Nationalism Course Podcast

Talk at University of Oxford, Department of Sociology, April 22, 2013 Asks why white British people in more diverse wards in England are somewhat less opposed to immigration than those in more homogeneous wards.

Much of the course has focused on separatist or diaspora minorities, or on the states in which they reside. This lecture considers ethnic majorities within states, such as the ethnic white British majority of Britain or whites in the United States. The nationalism of the state differs from that of the ethnic majority. Ethnic majority nationalism is more exclusive of ethnic minorities and the rise of large-scale non-European migration to Europe since the 1950s is a major factor in the rise of far right parties in Western Europe. These have gone from strength to strength since the late 1980s.

This lecture asks whether nationalism and European integration are on a collision course. It covers the origin and design of the main institutions of the European Union. Next, I consider the rising opposition to European integration since the early 1990s, evident in survey data and popular votes on new Treaties, up to the British 'in/out' referendum, scheduled for 2016-17. What explains Euroskepticism, and what is the future of the European unification project?

In diverse societies such as Britain, should the state grant rights to groups, or only to individuals? Should loyalty to the nation trump those of ethnicity or religion? Using the British case, this lecture asks whether there has been a shift from multiculturalism to British civic nationalism; from celebrating difference to emphasizing what Britons have in common.

Is nationalism a secular religion, a replacement for nationalism, as Durkheim surmised? Or is it a meaning system that draws on religious resources for power? Do religious officials endorse or oppose nationalism and ethnicity? This lecture examines this question, probing the links between religion and nationalism, from ancient Israel to modern Islamism.

Is religion in decline? What is its relationship to secularization? One argument is that modernisation differentiates society, leading to the shrinking and relativization of religion. Another view is that a diversity of religious worldviews strengthens religion: religion only declines when suppliers become complacent and monopolistic. Finally, others draw attention to the importance of demography and nationalism in spurring religious revival. I also consider how modernity may be boosting fundamentalist variants of religion.

What is the relationship between local-level conflicts based around local rivalries such as family or warlord, and wider ethnic conflicts? Are ethnic affiliations really just convenient labels for local protagonists to cling to - when their actual agenda has nothing to do with ethnic sentiment? I explore this 'microfoundations' argument for civil war in this lecture.

When do secessionists use violence and when not? How does secessionist violence differ from state-directed genocide? Here we ask under what conditions nationalism turns violent.

This lecture asks why some nations seek to break away from their parent states while others are content with autonomy or even the status quo. What factors best explain secession? We also examine irredentism, where secessionists seek to join another state.

This lecture asks whether some nations are based on exclusive, 'ethnic' membership criteria while others are more 'civic' and inclusive. Is the 'ethnic-civic' schema, which goes back to the early 20th century, a useful typology - or is it too simplistic?

This lecture looks at nations which define themselves on the basis of cultural characteristics. These typically emerged in places where the 'people' did not have their own state institutions and thus had to assemble their nations using cultural materials.

Why are some nations more ethnically diverse than others? How are multi-ethnic nations possible? What is a multi-national state? This lecture focuses on how ethnic groups, nations and states interact to produce multi-ethnic states.

This lecture looks at how states construct nations from the 'top down' through mass ceremony, education, bureaucratization and militarization, with France as the model. We also ask why some nation-building projects fail, and how this informs theories of nationalism.

This lecture explores competing explanations for the emergence and persistence of nations. How do various theories explain the motivations of nationalists?

When, how and why did ethnic groups originate? What is their relationship to nations and states?