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The course provides an overview of classical concepts and recent literature in the field of peace and conflict studies, with a focus on identities in intrastate conflicts. Ethnicity and religion are often seen as crucial to the outbreak, dynamics, and resolution of intra-state conflicts. In countries such as Nigeria, Iraq, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Philippines, and Ecuador, ethnic and religious identities have played a prominent role in the recent history of conflict. The first part of the course provides an overview of the basic concepts and trends in peace and conflict studies. In the second part, the course focuses on the role of ethnicity and religion for the outbreak, dynamics, and settlement of conflicts. The final part of the course discusses recent research on post-conflict countries, including UN peacekeeping operations and power-sharing institutions. Aside from the discussion of the main theoretical and empirical studies, the group papers will test the theoretical arguments empirically.

Christopher Blattman (2022). Why we fight. The roots of war and the paths to peace. New York: Viking.

Kathleen Cunningham (2014). Inside the politics of self-determination. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

James Fearon & David Laitin (2003). Ethnicity, insurgency, and civil war. American Political Science Review 97-81): 75-90.

Lars-Erik Cederman, Nils Weidmann & Kristian Skrede Gleditsch (2011). Horizontal inequalities and ethnonationalist civil war: A global comparison. American Political Science Review 105(3): 478-495.

Monica Toft (2021). Getting religion right in civil wars. Journal of Conflict Resolution 65(9): 1607-1634.

Due to the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic, it cannot be ruled out that the seminar will have to be held in digital format at times during the winter. However, the goal is a seminar in presence.

The seminar will be interactive and we will use different working methods. This requires a thorough preparation of the English seminar reading, as the seminar design requires the active engagement of all participants. Admission requirement for the oral examination is the active participation in a group work (co-authoring and presentation of a group paper).

The seminar is part of the module 4 "Governance and Conflict Transformation in a Globalized World". The module, consisting of seminar and lecture, will be completed with an oral group examination. Contents of the seminar as well as contents of the lecture will be examined. The group examination will be conducted in groups of 3-4 students.