8/18 Brandeis University Department of Politics Fall 2018 Politics 127b Seminar: Managing Ethnic Conflict Mr. Burg

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1 8/18 Brandeis University Department of Politics Fall 2018 Politics 127b Seminar: Managing Ethnic Conflict Mr. Burg Contact information for Prof. Burg: Office: Olin-Sang 122, Phone: x (best): burg@brandeis.edu Fall Office Hours: M/W 11-1:30, Th 11-3; other times by appointment Course Description This is a research and writing (intensive) seminar, focused on the sources, nature, and politics of ethnic conflict, beginning with an exploration of alternative analytical perspectives on these issues. The course examines the means by which political leaders manage (and mismanage) such conflicts, based on comparative study of cases of ethnic conflict, focusing on the experience of democratic states. It is designed for Junior and Senior Politics majors, and others with prior advanced study in comparative politics, history, or political sociology. It is a discussion- and writing-based course with a demanding reading load. Course Requirements 1. Students must complete the assigned readings in advance of each class and prepare a short (one paragraph definitely not more than one page) critical/analytical response to the reading. These are to be turned in at the end of each class. Each session will begin with a student being asked to initiate discussion of the assigned readings. (Multiple readings mean multiple students will be asked to do this.) The critical/analytical responses are intended to provide students with a basis for contributing to class discussion. Well-informed classroom discussion is required of each student (although not necessarily in every class session). It is highly recommended that students annotate personal copies of, or make notes from the readings. The readings may include contending, competing and opposing perspectives and interpretations. One goal of seminar discussions will be to try to sort these out. Responses should focus on the nature and/or quality of the argument presented in the reading, including the evidence presented to support the argument. Students are encouraged to reflect on each reading in the context of prior readings and discussions, and especially on the relative merits of varying arguments. One student will be called upon to initiate discussion of each of the assigned readings. 2. Students must prepare three short essays (not more than three pages each), to be based on the assigned readings (this means you must use, as appropriate, the readings assigned for the course up to that point including appropriate citation thereof in constructing your essay). Essay topics are as follows: (a) What is ethnic conflict? How does it differ from other politically salient conflicts? Are these differences significant? Due September17.

2 2 (b) Does devolution encourage or moderate ethnic conflict? Due October 17. (c) Why do some ethnic conflicts turn violent? Due November A research paper of not more than 12 pages, including citations and bibliography. Students are required to identify, in consultation with Professor Burg, a narrowly defined, empirical question about a particular ethnic conflict, to be answered by means of a case study of the conflict in question, or a theoretical question to be answered empirically on the basis of evidence from two or more cases. A one paragraph statement of the topic must submitted electronically before class on September 26. (NOTE: this is the only written assignment that will be accepted electronically.) Final papers are due in class on December 10 (last class session). Students are strongly encouraged to meet with Prof. Burg to discuss potential topics, bibliography, the rough outline of the paper/argument, etc. as the semester progresses. 4. Twenty-minute in-class presentation of student research (15-minute presentation, 5 minutes of Q&A). Class presnetations will begin November 19 (I have reserved six class sessions at the end of the semester for presentations). Dates of individual presentations to be determined by in-class lottery on November 12. NOTE: Attendance and attention to the presentations of peers is required, and a sign of mutual respect. Students are free to trade presentation dates after the lottery, but must inform Prof. Burg of any such exchanges. All written assignments must be typewritten, double-spaced in 12-point font (this syllabus is in 12-point), with one-inch margins. Pages must be numbered. Your name, the date, and the title of the assignment must appear at the top of the first page (left, or right). Assignments must be submitted in class, in hard copy. No electronic submissions will be accepted. The writing assignments are intended to encourage students to approach reading materials critically, to foster improved research and writing skills, and to serve as a basis for contributing to class discussions. Students are expected to devote careful attention to the technical quality of their written work as well as its substance. The ability to edit one s own work is a critical skill. Technical quality will be a significant determinant of the grade for each assignment. Because this is a writing intensive (WI) course, students may revise and re-submit any of the three short assignments (final grade will be average of initial and revised grade). In some cases, an assignment may be returned with the requirement that it be revised and resubmitted ( R&R grade) for a letter grade. Students unsure of the quality of their writing are advised to bring a draft to the Writing Center for consultation in advance of submitting it. Expected workload for this course: In addition to three hours of class time per week, success in this class is estimated to require students to spend, on average over the course of the semester, a minimum of 9-10 hours of study time per week in preparation for class (readings, reading responses) and and completion of written assignments (short essays and research papers). Research and writing the research paper is very likely to require additional hours of work.

