代写ANTH 4490-Anthro Political Violence Fall 2025代写留学生数据结构程序
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ANTH 4490-Anthro Political Violence Fall 2025 (4 Credits) Professor
Course Premise and Background
Violence is a complex and aggressive human behavior. It often manifests as observable patterns of cultural practices, organized and deployed socially, collectively, and individually for various purposes, some of which are culturally validated, like caste systems that castigate those deemed powerless in society. Gender based violence is another form of violence that is also validated through cultural/religious moralities with impunities like honor killing or blood revenge in tribal societies. Political violence stands out as a distinct form. ofviolence that encompasses a wide range of strategies and activities that can be observed both within and across national and geopolitical boundaries throughout both ancient and modern histories and polities. Political violence not only shapes but also transforms societies by changing their political organizations, cultures, and social structures, subjects, and identities. In the process, it creates new and hybrid forms of these entities. In contemporary local, national, regional, and international contexts, Political Violence (PV) interests us most as a source of international tension and global uncertainties, hence perilous challenges to international peace and security. This is not only militarily, but also economically and culturally, as Johan Galtung has identified, as Structural Violence. PV, therefore, is a growing source of human misery across the globe and fuels widespread anxieties about international peace and security. Current examples are the wars between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East and Russia and Ukraine in Europe. In an era of weapons of unparalleled mass destruction, PV can cause quick and “clinically waged” collective punishment, mass displacement, ethnic cleansing, genocide, and undemocratic regimes (Totalitarianism, Fascism, Racialized Supremacy, Jihadism, and other politicized belief systems that weaponize religion and ethnic identities). Its far-reaching consequences include violations of International Law with equally unparalleled impunity and “normality.” For all these reasons, PV remains one of the most significant forces that call for the strengthening of international institutions that can uphold and enforce International Law during times of war and peace.
Course Objectives
The course introduces students to a wide range of interrelated topics concerning political violence. To understand this multifaceted phenomenon of political violence, the course adopts an interdisciplinary approach that integrates research, theory, and practice across diverse subjects and perspectives. It achieves this through a three-pronged approach:
1. A theoretical exploration of key conceptual terms, definitions, and typologies of political violence in contemporary conflicts.
2. A close and critical examination and case studies of political violence that have drawn global attention.
3. An analysis of the repertoire of dynamic factors in specific cases and the subsequent international responses.
By reflecting on recent and current high-profile conflict cases and the resulting humanitarian crises, the course will encourage students to theoretically conceptualize categories of political violence and to engage in rigorous comparative analysis of their root and historical causes, political goals, and international response. While the course is not exhaustive, it provides students with the theoretical foundation and analytical tools necessary for understanding political violence, its various forms in the context of local and global norms of engagement. Finally, the course offers students the opportunity to conduct their original research on the course topics as a culminating project at the end of the term
Course Format
The class will be on Tuesdays and Fridays. Tuesday sessions will be conducted in a lecture format, while Friday sessions will incorporate open discussions. Lecture sessions will cover theoretical frameworks and case studies about the week’s topics, while open discussion sessions promote class interactions.
Throughout the semester, your professor will use her own firsthand professional experiences from war-torn and politically violent situations around the globe while working with the United Nations and the European Union. This will provide indebt practical experiences from Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, and Zimbabwe that will reinforce the theoretical framework of the class.
Rules on Electronic Use in the Classroom
Please avoid the use of electronic devices for communication (mobile phones, texting, googling) during class sessions. Laptops or iPads are strictly for note-taking purposes ONLY.
Expectations for successful completion of the course
1. Class attendance is mandatory. Students are required to read in advance the assigned reading materials and come to class prepared with informed comments and opinions for discussions.
2. A weekly response/reflection notes/pages on the assigned readings due before class. Students are required to keep a copy of their weekly work and compile it for submission at the end of the semester in one file.
3. There is no Midterm Exam for this upper-level course. However, students are expected to submit the topic of their research/term paper a month before the last day of class. This entails a short proposal for their final paper with a comprehensive annotated bibliography. There will be guidelines, discussions, and feedback meetings to guide students to achieve the goals of this task smoothly.
4. A Final/Term Paper based on the approved Research Proposal due on the Final Exam Day as designated by the university. The proposed research topics must be on current and recent past situations involving political violence that are relevant to our class and must demonstrate a mastery of the analytical and theoretical tools that were introduced during the semester. Again, towards mid-semester, your professor will provide detailed instructions for both the research proposal and the final term paper.
Grading Distribution
1. Attendance (compulsory) 10%
2. Engagement & Meaningful Participation 10%
3. Response Notes on the Readings (Due before class on assigned date) 30%
4. Final Paper (Specificity will be provided one month before due date) 40%
5. Presentation of your Final Paper on the Exam Day 10%
Reading Materials for the Semester:
There are NO required textbooks that you must buy. We will be reading interdisciplinary materials from various sources (book chapters, academic journals, case studies, and official documents from international organizations such as the UN and the EU. The purpose is to provide a well-rounded interdisciplinary understanding of the topic of political violence and related humanitarian crises. All listed assigned reading materials and links will be provided in advance, the week before they are due.
