Course title: European multinational states since 1945

Lecturer: Michal Janíčko

Course type: Lecture / seminar (1/1 lesson weekly)

Content of the course

Ethnic relations in multinational states (those with significantly multiethnic population and some degree of territorial autonomy of ethnic groups) have had important implications not only for political landscape of Europe but also for everyday life of people. In some places, disagreements inside these states have led to changes of borders, involuntary migrations, long-term resistance movements and terrorism and even full-scale armed conflicts. In those multinational states that have survived, the issue of organisation of the state keeps holding top positions in the public discourse up to these days, despite relatively recent optimism related to the potential of EU integration to significantly alleviate nationalism and especially separatism. It is therefore possible to say that nationalism in Europe has been able to flourish under socialism and capitalism, authoritarian and democratic regimes, better and worse economic conditions. It turns out to be a highly persistent phenomenon that is not disappearing, despite simultaneous efforts to integrate various ethnic groups into larger political entities. To have a better understanding of the current situation in the European multinational states and in the regions where they existed up to recently, it is necessary to keep in mind the course of events of, at least, the past decades.

On this background, the course will focus on evolution of constitutional and territorial organisation, on self-identification of ethnic groups and their mutual relations, as well as on discoursive and ideological aspects of nationalism, separatism and hegemonism. The course will also address possible reasons for specific developments, including historical, economic and cultural factors. These will be used to identify similarities and differences across the countries. Questions will be raised on why the Eastern European multiethnic federations of USSR, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia have broken up while the Western multinational states have not and what integrative forces have been holding the latter ones together. Relevant theories of nationalism and hypotheses on dynamics of multinational states as appearing in literature will be involved.

The course will combine lectures, presentations by students, group discussions informed by knowledge of the recommended literature and work in teams.

Students of history, political science, sociology and related fields are welcome.

Aims of the course

· To strengthen understanding of ethnic relations, national and ethnic identification and separatism in European multinational states after 1945,

· To involve comparative approach, including searching for patterns common for different places and times,

· To understand relevant theories and critically assess them in light of the historical events,

· To encourage independent critical thinking of the students through their own reflections of the topics and of the literature,

· To let students present and discuss issues on which they previously gain knowledge.

Requirements to pass the course

· Write an essay on a topic fitting into the scope of the course, previously approved by the lecturer and discussed in a class, in the length of ca 5-7 pages. The essay has to cite at least 5 academic sources (journal articles or book chapters).

· Pass a final test based on the lectures and on the recommended literature.

· Make a presentation of an academic paper out of the reading list.

· Read the below listed literature, participate actively in the classes, with absence not exceeding two of them.

All of these requirements must be met in order to pass.

The essay and the test will be graded. The essay will account for 60% and the test for 40% of the total grade.

For access to texts students need to sign in to this course on Moodle: https://dl1.cuni.cz/course/view.php?id=7077

Schedule of the classes with reading lists (The literature is accessible from online databases open to students or will be provided)

Week 1 (Feb 19): Organisation of the course. Definitions and typology of multinational state with application on Europe since 1945

Week 2 (Feb 26): Theories of ethnicity and nationalism. The role of economy, culture, ideology and the media.

Gellner, Ernst. Social entropy and equality in industrial society. In: Nations and nationalism. Oxford, 1983, pp. 63-87.

Jenkins, Richard. Rethinking Ethnicity: Arguments and Explorations. London, 1997. Pp. 142-147; 165-170.

Nagel, Joane. Ethnic Nationalism: Politics, Ideology, and the World Order. International Journal of Comparative Sociology 1993, Vol. 34 Issue 1/2, pp 103-112.

Alesina, A. et al.: Economic Integration and Political Disintegration. NBER Working paper No. 6163 (1997), pp. 1-2, 18-27. Available online: https://www.nber.org/papers/w6163

Week 3 (Mar 5): Yugoslavia: From brotherhood and unity to a full-scale armed conflict

Ercegovac, P. A.. 1999. State Centralism, Peripheral Nationalism - From Serbian Memorandum to Croatian Independence. Available online: http://www.nationalismproject.org/articles/Pero/ch12.html

Jović, Dejan. The Disintegration of Yugoslavia. A Critical Review of Explanatory Approaches. European Journal of Social Theory 4, 1 (2001) pp. 101–120.

Week 4 (Mar 12): Bosnia and Herzegovina:The troubled orphan of Yugoslavia

Jeftić, A. Bosnian identity between nationalism, (in)tolerance and (a)theism. Facta Universitatis, 16, 1, (2017), pp. 37-49.

Oddie, M. The relationship of religion and ethnic nationalism in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Religion in Eastern Europe, 32, 1 (2012) pp. 34-43.

Week 5 (Mar 19): Czechoslovakia: The gradual emancipation of the „younger brother“

Bakke, E. The principle of national self-determination in Czechoslovak constitutions 1920–1992. Available online at: https://folk.uio.no/stveb1/Czechoslovak_constitutions.pdf

Osterland, H. A. National Self-Determination and Secession: The Slovak Model. Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law 25, 3 (2002), pp. 676-702.

Week 6 (Mar 26): USSR: Highly asymmetric equality

Beissinger, M. Nationalism and the collapse of the Soviet communism. Contemporary European History, 18, 3 (2009), pp. 331–347.

Roesler, J. Nationalism and Economic Disparities Lessons from the Dissolution of Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia and the Secession of the Baltic States, Debatte: Journal of Contemporary Central and Eastern Europe 18, 3 (2010), pp.341-354.

Week 7 (Apr 2): UK: Growing separatism in Scotland, violence and peace in Northern Ireland

Kearton, A. Imagining the 'Mongrel Nation': Political uses of history in the recent Scottish nationalist movement. National Identities, 7, 1, (2005), pp. 23-50.

Swenson, A. Historic preservation, the state and nationalism in Britain. Nations & Nationalism. 24, 1 (2018), pp. 43-63.

Week 8 (Apr 9): Belgium: Decades of decentralising reforms

Gérard, M. Economic aspects of constitutional