3 3 Learning Goals: This course addresses the learning goals established by the Department of Politics (see departmental website for full statement). Specifically, it is designed to encourage and enable students (a) to think critically about arguments, based on the evaluation of evidence [reading responses and classroom discussions] (b) to articulate reasoned arguments clearly, both orally and in written form [classroom discussions, written assignments, oral presentation] (c) to become familiar with a variety of research methods [ case study readings, historical/analytical narrative readings, and readings based on quantitative statistical analysis] (d) to use the concepts and methods of political science in research and analysis [term paper] Academic Honesty [The following is a statement of university policy:] Students are expected to be honest in all academic work. All written work for this course must include appropriate citation of the sources used. See section 56c ("Avoid Plagiarism") of the Concise English Handbook for guidance. The university policy on academic honesty is distributed annually as part of the Rights and Responsibilities handbook. Instances of suspected dishonesty will, without exception, be forwarded to the Office of Student Affairs for possible referral to the Student Judicial System. Potential sanctions include failure in the course and suspension from the university. If you have any questions about this, please ask. Use of cell phones in class is prohibited. If you use your phone in class (e.g., texting), you will be asked to leave. If you wish to leave your phone on, in silent mode, because of an ongoing emergency situation to which you may need to respond, please speak to me at the start of class to let me know. If you need to respond, please leave the class to do so. If your phone goes off because you forgot to turn it off (we all do it), just apologize and turn it off (and try not to let it happen again!). Use of laptops during class is restricted to class-related activity This includes, but is not restricted to, note-taking, accessing your annotated version of the assigned reading, source-checking, looking up facts quickly to add to classroom discussion, accessing the latte site in connection with class discussion, etc. Using your laptop for non-class related activities (e.g., surfing the web, using Facebook, checking ) is disrespectful to others, denies us the potentially important contribution you otherwise might make to the discussion were you paying attention, and is potentially distracting to those around you. Please do not disrespect others. You will be asked to leave class for inappropriate use of a laptop.

4 4 Course Attendance All students are required to attend every class, except in case of illness (especially flulike symptoms!) or a dispensation granted in advance by Prof. Burg. Varsity athletes, debaters, performers, and others with conflicting extra-curricular obligations must seek dispensation from Prof. Burg in advance, and are responsible for making up the work missed (including responses to assigned readings).this includes all student presentation sessions. There is NO flexibility regarding due dates of written assignments. If you miss two class sessions (one week worth of class time) without prior dispensation, you can expect your term grade to be lowered by the equivalent of a + or - ( i.e., a B will become a B- ). Four unexcused absences (two weeks worth) will produce a reduction of a full letter grade. Accommodation of Disabilities If you are a student who needs academic accommodations because of a documented disability, please contact me and present your letter of accommodation as soon as possible. If you have questions about documenting a disability or requesting academic accommodations, you should contact Academic Services. Letters of accommodation should be presented at the start of the semester to ensure provision of accommodations. Letters must be presented in advance of any exam or test. Accommodations cannot be granted retroactively. < Evaluation Students enjoy complete academic freedom in the classroom, within the limits defined by the standards of mutual respect and responsible discourse (we will discuss these concepts briefly at the outset of the course). Evaluation will be based on the critical response paragraphs (~10 percent), three assigned essays (~10 percent each), seminar participation (~20 percent), the research study (~30 percent), and the presentation (~10 percent). ( ~ means grading will take into account improving performance learning over time.) The presentation will be evaluated in terms of the quality/substance and organization of the presentation. Style should be serious and professional. The exercise is intended to give students experience presenting in front of peers, fielding questions (aka being interrogated ), and leading discussion. Nervousness will not affect the evaluation; lack of preparation will. All written work for this writing intensive course will be evaluated in terms of the technical and stylistic quality of the writing as well as the intellectual substance; i.e., spelling, syntax, word usage, etc. all count.

