Die Geschichte der ethnischen Minderheiten in Osteuropa von 1800 bis heute/The History of Ethnic Minorities in Eastern Europe from 1800 to the Present

 This course will examine the political and social history of ethnic minorities in Eastern and East-Central and South-Eastern Europe from the rise of nationalism and nation states in the nineteenth and early twentieth century until today. The focus of this course will be on political and ideological history; we will examine such important questions and explore issues as: the development of national consciousness; the changing legal status of ethnic minorities in empires and nation states; ethnic parties and political mobilization; accommodation and resistance; the issue of cultural and political autonomy and ethnic conflicts in the context of wars. However, students will also have the chance to discuss social and cultural issues, such as: social mobility and urbanization and their impact on the lives of ethnic minorities; discrimination on the labor market and in the cultural and political arenas; forced assimilation; gender and ethnicity; the development of ethnic institutions from schools to newspapers, theaters and films and their role in identify formation; the spread and changing nature of ethnic stereotypes, and harmony and conflict in everyday life. The course will pay special attention to the role of minority issues in interstate and international relations, and to the importance of international institutions, such as the League of Nations, the United Nations and the European Union to settle ethnic disputes, create the legal frame for the protection of minority rights and enforce their will and decisions. The main goal of this course is to provide students with the historical understanding of the nature of nationalism and ethnic conflicts in the twentieth century and with the background information and skills necessary to develop a nuanced view of minority issue in the region today.

This is a completely bilingual course. Students are free to ask or respond to questions and write their final exam in German or in English. The knowledge of East European languages and the ability to use of primary and secondary sources in these languages are welcome and desired; however, they are not part of the course requirement.