SYA 4930

Nationalism and Ethnicity in Europe

(Preliminary Syllabus)

Instructor:
Alin Ceobanu
E-mail: X
Phone: 392-0265 ext. X
Office hours: Wednesdays 3:00-4:00 p.m.
Fridays 12:30-1:30 p.m.
and by appointment
Turlington Hall Room X

Classes:
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 1:55-2:45 p.m.
E 121, Computer Science Engineering

Course Objectives:
The purpose of this course is to provide students with a comparative understanding of the role
played by nationalism and ethnic identity in Europe. The first objective of this class is to introduce
students to the variety of approaches and perspectives that explain nationalism and ethnicity. The
second objective is to analyze some of the most important cases of national identity and ethnic
conflict in contemporary Europe, both West and East. We will look at several important theoretical
problems (for example, the modernity of nationalism/national identity as a factor in state formation
and dissolution/secession; ethnic politics and conflict management; the post-1989 national contexts
and the enlargement of the European Union further East; citizenship issues and the challenges of
large-scale migration) and case studies (e.g., Catalonian nationalism; Muslim minorities in Europe;
the dismemberment of communist ethno-federations and the process of identity formation for the
successor states; inter-ethnic tension in multi-national states; Roma – a trans-national European
people without a country). By the end of this class, students will be able to: (a) identify the main
themes in the literature of nationalism and ethnicity; (b) make the connection between theoretical
debates and recent problems of national/ethnic identity in Europe; and (c), distinguish among the
varieties of nationalism and ethnic politics in contemporary European states and their role in carving
out an identity.

The Topic of the Course:

Europe is a colorful mosaic of peoples, of which some constitute the dominant majority within a
country, whereas others are ethnic/regional/continental minorities. National and ethnic identities
are not immutable, and yet “nation-states” are commonly conceived as ‘hard historical facts.’
During the last fifteen years, Europe has witnessed fratricidal wars in former Yugoslavia and
Republic of Moldova, increased visibility of the nationalist and anti-immigrant parties, enlargement

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of the European Union to a part that was once its nemesis, and a rise in xenophobic attacks against
immigrants and ethnic minorities. Overall, the readings of this course will demonstrate how
nationalism, ethnicity and citizenship interact in the making of a new Europe.

We will see that a formidable challenge in approaching nationalism and ethnicity in Europe lies in
the definition of the terms: whereas for some they are extremist ideologies of irredentism and
secession, others perceive them as political vehicles toward a clearly-defined purpose. The premise
from which we will start is that nationalism and ethnicity refer to the uniqueness or distinct identity
of a particular group of people, especially with respect to common cultural experiences, and the
ability to separate itself from other people.

Course Description:
This course is divided into four sections. The first examines different theoretical approaches and
definitions of nationalism and ethnicity. The second section takes up the case Central and Eastern
European states, focusing on: (1) the interplay between national politics and the position of ethnic
minorities, and (2) the post-1989 context of renewed national and ethnic fervor. The third question
considers various instances of nationalism and ethnicity in contemporary Western Europe:
consolidation of nationalist discourses; ethnic movements and extreme right politics; immigration as
a factor altering the ethnic map of countries and how citizenship laws have responded to this
challenge. The last section turns to the future of the “nation-state” in the light of the major changes
faced by the European Union, where we will evaluate the viability of a European identity.

The Format of the Course and Evaluation:

Classes will be conducted in a mixed, lecture-discussion format. Instructor will provide a short
context-setting lecture, and students will come prepared with questions and notes from readings: the
two will form the basis of a structured discussion.

Grades for the course will be calculated as follows:

Class participation.......................................................... 20%

Midterm (take-home) essay [due October 18] ........... 40%
Final exam [date TBA] .................................................. 40%

Students’ Responsibilities:
• Attend class
• Complete readings by the day indicated in the syllabus
• Bring written notes to class
• Participate in discussion
• Complete a midterm essay on time
• Take the final exam

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Texts:

Hutchinson, John, and Anthony D. Smith. 1994. Nationalism (“Oxford Readers” Series). Oxford
and New York: Oxford University Press.

Coursepack (** indicates recommended, but not required – see Proposed Schedule below).

Constantly check The Nationalism Project Homepage for useful info

(http://www.wisc.edu/nationalism/).

