240532 SE Politics of diversity in contemporary Europe (P4) (2021S)

Is multiculturalism dead? Due to a rise of nationalist and anti-immigrant discourses and activism across Europe, numerous commentators talk about the “crisis” or “end” of the multicultural Europe. However, a closer scrutiny of the idea of “multicultural Europe” reveals how misleading the narrative on “crisis” is and makes evident the long-term challenges to the multicultural project, as well as the problems inherent to the multicultural politics.

In this course, we will use an anthropological lens—and that of kindred social sciences—to explore how states and citizens debate and act upon diversity. Our block seminar will be organized around five interrelated themes 1) race and ethnicity 2) religions and secularism 3) heritage and tradition 4) migration and class 5) Europe in a global context.

The participants of the course will be expected:
1) to prepare for the class by reading (before the course begins) MINIMUM three of out five assigned monographs (each corresponding with one of the themes)
2) to conduct a group project (a part of final assessment)
3) to actively participate in discussions
4) to write a final paper and/or extended book review