Semester:
Offered:
Professor, Gloria Ayee
Wednesday 12:00-2:45pm
Global Ethnic Politics or Dominance and Difference: Ethnic Politics in Comparative Perspective is an advanced undergraduate reading and writing seminar on ethnic politics and social stratification. This course examines the political implications of ethnic identities in different parts of the world. The course provides a comparative, global analysis of race and ethnicity, and is designed to help students understand the history, dynamics, and salience of ethnic inequality and political cleavage. Issues under consideration include definitions of ethnicity, colonization, nationhood, the politics and political history of indigenous peoples, the history and persistence of White supremacy, multiculturalism, “traditional” and “modern” forms of racism, legacies of slavery, rebellion and survival, ethnic political mobilization, panethnicity, diasporas and transnationalism, migration, cultural differences in liberal-democratic states, ethnic cleansing and genocide, and contemporary racial stratification.
We will examine the definitions of, and meanings attached to, the terms ethnicity and race. Using an identity politics framework, we will discuss the determinants of membership in different ethnic and racial groups, and the implications of membership. We will read theoretical treatments as well as case studies that address issues of the political consequences of racial and ethnic classifications in various regions of the world, including Africa, Europe, Latin America, North America, and South Asia. The following questions will guide our study of the role of ethnicity in global politics: In what ways does ethnicity matter for economic, social, and political outcomes? How do the historical, racialized experiences of indigenous and minority groups shape contemporary racial attitudes and experiences? What is the nature of ethnic inequality in different regions of the world today? What is ethnic voting and where does it occur? Why are political parties created along ethnic lines in some countries, but not in others? What are the primary intra- and inter-group dynamics that shape contemporary minority group politics? How does the politics of ethnicity intersect with the politics of class and gender? What opportunities and challenges exist for mobilizing marginalized groups? What is the relationship between ethnic politics and political violence? In this course, we will explore and use analytical perspectives such as symbolic politics, political opportunity theory, indígenismo, resource mobilization, and post-colonialism. Students are expected to already have a basic understanding of the concepts of ethnicity and racial ideology.