5 5 NOTE: ALL readings are available electronically on the LATTE site for this course. Schedule of Classes, Readings, and Discussion Topics Wednesday August 29 Introduction to the course and course requirements Requirements, expectations, goals of the course You are what you write. Guidelines for discussion of sensitive issues, criticism, and mutual respect. What is ethnic conflict? What we know, or think we know! Handouts Monday September 3 NO CLASS Labor Day Wednesday September 5 Alternative explanations for ethnic conflict: primordialism vs. instrumentalism ( rationality ) Clifford Geertz, "The Integrative Revolution: Primordial Sentiments and Civil Politics in the New States," in Geertz, The Interpretation of Cultures (NY: Basic Books, 1973), pp and only. Robert Bates "Modernization, Ethnic Competition, and the Rationality of Politics in Contemporary Africa" in D. Rothchild and V. Olorunsola, eds. Ethnicity, State Coherence, and Public Policy: African Dilemmas (Boulder: Westview, 1983), pp Ashutosh Varshney, Nationalism, Ethnic Conflict, and Rationality, Perspectives on Politics 1, 1 (March 2003), pp Thursday September 6 BRANDEIS MONDAY Mobilization and ethnic conflict Ted Robert Gurr, Etiology of Ethnopolitical Conflict, Chapter 3 in Peoples Versus States (Washington, DC: USIP, 2000), pp Lars-Erik Cederman, AndreasWimmer and Brian Min, Why Do Ethnic Groups Rebel? New Data and Analysis World Politics 62, 1 (January 2010), pp Ulrike G. Theuerkauf, Institutional Design and Ethnic Violence: Do Grievances Help to Explain Ethnopolitical Instability? Civil Wars 12, 1 2 (March June 2010), pp Monday September 10 NO CLASS Rosh Hashanah Wednesday September 12 Conflict, or violence? James D. Fearon and David D. Laitin Violence and the Social Construction of Ethnic Identity International Organization 54, 4 (Autumn 2000), pp James D. Fearon and David D. Laitin, Ethnicity, Insurgency, and Civil War, American Political Science Review 97, 1 (Spring 2003): 75 90;

6 6 Edward N. Muller and Mitchell A. Seligson, Inequality and Insurgency, American Political Science Review 81, 2 (June 1987): pp Barry Posen, The Security Dilemma and Ethnic Conflict, Survival 35, 1 (1993): pp Monday September 17 ASSIGNED ESSAY (a) DUE TODAY Nationalism in Quebec Rudy Fenwick, Social Change and Ethnic Nationalism: An Historical Analysis of the Separatist Movement in Quebec, Comparative Studies in Society and History 23, 2 (April 1981), pp Harold D. Clarke, et.al, A Polity on the Edge: Canada and the Politics of Fragmentation (Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview Press, 2000), pp , , Wednesday September 19 NO CLASS Yom Kippur Monday September 24 NO CLASS Sukkot Tuesday September 25 BRANDEIS MONDAY Sources of Support for Quebec Independence Sarah Belanger and Maurice Pinard, Ethnic Movements and the Competition Model: Some Missing Links American Sociological Review 56 (August, 1991), pp Matthew Mendelsohn, Rational Choice and Socio-Psychological Explanation for Opinion on Quebec Sovereignty Canadian Journal of Political Science / Revue canadienne de science politique 36, 3 (July - Aug., 2003), pp Daniel M. Shapiro and Morton Stelcner, Language and Earnings in Quebec: Trends over Twenty Years, Canadian Public Policy / Analyse de Politiques, 23, 2 (June 1997), pp Wednesday September 26 TOPIC OF RESEARCH PAPER DUE TODAY Quebec: why no secession? Stephane Dion, Why is secession difficult in well-established democracies? Lessons from Quebec, British Journal of Political Science 26, 2 (April 1996), pp Peter Leslie, Canada: The Supreme Court Sets Rules for the Secession of Quebec, Publius 29, 2 (Spring, 1999), pp Nadine Changfoot and Blair Cullen, Why is Quebec separatism off the agenda? Reducing national unity crisis in the neoliberal era, Canadian Journal of Political Science / Revue canadienne de science politique 44, 4 (2011), pp Handouts: data on recent public opinion in Quebec Monday October 1 NO CLASS Shmini Atzeret

