This advanced seminar course critically examines theories and practices of racism, racialization, ethnicity, and nationalism.  We will evaluate both anthropological and wider social theoretical literatures to investigate their contributions and limitations to understanding these historically and conceptually interlinked problematics across different times and spaces.

Learning outcomes (UG): 

Upon completion of the module students will be able to identify and critically evaluate a range of major social theoretical approaches to, and everyday cultural understandings of, racism, racialization, ethnicity, and nationalism. Students will gain knowledge of the history of major theoretical perspectives on these topics both within and beyond the discipline of anthropology and be able to identify and critically assess the contributions and limitations of a range of leading approaches. Students will be able to critically explore anthropological analyses of the discourses, practices and institutions mediating racism and racialization across different cultural and historical times and spaces. Students will have developed their skills in approaching academic texts in a critically engaged way, in formulating analytic questions, in constructing convincing argumentation, in writing academic critique, and in taking great control over their own learning. They will also develop their critical understanding of the perspectival grounding of knowledge.

Intended learning outcomes of the module (PG)

Upon completion of the module students will be able to identify and critically evaluate the major social theoretical approaches to racism, racialization, ethnicity, and nationalism. Students will gain knowledge of the history of major theoretical perspectives on these topics both within and beyond the discipline of anthropology and a critical awareness of the contributions and limitations of current research and advanced scholarship within anthropology. Students will have developed their skills in demonstrating originality in their assessment and application of the major contributions to the anthropology of racism, racialization, ethnicity, and nationalism, including the critical assessment of the methodologies employed by the leading approaches.

Teaching Delivery

This module is structured upon a weekly three-hour discussion-based seminar lead by the course instructor.

Additional information:

Module Aims

This module will enable you to develop your analytical thinking, critical reading, writing and listening skills; as well as their skills in discussing academic texts and concepts including formulating critically informed questions. The course will introduce you to various social theoretical approaches to racism, racialization, ethnicity, and nationalism as developed within anthropology (including semiotic, performative and deconstructive approaches). The course will allow you to critically compare both the contributions and the limitations of various social theoretical positions to our understanding of racism, racialization, ethnicity, and nationalism, as well as situate and contrast different conceptions of these categories across various historical times and spaces. The course will thus allow you to unpack the cultural presuppositions embedded in both popular and academic discourses on racism, racialization, ethnicity, and nationalism throughout contemporary socio-political contexts.