not a summary. Though it might be useful for
you to summarize few of the main points of the reading early on, this assignment requires
you to think critically about the reading. In other words, rather than merely repeating what
the author has to say, this assignment offers you the opportunity to show that you have
understood and have thought through some of the issues raised by the readings. You could
for instance discuss the historical context or contemporary relevance of the author’s
argument, some potential contradictions raised by the argument, or put that argument into
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conversation with other readings that you have done for class. While I do not expect you to
have completely mastered the text before coming to class, I do expect you to have actually
begun thinking about the meaning and implications of a particular argument. The response
paper should therefore end with two or three insightful questions you have about the
reading.
The purpose of this assignment is to help you work through the readings as well as facilitate
class discussion. Therefore, for you to get credit, you are expected to submit the paper
during class – not after, and not through e-mail. While your paper need not be a fully
polished analysis, you are expected to reveal an honest engagement with the literature in
a cogent and clear fashion. Merely putting together some thoughts at the last minute will
not suffice. If you are feeling overwhelmed some weeks of the semester, do keep in mind
that you have three weeks that you may choose not to write a response paper.
Research paper: 70%:
The main writing assignment for this class is a 15-page research paper. The paper can be on
any aspect of nationalism, be it historical (an analysis of the emergence of particular kinds of
nationalism – imperial, anticolonial etc.), geographically specific (an examination of say,
Basque nationalism or Thai nationalism), more theoretically oriented (such as the
relationship between nationalism and class politics, the role of literature in nationalist
projects, or gender and nationalism) or more focused on contemporary politics (the
relationship between nationalism and globalization or the emergence of “new” ethnonationalisms). The only requirement is that, regardless of the actual topic you choose, you
need to relate your argument to one of the readings from the first part of the course.
In other words, based on readings for the class, you can tailor the paper topic to meet your
specific research interests. Working on a research project can seem somewhat daunting. To
make this task more manageable, the assignment has four stages, each of which will be
graded separately:
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The first stage is to meet with me and discuss your ideas and interests. The main
purpose of this conversation is to help you hone your potential paper topic. You
need to do this once you begin to get a sense of the class, but no later than October
1st. I would encourage you not to wait until that last week to meet with me since I
will not able to accommodate all 25 students in one office hour session. Having this
conversation will help you get started on the paper and will also earn 5% of your
class grade.
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Having discussed your interests with me, you will submit a 4-page formal research
proposal paper on October 8th. In this paper, you will pose your research question,
frame the ways in which you are planning to address it, and also lay out a list of
potential sources that you plan to examine. This paper is worth 10% of your grade.
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The third stage is an 8-page literature review that is due in class on November 12th.
By this time, you are expected to have completed the bulk of your reading for the
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project. Do keep in mind that a semester offers you limited time to do extensive
research, and that you can draw on the materials that we cover in the class. You are,
however, expected to have done your research and found more specific materials
(articles, books) that pertain to your topic. The first two pages of your literature
review should be used to describe your research question (in a more sophisticated
manner than the earlier draft, since you have presumably made some conceptual
progress by this time) and also frame the literature that you are reviewing – why you
have chosen those particular books (or parts of books) and articles; and how you
intend grouping them. The bulk of the paper can be a critical description of the
materials that you have read and consider useful for your project – what they argue,
why that argument is significant, how it helps your project. The review paper is
worth 20% of your grade.
As part of this assignment, you will make a brief oral presentation of your proposed
research to your classmates, and engage with their questions and suggestions. Each
presentation will be approximates 7-10 mts. Further instructions about the
presentation format will be discussed in class as the semester progresses. The oral
presentation will be worth 5% of your grade.
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The last stage of the assignment is the final draft of the research paper, due in the
Political Science office (AH 4142) on December 17th by noon. It is worth 30% of
your total grade.
In addition to the hard copies submitted to me, the literature review and the final paper
should be uploaded on turnitin.com on the blackboard site for the course.
Cheating or plagiarism of any sort will result in automatic failure for the course and will be
reported to the university.
Schedule of Readings
August 27th – Introduction
I. Nationalism in theory
September 3rd – Setting the stage
 Anthony Smith, “Gastronomy or Geology? The role of nationalism in the
reconstruction of nations,” Nations and Nationalism 1 (1), pp. 3-23, 1995
[Blackboard]
 Walker Connor, “When is a Nation?” Ethnic and Racial Studies, Vol. 13 (1), pp. 92-103
[Blackboard]
 Walker Connor, “The timelessness of nations,” Nations and Nationalism, Vol. 10 (1-2),
2004, pp. 35-47 [Blackboard]
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Hugh Trevor-Roper “The Invention of tradition: The highland tradition of
Scotland,” pp. 15-42 in Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger (ed.), The Invention of
Tradition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983 [Blackboard]
Anthony Smith and Ernest Gellner, The Warwick Debates on Nationalism, October
1995 [Blackboard]
September 10th – The idea of nationalism
 Elie Kedourie, Nationalism, Chapters 1, 2, 5, 6, 7.