In addition to the readings listed in the Syllabus, we may assign other materials on contemporary issues of Political Violence as they emerge throughout the semester. The purpose of this approach is to make the theoretical materials of the course as relevant as possible to the political and cultural realities around us.
Recommended Sources
1. Brandom, Eric. 2019. “Violence and Resistance to the State: Georges Sorel’s Reflections on Violence.” Humanities Commons. Read the article on Humanities Commons
2. Hannah Arendt, 1969. On Violence. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World INC.
3. Fanon, Frantz, 1967, The Wretched of the Earth
4. Philip Gurevich, 1998. We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families. Picador.
5. Mamdani Mahmood, 2001. When Victims Become Killers. Princeton University Press.
6. Michael Taussig, 1987. Shamanism, Colonialism, and the WildMan: A Study in Terror and Healing.
7. Powers, Samantha, 2013. A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide. New York: Basic Books.
8. Scheper-Hughes, Nancy and Philippe Bourgois, Editors, 2004. Violence in War and Peace: An Anthology. New York: Blackwell.
9. Taussig, Michael, 1997. The Magic of the State. New York: Routledge.
10. Sorel, Georges. 1915. Reflections on Violence. Translated by T.E. Hulme. London: Allen & Unwin. Available via Internet Archive
11. Sorel “Reflections on Violence (1908) – Georges Sorel.” libcom.org. Summary and context on libcom.org
Fall 2025 Weekly Syllabus Program
WEEK 1: Sept 29, 2025: Introduction Class
Topics: Introduction
• Introduction to the Course & Syllabus:
• Overview of Course Policies, Requirements, and Deliverables
• Listening to Student Expectations and Goals from the Course
• Quick introduction to the topic of violence and resistance in political culture and history
WEEK 2: Sept 2 & 5
Topics:
Introduction Lecture: Violence and Resistance in Political History
Topics:
1. Introduction to the topic of Political Violence
2. Theorizing Violence and Power in Political Violence: Theoretical Perspectives from Hannah Arendt, Frantz Fanon, and George Sorel
Reading & Written Assignments (To be completed before class as prescribed below: Tuesday
Please read the following article and bring to class your notes on what you think are the author's main arguments.
1. Jackson, Kellie Carter. 2011. “Violence in Political History: The Challenges of Teaching about the Politics of Power and Resistance.” Perspectives on History, May 1, 2011. American Historical
Association. Accessible from the following links:Violence in Political History – AHA(Requires a Response Note)
Friday
Please read the following article and bring to class your notes on what you think are the author's main arguments.
1. Annabel Herzog, “The concept of violence in the work of Hannah Arendt.”
(Requires a Response Note on Sunday, 7 Sept before Midnight)
Recommended Readings (for those interested in deeper engagements with topics):
1. Hannah Arendt, 1951. The Origins of Totalitarianism.
2. Frantz Fanon, 1963, The Wretched of the Earth (Les Damnés de la Terre,1961)
WEEK 3: Sept 9 & 12, 2025
Topics:
1. Tuesday: What is Violence in Politics According to Hannah Arendt’s Political Philosophy
2. An Institutional Approach to Political Violence
Assigned Reading:
Tuesday:
1. Please read again Annabel Herzog’s Paper “The concept of violence in the work of Hannah Arendt.”
2. Balcells, Laia 2015, “Political Violence: An Institutional Approach,” in Routledge
Handbook on Comparative Political Institutions. Routledge. (Requires Response Note)
3. Schneider, Gerald & Nina Wiesehomeier. 2008. “Rules That Matter: Political Institutions and the Diversity-Conflict Nexus” Journal of Peace Research 45(2): 183-203.
Recommended Readings
1. Max Weber, The Theory of Social and Economic Organization. Translated by A.M. Henderson and Talcott Parsons. New York: The Free Press
2. Bosi, Lorenzo, Donatella della Porta, and Stefan Malthaner, 2019. “Organizational and
Institutional Approaches: social movement studies perspectives on political violence.” In
Erica Chenoweth and others (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Terrorism, Oxford Handbooks
3. Hannah Arendt, 1969 On Violence. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, INC.
Recommended Readings
1. Max Weber, The Theory of Social and Economic Organization. Translated by A.M. Henderson and Talcott Parsons. New York: The Free Press
WEEK 4: Sept 16 & 19, 2025
Topics:
The Ontology of Violence and Political Violence: History, Theory, and Practice
The Banality of Civil Wars
Assigned Reading and other business:
Tuesday
Kalyvas, Stathis N.., “The Ontology of Political Violence.” Sep. 2003 Vol. 1/No. 3 Pp 375- 494 (Requires Response Note)
Friday:
Collier, Paul, and Nicholas Sembanis. “Understanding Civil War: A New Agenda,” Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 46 No. 1, February 2002.
