Annotation
This course introduces students to the basic discussion of the intertwining of collective identity, belonging and political mobilization in the modern world. We will first focus on classical studies of nationalism, and then move on to various attempts to overcome or stop nationalism through universalist conceptions of collectivity, such as cosmopolitanism or internationalism.
The fusion of universalism and nationalism leads us to the question of social class, which is often seen as a way of questioning national unity and proposing a different kind of solidarity that transcends national boundaries. However, the notion of class also appears in the critique of false universalism — in those types of universalism that invoke a vision of global unity but in fact presuppose exclusion.
Indeed, class may figure as what is not included in the supposedly holistic vision of the nation and universality. In all cases, the question of belonging to a certain collective relates to the question of authenticity: does the individual really belong to the group to whose identity he declares? Does the group authentically represent those they claim to represent? Can there ever be a perfect match between abstract collectivity (nation, class, humanity) and the specific people we assume belong to a particular group?