AIMS AND CONTENT

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Analysing the concept of nation, students will be able to see how, according to different political and historical contexts, it turns into nationalism and imperialism. By contrast, students will be also able to see how it can turn in some forms of internationalisms, which can ensure a peaceful coexistence amongst peoples and nations. Therefore, students will be acquainted with the importance of elements such as religion, culture and political visions, that can play a key role in shaping the concept of nation and, as a consequence, those of nationalism and imperialism. 

TEACHING METHODS

The course will be taught in Italian, favouring the interaction between students and between students and teacher. 

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course is focused on the developments of the concept of nation. In the first part it analyses how factors like religion, language, ethnos, myth, culture, political visions and so on, can influence the concept of nation, showing how they can concur to turn the concept of nation into nationalisms and imperialisms. Analysing the same factors, students will uncover how the concept of nation can also become a tool, which can favour peaceful coexistence amongst peoples (various forms of internationalisms).  In the second part of the course, students will be acquainted with some historical forms of nationalisms, imperialisms and internationalisms. Eventually, they will be asked to use the notions learnt in the first part to examine in an original way some forms of nationalism, imperialism and internationalism.  

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Recommended readings for the first part (section I)

 F. Tuccari, La nazione, Laterza, Bari, 2000, pp. 3-54 e pp. 99-147.

A.M. Banti, La nazione del Risorgimento, Einaudi, Torino, 2000, pp. 56-108.

T. Kemp, Teorie dell’imperialismo, Einaudi, Torino, 1969.

George L. Mosse, La nazionalizzazione delle masse, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2009. 

G.M. Bravo, Marx e la prima internazionale, Pantarei, Milano, 2014.

G.D.H. Cole, La seconda internazionale, vol. 3.1, Laterza, Bari, 1972.

J.A. Armstrong, Nations Before Nationalism, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, 1982.

J. Breuilly, Nationalism and the State, Manchester University Press, Manchester, 1982.

E. Gellner, Nations and Nationalism, Blackwell, Oxford, 1983.

M. Hroch, Social Preconditions of National Revival in Europe, CUP, Cambridge, 1985.

A. Smith, The Ethnic Origins of Nations, Blackwell, Oxford, 1986.

E. Hobsbawm, T. Ranger eds, The Invention of Tradition, CUP, Cambridge, 1983.

E. Hobsbawm, Nations and Nationalism since 1780, CUP, Cambridge, 1990.

B. Anderson, Comunità immaginate, Manifestolibri, Roma, 1996.

W. Connor, Ethnonationalism; the Quest for understanding, Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1993.

J. Gallagher, R. Robinson, The Imperialism of Free Trade, “The Economic History Review” (August 1953), pp 1–15.

F. Chabod, L’idea di nazione, Laterza, Bari, 1992.

O. Vossler, L’idea di nazione da Rousseau a Ranke, Sansoni, Firenze, 1949.

G.E. Rusconi, Se cessiamo di essere una nazione, Il Mulino, Bologna, 1993.

H. Kohn, L’idea del nazionalismo nel suo sviluppo storico, La Nuova Italia, Firenze, 1956.

Z. Sternhell, I fondamenti intellettuali del nazionalismo, in ID., Contro l’illuminismo, dal XVIII secolo alla guerra fredda, Baldini Castoldi,  Milano, 2006, pp. 409-463.

A. Brewer, Marxist Theories and Imperialism, Routledge, London, 2002.

P. Cain, Hobson and imperialism, OUP, Oxford, 2002.

R. Kiely, Rethinking Imperialism, Palgrave, Basingstoke, 2010.

G. Arrighi, The Geometry of imperialism. The limits of Hobson’s paradigm, Verso editions, London, 1978.

S. Amin, Imperialism and Unequal Development, The Harvester Press, Hassocks, 1977.

Recommended readings for the second part (section II)

J.J. Rousseau, Contratto sociale (non importa l’edizione)

ID., Progetto di costituzione per la Corsica (idem)

ID., Considerazioni sul governo di Polonia e sul progetto di riformarlo (idem)

Sieyès, Che cos’è il Terzo stato (idem)

J.G. Herder, Idee per la filosofia della storia dell’umanità (idem)

J.S. Mill, Considerazioni sul governo rappresentativo (idem)

J.G. Fichte, Discorsi alla nazione tedesca (idem)

G. Mazzini, Pensieri sulla democrazia in Europa (idem)

ID., Ai giovani d’Italia (idem)

P. Stanislao Mancini, Della nazionalità come fondamento del diritto delle genti (idem)

E. Renan, Che cos’è una nazione? (idem)

K. Marx, Il manifesto del partito comunista (idem)

Acton (Lord), Principio di nazionalità e nazionalismo (idem)

L.T. Hobhouse, Scritti sulla prima Guerra mondiale (idem)

Ranke (von) L., Dialogo politico (idem)

F. Meinecke, Cosmopolitismo e Stato nazionale (idem)

J.A. Hobson, Imperialism. A Study, (idem)

N. Angell, The Great Illusion (idem)

R. Hilferding, Finance Capital (idem)

A.J. Toynbee, Nationality and the War (idem)

N. Bucharin, Imperialism and World Economy (idem)

R. Luxembourg, L’accumulazione del capitale (idem)

V.I. Lenin, L’imperialismo fase suprema del capitalismo (idem)

E. Corradini, L’unità e la potenza delle nazioni (idem)

J.A. Schumpeter, Sociologia dell’imperialismo (idem)

A. Hitler, Mein Kampf (idem)

H. Arendt, Le origini del totalitarismo (idem)

I. Wallerstein, The Modern World System (vols. I, II, III and IV) (idem)

ID., World- Systems Analysis: an Introduction (idem)

M. Hardt, A. Negri, L’impero: il nuovo ordine della globalizzazione (idem)

Fare pace. La diplomazia di Sant'Egidio, a cura di R. Morozzo della Rocca, Milano, Ed. paoline, 2018 (chapters: 2; 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10). Students can choose one of these chapters for their papers. 

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

ALBERTO DE SANCTIS (President)

ANDREA CATANZARO

GIAN MARCO UGOLINI (President Substitute)

ARIANNA BETTIN (Substitute)

STEFANIA MANGANO (Substitute)

PIETRO PIANA (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Class will start February 20th 

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Students should write and then give a paper. They have to write this paper on the bases of the suggested bibliography. Attending students must prepare a A4 6 pages paper. Unattending students must prepare a A4 8 pages paper. Students have to write two A4 pages for each argument or author. Arguments and authors must be approved by the teacher. Papers must be sent to the following address: alberto.desanctis@unige.it 15 days before the date of the exam at least. 

ASSESSMENT METHODS

In order to be regarded as attending students, they have to attend 75% of class at least viz. 27 hours. The final assessment would result from the sum obtained on the bases of the evaluation of the written text (50%, 15 points) and the oral exposition of it (50%, 15 points).  

Exam schedule