COMPLIT 184B: Nationalism, Cultural and Political (COMPLIT 384, ILAC 184, ILAC 384)

Course Description

Is there a non-political nationalism? Does the term "post-nationalism" designate a political reality? Or does "transnational" add meaningfully to the more traditional term "international" in reference to dynamics occurring between or among nations? The seminar will analyze the emergence of the concept "nationalism" with Herder's political writings, the opposition between cultural nation and political state, the connection between democracy and the rise of the nation state and the reaction against nationalism in the wake of authoritarian movements in the 20th century and the challenge to popular sovereignty connected with the problematization of the nation. Texts by Rousseau, Herder, Fichte, Weber, Berlin, Huizinga, Miguel de Unamuno, Prat de la Riba, Eugeni d'Ors, Ortega y Gasset, among others. Taught in English.