Proposed Schedule:

August 25 (W)
Introduction, no reading

I. Theoretical Foundations

August 27 (F)
What is a nation? What is an ethnie? Definitions from Encyclopedia of Nationalism, 2001 (handout)
Visit Homelands Homepage (http://www.visi.com/~homelands/) and see the claims about
Epirus, Jura, Occitana, Sami and others in Europe.
Also, check the National Anthems of the World Homepage
(http://www.imagesoft.net/flags/anthems.html). Note how ‘official’ nationalism is maintained
via such symbols as the flag, the anthem and the coinage.

August 30 (M)
Renan, Ernest. 1994 [1882]. “Qu’est-ce qu’une nation ?” Pp. 17-18 in Nationalism, edited by John
Hutchinson and Anthony D. Smith. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press.

Stalin, Joseph. 1994 [1973]. “The Nation.” Pp. 18-21 in Nationalism, edited by John Hutchinson
and Anthony D. Smith. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press.

September 1 (W)
Connor, Walker. 1994 [1978]. “A Nation is a Nation, is a State, is an Ethnic Group, is a…” Pp.
36-46 in Nationalism, edited by John Hutchinson and Anthony D. Smith. Oxford and New
York: Oxford University Press.

September 3 (F)
Geertz, Clifford. 1994 [1963]. “Primordial and Civic Ties.” Pp. 29-34 in Nationalism, edited by
John Hutchinson and Anthony D. Smith. Oxford and New York: Oxford University
Press.

**Banton, Michael. 1994. “Modeling Ethnic and National Relations.” Ethnic and Racial Studies
17(1):1-19.

September 6 (M)

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 Labor Day, no class
September 8 (W)
Gellner, Ernest. 1994 [1964]. “Nationalism and Modernization.” Pp. 55-63 in Nationalism, edited
by John Hutchinson and Anthony D. Smith. Oxford and New York: Oxford University
Press.
Gellner, Ernest. 1994 [1983]. “Nationalism and High Cultures.” Pp. 63-70 in Nationalism, edited
by John Hutchinson and Anthony D. Smith. Oxford and New York: Oxford University
Press.

September 10 (F)
Hobsbawm, Eric. 1994 [1983]. “The Nation as Invented Tradition.” Pp. 76-83 in Nationalism,
edited by John Hutchinson and Anthony D. Smith. Oxford and New York: Oxford
University Press.

Anderson, Benedict. 1994 [1991]. “Imagined Communities.” Pp. 89-96 in Nationalism, edited by
John Hutchinson and Anthony D. Smith. Oxford and New York: Oxford University
Press.

September 13 (M)
Kohn, Hans. 1994 [1945]. “Western and Eastern Nationalisms.” Pp. 162-165 in Nationalism,
edited by John Hutchinson and Anthony D. Smith. Oxford and New York: Oxford
University Press.

Kuzio, Taras. 2002. “The myth of the civic state: a critical survey of Hans Kohn’s framework for
understanding nationalism.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 25(1):20-39.

September 15 (W)
Schöpflin, George. 1995. “Nationalism and Ethnicity in Europe, East and West.” Pp. 37-65 in
Nationalism and Nationalities in New Europe,” edited by Charles A. Kupchan. Ithaca (NY) and
London: Cornell University Press.

**Greenfield, Liah. 1994 [1992]. “Types of European Nationalism.” Pp. 165-171 in Nationalism,
edited by John Hutchinson and Anthony D. Smith. Oxford and New York: Oxford
University Press.

II. Nationalism and Ethnicity in Central and Eastern Europe

September 17 (F)
Fowkes, Ben. 1999. “National Minorities and Ethnic Conflict.” Pp. 76-108 in The Post-Communist
Era. Change and Continuity in Eastern Europe (ch. 5), by Ben Fowkes. New York: St. Martin’s
Press.

**Sugar, Peter. 1994 [1969]. “Nationalism in Eastern Europe.” Pp. 171-177 in Nationalism, edited
by John Hutchinson and Anthony D. Smith. Oxford and New York: Oxford University
Press.

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September 20 (M)
Schöpflin, George. 2000. “The Problem of Ethnic Minorities in Central and Eastern Europe.”
Pp. 231-240 in Nations, Identity, Power (ch. 17), by George Schöpflin. New York: New York
University Press.