7 7 Wednesday October 3 Flemings, Walloons and Belgium Lieven de Winter and Pierre Baudewyns, Belgium: Towards the Breakdown of a Nation-State in the Heart of Europe? Nationalism and Ethnic Politics, 15 (2009), pp Wilfried Swenden, Conclusion: The Future of Belgian Federalism Between Reform and Swansong?, Regional & Federal Studies, 23, 3 (2013), pp Monday October 8 Scottish Independence Movement Charles Pattie, et.al, Partisanship, national identity and constitutional preferences: an exploration of voting in the Scottish devolution referendum of 1997, Electoral Studies 18 (1999), pp Ben Jackson, The Political Thought of Scottish Nationalism, The Political Quarterly 85, 1 (Jan-Mar 2014), pp ScotCen Social Research, Has the Referendum Campaign Made a Difference? Handouts: tables from BSA 31 on referendum Wednesday October 10 Spain: Basques, Catalans and Spanish Identity Diego Muro and Alejandro Quiroga, Building the Spanish Nation: The Centre- Periphery Dialectic, Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism 4, 2 (2004), pp Xosé-Manoel Núñez, What is Spanish nationalism today? From legitimacy crisis to unfulfilled renovation ( ), Ethnic and Racial Studies 24, 5 (September 2001), pp Alfred P. Montero, The Politics of Decentralization in a Centralized Party System: The Case of Democratic Spain, Comparative Politics 38, 1 (October 2005), pp Monday October 15 Basque v. Catalan nationalism/secessionism Diego Muro, ETA during democracy, (pp ) and Oscar Jaime-Jimenez, Democratic politics and the strength of the rule of law, (pp ) in Rafael Leonisio, Fernando Molina and Diego Muro, Editors. ETA s Terrorist Campaign: From violene to politics, (Routledge, 2017). Steven L. Burg, Identity, Grievances, and Popular Mobilization for Independence in Catalonia, Nationalism and Ethnic Politics 21, 3 (2015), pp Handout: Multinomial regression tables Wednesday October17 ASSIGNED ESSAY (b) DUE TODAY Ethnic conflict in India Paul R. Brass, The Punjab Crisis and the Unity of India in Atul Kohli (ed.), India s Democracy: An Analysis of Changing State-Society Relations (Princeton, 1988), pp

