Politics of Difference(2)
Term:
Fall 2010
Subject Code:
GPOL
Course Number:
5133
Quite unexpectedly, at the dawn of the 21st century, issues of "difference"
have emerged in the central political arena of many states, both
long-established and post-colonial, with democratic as well as authoritarian
regimes, occasionally leading to major conflicts. Many of these reflect
challenges to unequal institutional arrangements concerning language,
religion, gender, or ancestry of established populations arrived at in earlier
periods; but some reflect a broadening of differences occasioned by recent
immigration. The course considers these matters in a comparative perspective,
drawing examples from North America, the European Union, and
sub-Saharan Africa, with emphasis on "differences among differences" - i.e.,
normatively fair solutions to differences of gender, language, religion, and
ancestry entail significantly different institutional arrangements. It also
takes into consideration "global interactivity," i.e. that the internal political
dynamics of a given country are often significantly affected by developments
elsewhere. Cross-listed as GPOL 6304 and LHIS 4507.
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