September 17th – The reality of nationalism
 Ernest Gellner, Nations and Nationalism, Chapters 1-5, 8-10
September 24th – The imagining of nationalism
 Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities, Chapters 1-7
October 1st – The nation as destiny
 Edmund Burke, “Reflections on the revolution in France,” in Omar Dahbour and
Micheline R. Ishay (ed.), The Nationalism Reader, pp. 134-42 [Blackboard]
 Giuseppe Mazzini, “The Duties of Man,” in Omar Dahbour and Micheline R. Ishay
(ed.), The Nationalism Reader, pp. 87-97 [Blackboard]
 Ernest Renan, “What is a Nation?”
http://www.cooper.edu/humanities/core/hss3/e_renan.html
 John Stuart Mill, “Considerations on Representative Government,” in Omar
Dahbour and Micheline R. Ishay (ed.), The Nationalism Reader, pp. 98-107
[Blackboard]
 Lord Acton, “Nationality,” in Gopal Balakrishnan (ed.), Mapping the Nation, pp.17-38
[Blackboard]
 Theodore Herzl, “A Jewish State,” in Omar Dahbour and Micheline R. Ishay (ed.),
The Nationalism Reader, pp. 125-131 [Blackboard]
October 8th – Nationalism and the colonial order
 Thomas Babington Macaulay, “On Empire and Education,”
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1833macaulay-india.html
 Dadabhai Naoroji, “The benefits of British rule,”
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1871britishrule.html
 Jawaharlal Nehru, The Discovery of India, New Delhi: Penguin, 2004, Selections
[Blackboard]
[Topic introduction paper due in class]
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October 15th – Nationalism and the challenge of internationalism
 V.I. Lenin, “The Rights of Nations to Self-Determination,” Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4,
http://marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1914/self-det/index.htm
 Rosa Luxemburg, “The Rights of Nations to Self-Determination,” The National
Question, Chapter 1, http://marxists.org/archive/luxemburg/1909/nationalquestion/ch01.htm
 “Marxism, Opportunism and the Balkan crisis,”
http://wsws.org/articles/1999/apr1999/balp-m07.shtml
II. Nationalism in practice
October 22nd– England as the prototype
 Liah Greenfeld, Nationalism: Five Roads to Modernity, Introduction, Chapter 1
[Blackboard]
October 29th– Beyond the revolution: the making of the French nation
 Eugen Weber, Peasants into Frenchmen, 1870-1914 [available as e-book through the
library] focus on Chapters 1,2,6, 7, 15, 16, 17, 18, 28 and 29
November 5th– The aftermath of colonialism
 Ayesha Jalal, “South Asia,” Encyclopedia of Nationalism, Academic Press, 2000,
http://www.tufts.edu/~ajalal01/Articles/encyclopedia.nationalism.pdf
 Gyanendra Pandey, “The three partitions of India,” in Remembering Partition: Violence,
nationalism and history in India (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001)
[Blackboard]
 Uravshi Butalia, The other side of silence: voices from the partition of India (Duke University
Press, 2000), Chapters 1, 4, 5 [available as e-book through the library]
November 12th – Literature Review paper due, In-class presentations
November 19th – The “new” wave
 Miroslav Hroch, “Nationalism and national movements: Comparing the past and the
present of Central and Eastern Europe,” Nations and Nationalism, Vol. 2(1), March
1996, pp. 35-44 [Blackboard]
 Rogers Brubaker, Nationalism Reframed: Nationhood and the national question in the New
Europe, Introduction (pp.1-7); Chapter 3 (pp. 55-76) [Blackboard]
 Brad K. Blitz, “War and Change,” in Brad K. Blitz (ed.), War and Change in the
Balkans: Nationalism, Conflict and Cooperation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
2006), pp. 1-12 [Blackboard]
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George Schöpflin, “Yugoslavia: state construction and state failure,” in Brad K. Blitz
(ed.), War and Change in the Balkans: Nationalism, Conflict and Cooperation (Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 2006), pp. 13-29 [Blackboard]
Ivo Banac, “The politics of national homogeneity,” in Brad K. Blitz (ed.), War and
Change in the Balkans: Nationalism, Conflict and Cooperation (Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 2006), pp. 30-43 [Blackboard]
November 26th – Start reading Paul Hockenos, Homeland Calling: Exile Patriotism and the
Balkan Wars (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2003)
December 3rd – Nationalism beyond borders
 Paul Hockenos, Homeland Calling: Exile Patriotism and the Balkan Wars (Ithaca: Cornell
University Press, 2003)
December 10th – Quo Vadis?
 Victoria Bernal, “Eritrea goes global: reflections on nationalism in a transnational
age,” Cultural Anthropology 19(1) 2004, pp.3–24 [Blackboard]
 Bakirathi Mani and Latha Varadarajan, “‘The Largest Gathering of the Global Indian
Family’: Neoliberalism, Nationalism and Diaspora at Pravasi Bharatiya Divas,”
Diaspora: a journal of transnational studies, Vol. 14 (1), 2005, pp. 45-73 [Blackboard]
 Benedict Anderson, “New world disorders,” New Left Review 193, May-June 1992,
[Blackboard]
 Ernest Gellner, “Nationalisms in the new world order,” Bulletin of the American
Academy of Arts and Sciences, Vol. 47 (5), 1994, pp. 29-36 [Blackboard]
 Mary Kaldor, “Nationalism and globalization,” Nations and Nationalism, Vol. 10 (1-2),
2004, pp. 161-177 [Blackboard]
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