This course provides a comparative, global analysis of race and ethnicity, examining their political implications across regions and regime types. We begin by interrogating what ethnicity and race mean, how boundaries of membership are drawn, and how scholars measure these identifications. From there, we turn to the fraught relationship between ethnicity, the nation-state, and nationalism, paying particular attention to the conflicts that arise when efforts to align identity with state structures generate exclusion or violence. We will also examine how colonization, slavery, and the persistence of majority identity supremacy continue to shape contemporary politics, as well as the politics of minorities, indigenous peoples, and multiculturalism. In the final part of the course, we analyze how ethnicity and race structure politics across different political systems, asking: What is ethnic voting and where does it occur? Why do ethnic parties emerge in some countries but not in others? How do authoritarian regimes repress, co-opt, or mobilize ethnic identities? And what is the relationship between ethnic politics and political violence?

Units: 1

Max Enrollment: 20

Prerequisites: POL2 202 or POL3 221 or permission of the instructor. Not open to students who have taken POL2 298.

Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis

Typical Periods Offered: Fall

Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Spring

Notes: Ann E. Maurer '51 Speaking Intensive Course. This course is also offered at the 200 level as POL2 298.