Description

What prompts a person with a family to pick up a gun and join a militia? What drives a democratic state to engage in indiscriminate violence and pogroms against its own citizens? Why do people frequently see George Washington as a "freedom fighter" but insurgents in Kashmir as "terrorists"? This course will consider such questions in the context of religious and ethnic conflict in modern South Asia. Using case studies of violent conflicts in one of the most militarized regions of the world, we will discuss the historical trajectory and dialectical interplay between different forms of nationalism led by Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Nagas in the colonial and post-colonial periods. Materials to be examined will be drawn from a wide range of sources, from theoretical texts and human rights reports to ethnographic accounts and films.

Enrollment Limited: No
Open to BTI Students: No
Jointly offered as South Asian Studies 190

Course website

Scheduling

0.50 credits
Spring 2013
Mon 3pm-5pm
FAS 1 Bow Street Room 330

Relationship to Program Requirements

Program Requirement	Area / Category / Art / Designation
MTS Area(s) of Focus	Hindu Studies Islamic Studies Religion, Ethics, and Politics Religion and the Social Sciences South Asian Religious Traditions
MDiv Distribution Category/ies	South Asian Religions
MDiv Art(s) of Ministry	None
Language Course Designation(s)	None