8 8 Eric Kolodner, The Political Economy of the Rise and Fall (?) of Hindu Nationalism, Journal of Contemporary Asia 25, 2 (1995), pp Bethany Lacina, The Problem of Political Stability in Northeast India: Local Ethnic Autocracy and the Rule of Law Asian Survey 49, 6 (Nov. 2009), pp Monday October 22 Managing Conflict in India Amit Ahuja and Ashutosh Varshney, Antecedent Nationhood, Subsequent Statehood: Explaining the Relative Success of Indian Federalism, in Philip G. Roeder and Donald Rothchild, editors. Sustainable Peace: Power and Democracy after Civil Wars (Cornell, 2005), pp Atul Kohli, Can Democracies Accommodate Ethnic Nationalism? Rise and Decline of Self-Determination Movements in India, Journal of Asian Studies 56, 2 (May 1997): Wednesday October 24 Sri Lanka: Protracted, Violent Conflict Jonathan Spencer, A Nationalism without Politics? The illiberal consequences of liberal institutions in Sri Lanka, Third World Quarterly 29, 3 (2008), pp Neil DeVotta, From ethnic outbidding to ethnic conflict: the institutional bases for Sri Lanka s separatist war, Nations and Nationalism 11, 1 (2005), pp Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah, Socio-economic inequality and ethno-political conflict: some observations from Sri Lanka, Contemporary South Asia 14, 3 (September 2005), pp Monday October 29 When negotiations fail: militarized solutions to conflict Neil DeVotta, The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Lost Quest for Separatism in Sri Lanka Asian Survey 49, 6 (Nov 2009), pp Jason G. Stone, Sri Lanka s Postwar Descent Journal of Democracy 25, 2 (April 2014), pp Wednesday October 31 Northern Ireland: Conflict and Settlement T.G. Fraser, Ireland in conflict, London: Routledge, [pdf on latte, but also available as a library ebook.] John Coakley, Ethnic Conflict and its Resolution: The Northern Ireland Model Nationalism and Ethnic Politics 9, 3 (Autumn 2003), pp Donald Horowitz, Explaining the Northern Ireland Agreement: The Sources of an Unlikely Constitutional Consensus, British Journal of Political Science, 32, 2 (April 2002): Dochartaigh, The Longest Negotiation: British Policy, IRA Strategy and the Making of the Northern Ireland Peace Settlement, Political Studies 65 (2015), pp Text of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement online at

9 9 Monday November 5 Northern Ireland: A successful settlement? Denis Haughey, The Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, in Implementing Negotiated Settlements, edited by Miek Boltjes (The Hague: Asser Press, 2007), pp only. Paul Dixon, In Defence of Politics: Interpreting the Peace Process and the Future of Northern Ireland Political Quarterly 83, 2 (April-June 2012), pp Frampton, Dissident Irish Republican Violence? A Resurgent Threat? Political Quarterly 83, 2 (April-June 2012), pp Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Paramilitary Groups in Northern Ireland (19 October 2015) Derek Birrell and Deirdre Heenan, The Continuing Volatility Of Devolution In Northern Ireland: The Shadow Of Direct Rule Political Quarterly 88, 3 (July September 2017), pp Wednesday November 7 ASSIGNED ESSAY (c) DUE TODAY Possible solutions: Power sharing Ulrich Schneckener, Making Power-Sharing Work: Lessons from Successes and Failures in Ethnic Conflict Regulation, in Journal of Peace Research 39, 2 (2002), pp Stephan Rosiny, A Qusrter Century of Transitory Power-Sharing. Lebanon s Unfulfilled Ta if Agreement of 1989 Revisited, Civil Wars 17, 4 (2015), pp Monday November 12 LOTTERY FOR DATES OF INDIVIDUAL PRESENTATIONS OF RESEARCH Possible solutions: Devolution Dawn Brancati, Decentralization: Fueling the Fire or Dampening the Flames of Ethnic Conflict and Secessionism? International Organization 60 (Summer 2006), pp Hudson Meadwell, The Political Dynamics of Secession and Institutional Accommodation, Regional & Federal Studies 19,2 (2009), pp Wednesday November 14 Possible solutions: Partition Chaim Kaufmann, Possible and Impossible Solutions to Ethnic Civil Wars, in International Security 20 4 (Spring 1996), pp Nicholas Sambanis, Partition as a Solution to Ethnic War, World Politics 52, 4 (2000): [NOTE: Read for substantive argument, skip statistical sections.] Monday November 19 Student presentations Wednesday November 21 NO CLASS Thanksgiving Break

10 10 Monday November 26 Student presentations Wednesday November 28 Student presentations Monday December 3 Student presentations Wednesday December 5 Student presentations Monday December 10 LAST CLASS FINAL PAPER DUE IN CLASS TODAY Wrap-up session: Lessons for Managing Ethnic Conflict