The Collapse of the Nation-State System: An Intellectual Preparation

Catalog description

The century-long dominance of the nation-state idea is ending. Radical Islamic internationalism, at war with twentieth-century state divisions, has created post-national forms of personal identity which bewilder the old archetypes. Russia and China are reverting to a nineteenth-century model of regional empires. Even the most stable nations are contorted by global currents which increasingly undermine the national sense in favour of new forms of localism, regionalism and internationalism. Looking at theory and contemporary culture we will consider the long dominance of the nation-state idea, and study the emerging territorial concepts with which a world "after nations" might organise itself. This course begins half-way through the semester. The first screening will start, before the lecture begins, on Sunday, March 5, 2017. The first lecture will begin on Thursday, March 9, 2017 and the last lecture will be Thursday, May 4, 2017. The instructor, Rana Dasgupta, will make contact with all students via email in the first half of the semester to establish the rapport of the group and answer any queries students may have. Contact information: [email protected]