Delivered at:: Department of Political Science and International Affairs

Course type:: Elective course

When:: 4 year, 3 module

Instructor

Scherbak, Andrey N.

Full Syllabus

Abstract

The course focuses on recent ethnic conflict across the world – from post-Soviet space and the Yugoslav succession wars – to the genocide in Rwanda and conflicts in the Middle East. The goal of the course is to explore the reasons of ethnic conflicts in the post-Cold war era as well as key approaches to their resolution. Theoretical explanations vary from the classic nationalism theories to “new wars” approaches. Finally, we will examine the role of national governments, civil society, international organizations and military in ethnic conflict resolution.

Learning Objectives

The course aims to explore the variety of ethnic conflicts (mostly on the post-Soviet space) and eaplain the reasons for their onset and resolution

Expected Learning Outcomes

Active participation in discussions on seminars Work with literature on the class
Active participation in discussions on seminars, analysis of various cases
Work with literature on the class and preparation of course-related texts
Group work on seminars and preparation of course-related texts

Course Contents

Sources and reasons for ethnic conflicts.
What is accommodation of ethnicity? Language, national identity and assimilation as key issues. “Ethnic groups in conflict”. State nationalism vs. ethnic minorities. State capacity and nationalism
What is an ethnic conflict?
Nationalism and ethnicity. Why ethnicity and nationalism become the source of conflicts? Variation of ethnic conflicts/ tensions/ clashes/ wars.
Genocide in Rwanda
The reasons and causes of genocide in Rwanda. How to define a genocide and why genocides happen?
Ethnic wars in Yugoslavia.
The reasons of ethnic conflicts in Yugoslavia
Ethnic conflicts on the post-Soviet space-1
The Baltic states: why 'hot' conflict did not occur? Moldova&Transnistria: the reasons of ethnic violence. The status reversal: Russians beyond Russia.
Ethnic conflicts on the post-Soviet space-2.
The Caucasus: Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. The Karabakh conflict. The Georgian-Ossetian and Georgian-Abkhazian conflicts
Ethnic conflicts on the post-Soviet space-3
The conflict in Chechnya. Why Russia lost the First Chechen war and won the Second one? Post-war reconstruction: acheivements and problems
Resource curse and incidence of ethnic conflicts
Resource dependence as the reason for ethnic conflicts in Africa, Latin America and Asia.
Multiculturalism, ethnic tolerance as policy goals: theory and practice
Ethnic tolerance as a policy objective; zero-tolerance to ethnic discrimination. Ethnic discrimination. National and supra-national perspectives.
Ethnic conflicts in the 21th century: prospects and potential for resolution
The role of nation state, international community and NGOs .The “New wars” concept by Mary Kaldor

Assessment Elements

Quizzes
participation
As the course is grounded on discussion of problems with no sole optimal solution, each student must take part in the discussions during seminars. The assessment of students` work is based on individual participation and individual oral presentations on the issues raised in the compulsory readings. Grading is based on answers to the instructor’s questions addressed to the audience and particular students; students’ questions to the instructor; discussions among students in smaller groups. Students are assessed for the quality of their arguments and ability to analyze critically the problem, engage with the arguments of the book, peers and the instructor, ability to find links between different parts of the course and its readings. Attendance is obligatory. Students must not skip classes without valid reason. If a student misses more than one class without a valid cause, he/she will be punished by reduction of his/her assessment by 5%.
Mid-term exam
Each student will require writing a mid-term exam – a multiple-choice test, where he/she needs to identify essential names, dates, events related to ethnic conflicts (based on literature to the course)
Final exam (essay)
to pass exam each student has to submit an essay on the topic related to the course. The topic of an essay should be approved by instructor and submitted by student no later than two weeks before deadline.

Interim Assessment

Interim assessment (3 module)
0.4 * Final exam (essay) + 0.24 * Mid-term exam + 0.24 * participation + 0.12 * Quizzes

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

Laitin, D. D. . (DE-588)122143310, (DE-576)164254927. (2007). Nations, states, and violence / David D. Laitin. Oxford [u.a.]: Oxford University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edswao&AN=edswao.266901123
Laitin, D. D. (2007). Nations, States, and Violence. Oxford: OUP Oxford. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=216029

Recommended Additional Bibliography

Brubaker, R., & Laitin, D. D. (1998). Ethnic and Nationalist Violence. Annual Review of Sociology, 24, 423. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.24.1.423
Clogg, R. (2008). The Politics of Identity in Post-Soviet Abkhazia: Managing Diversity and Unresolved Conflict. Nationalities Papers, 36(2), 305–329. https://doi.org/10.1080/00905990801934371
Darden, K., & Mylonas, H. (2012). The Promethean Dilemma: Third-party State-building in Occupied Territories. Ethnopolitics, 11(1), 85–93. https://doi.org/10.1080/17449057.2011.596127
Fearon, J. D., & Laitin, D. D. (2011). Sons of the Soil, Migrants, and Civil War. World Development, (2), 199. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.a.eee.wdevel.v39y2011i2p199.211
Identities in between: political conflict and ethnonational identities in multicultural states. (n.d.). https://doi.org/10.25384/SAGE.6814907.v1
Kamola, I. (2007). The global coffee economy and the production of genocide in Rwanda. Third World Quarterly, 28(3), 571–592. https://doi.org/10.1080/01436590701192975
Oberschall, A. (2000). The manipulation of ethnicity: from ethnic cooperation to violence and war in Yugoslavia. Ethnic & Racial Studies, 23(6), 982–1001. https://doi.org/10.1080/014198700750018388
Pål Kolstø, Andrei Edemsky, & Natalya Kalashnikova. (1993). The Dniester conflict: Between irredentism and separatism. Europe-Asia Studies, (6), 973. https://doi.org/10.1080/09668139308412137
Roland Hodler. (2006). The curse of natural resources in fractionalized countries. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.252805D
Sharafutdinova, G. (2000). Chechnya Versus Tatarstan. Problems of Post-Communism, 47(2), 13. https://doi.org/10.1080/10758216.2000.11655873
Vujacic, V. (1996). Historical legacies, nationalist mobilization, and political outcomes in Russia and Serbia: A Weberian view. Theory & Society, 25(6), 763–801. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=sih&AN=9710285467
Yanagizawa-Drott, D. H. (2014). Propaganda and Conflict: Evidence from the Rwandan Genocide. https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qju020

Bachelor’s Programme 'Political Science and World Politics'

Contacts

International Accreditation

Ethnic Conflicts: Causes and Resolution