Schöpflin, George. 2000. “Minorities under Communism.” Pp. 241-252 in Nations, Identity, Power
(ch. 18), by George Schöpflin. New York: New York University Press.

September 22 (W)
Banac, Ivo. 1995. “Nationalism in South-eastern Europe.” Pp. 107-121 in Nationalism and
Nationalities in New Europe,” edited by Charles A. Kupchan. Ithaca (NY) and London:
Cornell University Press.

**Dogan, Mattei. 1997. “Nationalism in Europe: Decline in the West, Revival in the East.”
Nations and Nationalism 6(1):43-66.

**Kymlicka, Will. 2000. “Nation-building and minority rights: comparing East and West.” Journal
of Ethnic and Migration Studies 26(2):183-212.

September 24 (F)
Schöpflin, George. 2000. “Ethnic Minorities in South-Eastern Europe.” Pp. 253-276 in Nations,
Identity, Power (ch. 17), by George Schöpflin. New York: New York University Press.

??? Documentary film: “Ethnization” (about the Balkans)

September 27 (M)
Sekulic, Dusko. 1997. “The creation and dissolution of the multinational states: the case of
Yugoslavia.” Nations and Nationalism 3(2):165-179

**Pavkovic, Aleksandar. 1998. “from Yugoslavism to Serbism: the Serb national idea, 1986-
1996.” Nations and Nationalism 4(4): 511-528.

September 29 (W)
Antonic, Slobodan. 1997. “Could a Confederation Have Saved Yugoslavia?” Nationalities Papers
25(3): 469-480.

**Hoare, Atilla. 1997. “The Croatian project to partition Bosnia-Hercegovina, 1990-1994.” East
European Quarterly 31(1):121-139.

October 1 (F)
Hill, Peter. 1999. “Macedonians in Greece and Albania: A Comparative Study of Recent
Developments.” Nationalities Papers 27(1):17-30.

**Draper, Stark. 1997. “The conceptualization of an Albanian nation.” Ethnic and Racial Studies
20(1):123-145.

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October 4 (M)
Babuna, Aydin. 2000. “The Albanians of Kosovo and Macedonia: Ethnic Identity Superceding
Religion.” Nationalities Papers 28(1): 67-92.

**Eminov, Ali. 2000. “Turks and Tartars in Bulgaria and the Balkans.” Nationalities Papers
28(1):129-164.

October 6 (W)
Verdery, Katherine. 1996. “Nationalism and National Sentiment in Postsocialist Romania.” Pp.
83-103 in What was socialism and what comes next? (ch. 4), by Katherine Verdery. Princeton,
NJ: Princeton University Press.

**Szépe, György. 1999. “The Position of Hungarians in Romania and Slovakia: Recent
Developments.” Nationalities Papers 27(1):69-92.

**Lovatt, Catherine. “Tolerant Transylvania: Why Transylvania will not become another
Kosovo.” Central European Review, 14, 27 Sept. 1999
(http://www.ce-review.org/99/14/lovatt14.html).

October 8 (F)
Szporluk, Roman. 1998. “Nationalism after communism: reflections on Russia, Ukraine, Belarus
and Poland.” Nations and Nationalism 4(3):301-320.

**Snyder, Timothy. 1998. “The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth since 1989: National

Narratives in Relations among Poland, Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine.” Nationalism and
Ethnic Politics 4(3):1-32.

October 11 (M)
Resler, Tamara J. 1997. “Dilemmas of Democratisation: Safeguarding Minorities in Russia,
Ukraine and Lithuania.” Europe-Asia Studies 49(1):89-106.

**Hesli, Vicki L., William M. Reisinger, and Arthur H. Miller. 1997. “The sources of support for
separatism: public opinion in three Soviet republics” (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia). Nations
and Nationalism 3(2):201-229.

**Brubaker, Rogers W. 1992. “Citizenship Struggles in Soviet Successor States.” International

Migration Review 26(2):269-291.

October 13 (W)
Hilde, Paal Sigurd. 1999. “Slovak Nationalism and the Breakup of Czechoslovakia.” Europe-Asia
Studies 51(4):647-665.

**Leff, Carol Skalnik. 1999. “Democratization and Disintegration in Multinational States: The
Breakup of the Communist Federations.” World Politics 51(2):205-235.

