Authorised by Academic Registrar, April 1996
Synopsis States invariably claim the right to govern their territories and peoples because they act for the nation. The nation in turn is embedded, through a variety of post-enlightenment rationales, in the shared identity of its citizens. However, in practice, many nations had to be `created' to match their political-territorial units, and many states were, and are, torn by the politics of identity. Nation-states are mostly plural and culturally diverse. They are divided along complex lines of identity including those of class, religion, ethnicity and, in not a few cases, nascent sub-nationalisms. This subject will explore the sociology and politics of identity and the ways in which different and overlapping identities are bound up with the exercise of power. It will examine both theoretical issues and comparative case studies.
Assessment One essay (4000 words): 70% + One seminar paper (not less than 2000 words): 30%