**Nedelsky, Nadya. 2003. “Civic nationhood and the challenges of minority inclusion. The case
of the post-communist Czech Republic.” Ethnicities 3(1):85-114.

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October 15 (F)
Barany, Zoltan. 2000a. “The Socio-economic Impact of Regime Change in Eastern Europe:
Gypsy Marginality in the 1990s.” East European Politics and Societies 14(2):64-113.

** Barany, Zoltan. 2000b. “Politics and the Roma in state-socialist Eastern Europe.” Communist
and Post-Communist Studies 33:421-437.

III. Nationalism and Ethnicity in Western Europe

October 18 (M)
Midterm essays are due, no reading.
??? Documentary film: Borders of Europe

October 20 (W)
De Blas Guerrero, Andrés. 2002. “Nationalisms in Spain: The Organization of Convivencia.”
Pp. 317-330 in The Idea of Europe: From Antiquity to the European Union, edited by Anthony
Pagden. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

**Díez Medrano, Juan, and Paula Gutiérrez. 2001. “Nested identities: national and European
identity in Spain.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 24(5):753-78.

October 22 (F)
O’Brian, Oonagh. 1996 [1994]. “Ethnic Identity, Gender, and Life Cycle in North Catalonia.”
Pp. 191-208 in The Anthropology of Europe, edited by Victoria A. Goddard, Josep R. Llobera
and Cris Shore. Oxford: Berg.

October 25 (M)
Silverstein, Paul. 1997. “French Alterity: Articulating Intra-National Difference in the New
Europe.” Replika. (Special Issue: Ambiguous Identities in the New Europe.) 13-36.

**Osler, Audrey, and Hugh Starkey. 2001. “Citizenship Education and National Identities in
France and England: inclusive or exclusive?” Oxford Review of Education 27(2):287-305.

October 27 (W)
Samad, Yunas. 1997. “The Plural Guises of Multiculturalism: Conceptualising a Fragmented
Paradigm.” Pp. 240-260 in The Politics of Multiculturalism in the New Europe: Racism, Identity,
and Community, edited by T. Modood and P. Werbner. London: Zed Books.

**Koopmans, Ruud, and Paul Statham. 1999. “Challenging the Liberal Nation-State?
Postnationalism, Multiculturalism, and the Collective Claims Making of Migrants of Ethnic
Minorities in Britain and Germany (1).” American Journal of Sociology 105:652-96.

**Ruane, Joseph. 1996 [1994]. “Nationalism and European Community Integration: The
Republic of Ireland.” Pp. 125-142 in The Anthropology of Europe, edited by Victoria A.
Goddard, Josep R. Llobera and Cris Shore. Oxford: Berg.

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October 29 (F)
Kurthen, Hermann. 1995. “Germany at the Crossroads: National Identity and the Challenges of
Immigration.” International Migration Review 29(4): 914-938.

**Adler, Martina. 1996. “Xenophobia and ethnoviolence in contemporary Germany.” Critical

Sociology 22(1):29-52.

**Risse, Thomas and Daniela Engelmann-Martin. 2002. “Identity Politics and European
Integration: The Case of Germany.” Pp. 287-316 in The Idea of Europe: From Antiquity to the
European Union, edited by Anthony Pagden. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

November 1 (M)
Staab, Andreas. 1998. “Xenophobia, ethnicity and national identity in eastern Germany.” German
Politics 7(2):31-46.

**Wolff, Stefan. 1997. “Identities in Transition: East Germany from the 1980s to the Present.”
Replika. (Special Issue: Ambiguous Identities in the New Europe.) 79-92.

November 3 (W)
Bjørgo, Tore. 1997. “‘The Invaders’, ‘the Traitors’ and ‘the Resistance Movement’: The Extreme
Right’s Conceptualisation of Opponents and Self in Scandinavia.” Pp. 54-72 in The Politics
of Multiculturalism in the New Europe: Racism, Identity, and Community, edited by T. Modood and
P. Werbner. London: Zed Books.

November 5 (F)
Triandafyllidou, Anna. 1999. “Nation and Immigration: A Study of the Italian Press Discourse.”
Social Identities 5(1):65-88.

November 8 (M)
Triandafyllidou, Anna, and Mariangela Veikou. 2002. “The hierarchy of Greekness. Ethnic and
national identity considerations in Greek immigration policy.” Ethnicities 2(2):189-208.

**Lazaridis, Gabriella, and Eugenia Wickens. 1999. “’Us’ and the ‘Others’.” Ethnic Minorities in
Greece. Annals of Tourism Research 26(3):632-655.

November 10 (W)
Asad, Talal. 2000. “Muslims and European Identity: Can Europe Represent Islam?” Pp. 209-228
in The Idea of Europe: From Antiquity to the European Union, edited by Anthony Pagden.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

**Mandel, Ruth. 1996 [1994]. “’Fortress Europe’ and the Foreigners Within: Germany’s Turks.”
Pp. 113-124 in The Anthropology of Europe, edited by Victoria A. Goddard, Josep R. Llobera
and Cris Shore. Oxford: Berg.

November 12 (F)

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 Hollifield, James F. 1997. “Immigration and Integration in Western Europe: A Comparative
Analysis.” Pp. 28-69 in Immigration into Western Societies: Problems and Policies, edited by Emek
M. Uçarer and Donald James Puchala. London and Washington: Pinter.
**Feldblum, Miriam. “Reconfiguring Citizenship in Western Europe.” Pp. 231-270 in Challenge to
the Nation-State. Immigration in Western Europe and the United States, edited by Christian
Joppke. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press.

IV. Regions of Europe or Europe of Regions? Local Identities and Post-national Citizenship

November 15 (M)
Huber, Konrad J. 1993. “Preventing Ethnic Conflict in the New Europe: The CSCE
Commissioner on National Minorities.” Pp. 286-309 in Minorities: New Europe’s Old Issue,
edited by Ian M. Cuthbertson and Jane Leibowitz. Prague, Budapest and New York:
EastWest Studies.

**Tesser, Lynn M. 2003. “The Geopolitics of Tolerance: Minority Rights under EU Expansion
in East-Central Europe.” East European Politics and Societies 17(3):483-532.

November 17 (W)
Webber, J. 1994. “Modern Jewish Identities.” Pp. 74-85 in Jewish Identities in the New Europe,
edited by J. Webber. Oxford: Littman Library.

**Erős, Ferenc, and Bea Ehmann. 1997. “Jewish Identity in Hungary: A Narrative Model
Suggested.” Replika (Special Issue: Ambiguous Identities in Europe):121-134.

November 19 (F)
Moravcsik Andrew, and Milada Anna Vachudova. 2003. “National Interests, State Power, and
EU Enlargement.” East European Politics and Societies 17(1):42-57.

**Šabič, Z., and M. Brglez. 2002. “The national identity of post-communist small states in the
process of accession to the European Union: the case of Slovenia.” Communist and Post-
Communist Studies 35:67-84.

November 22 (M)
Samers, Michael. 1998. “Immigration, ‘Ethnic Minorities’, and ‘Social Exclusion’ in the
European Union: a Critical Perspective.” Geoforum 29(2):123-144.

November 24 (W)
Meinhof, Ulrike H. 2003. “Migrating borders: an introduction to the European identity
construction in process.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 29(5):791-796.

**Armbruster, Heidi, Craig Rollo, and Ulrike H. Meinhof. 2003. “Imagining Europe: everyday
narratives in European border communities.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
29(5):885-899.

November 26 (F)

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 Thanksgiving Recess, no class

November 29 (M)
Delanty, Gerard. 1995. “The Crisis of European Identity.” Pp. 100-114 in Inventing Europe: Idea,
Identity, Reality (ch. 7), by Gerard Delanty. New York: St. Martin’s Press.

Delanty, Gerard. 1995. “Conclusion: Towards Post-National Citizenship” Pp. 156-164 in

Inventing Europe: Idea, Identity, Reality (ch. 10), by Gerard Delanty. New York: St. Martin’s
Press.
December 1 (W)
Habermas, Jürgen. 1995. “Citizenship and National Identity: Some Reflections on the Future of
Europe.” Pp. 255-82 in Theorizing Citizenship, edited by Ronald Beiner. New York: State
University of New York Press.

**Favell, Adrian, and Randall Hansen. 2002. “Markets against politics: migration, EU
enlargement and the idea of Europe.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 28(4):581-601.

December 3 (F) – Last day of class

Bhabha, Jacqueline. 1999. “Belonging in Europe: citizenship and post-national rights.”
International Social Science Journal 159:11-23.

December X
Final exam

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