Please identify one contemporary example of political violence involving Civil War from around the globe that resonates with this week's reading. Bring your thoughts on your
findings for discussion (No writing necessary, only verbal thoughts).
Recommended Readings:
James D. Fearon and David D. Laitin (2003). Ethnicity, Insurgency, and Civil War.
American Political Science Review, Vol. 97, pp 75-90.
Collier, Paul & Anke Hoffler, “Greed & Grievances in Civil War”, Policy Research Working Paper 2355, The World Bank Development Research Group, 2000 (This is an example of the Greed Approach to Civil Wars and
Humphreys, Macartan & Jeremy Weinstein, 2008. “Who Fights? The
Determinants of Participation in Civil War.” American Journal of Political Science 52(2): 436–455.
Lisa Blaydes and Lawrence Rubin, “Ideological Reorientation and Counterterrorism:
Confronting Militant Islam in Egypt.” Terrorism and Political Violence 20 (4) (Oct.-Dec.
2008), 461-479. (This work is a great example of the Grief approach to Civil Wars and a
Schmidtian approach to counterinsurgency)
WEEK 5: Sept 23 & 26
Topics:
State Failure, Political Vacuum, and Moral Collapse
State-Sponsored Political Violence
Failing States, Failed States, and Incentives for Political Violence (Extremism & Civil Wars) Required Readings
K. Eylem Özkaya Lassalle, “State Failure and Political Violence: A Comparative Analysis of
Iraq and Syria Cases.” European Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, Jan-April 2016 Vol 2, Issue 2. (Requires Response Notes)
Collier, Paul. "The Political Economy of State Failure." Oxford Review of Economic
Policy 25, no. 2 (2009): 219-40. Accessed February 24, 2021. (Please try to get this paper through your library services)
Recommended Reading:
James Piazza, 2008. “Incubators ofTerror: Do Failed and Failing States Promote Transnational Terrorism?” International Studies Quarterly 5
WEEK 6: Sept 30 and Oct 3, 2025
Topics:
What is Terrorism?
Failed States and Terrorism
Documentary on Iraq and Syria followed by an open class discussion.
Reading Assignments
Tuesday:
Susan Mahan and Pamela Griset, 2012. "What is Terrorism" in Terrorism in Perspectives. Sage. Sage Publications: 2012/2007. Pp 1-14. (Attached below. Read only the 1st Chapter Pp1-14). Note: Requires a Response Page on Friday, Oct 4, 2024, b. class.
Julia Ebner, C. Cavanagh, and H. Whitehouse, 2022. "Is There a Language of Terrorists? A Comparative Manifesto Analysis." Studies in Conflict & Terrorism. UK: Routledge.
Friday:
Gus Martin and Fynnwin Prager, 2019. Terrorism: An International Perspective. Sage:
Los Angles, London, New Delhi, Melborn...
Recommended Readings:
1. Gus Martin and Fynnwin Prager, 2019. Terrorism: An International Perspective. Sage:
Los Angles, London, New Delhi, Melborn...
2. Also recommended to view the film, Paradise Now, 2005 (91 min), Warner Brothers, as an insightful source on terrorist motivations.
WEEK 7: Oct 7 & 10, 2025
Topics:
The Religious Dimensions of Political Violence
Identifying political violence driven by theological motives versus those using religion as a guise
From the Muslim Brotherhood to Al-Qaida
ISIS: The Third Wave of Political Islam and Jihadism
Assigned Readings
Tuesday
Rogers Brubaker, 2016. "Religious Dimensions of Political Violence," Max Weber Lecture Series. European University Program.
Friday:
Gerges, Fawaz A. “ISIS and the Third Wave of Jihadism.” Current History, vol. 113, no.
767, 2014, pp. 339—43. JSTOR,http://www.jstor.org/stable/45388664. Accessed 5 Oct.
2024.Requires a Response Note on Friday
Andrew F. March, “Political Islam: Theory.” Annual Review of Political Sciences. Polit. Sci. 2015. 18:17.1–17.21
Recommended Reading
Esposito, John, 2015. “Islam and Political Violence.” Religions 2015, 6, 1067–1081;
doi:10.3390/rel6031067
Kizilhan, J. I., & Steger, F. (2021). The sociopsychology of Islamist terror –
interdisciplinary perspectives on violence and ISIS totalitarian structures. Global Security: Health, Science and Policy, 6(1), 26–37.
https://doi.org/10.1080/23779497.2021.1927796
WEEK 8: Oct 14 & 17, 2025
Topics:
Empire, Nationalism, Political Violence, & Resistance
Catholics Vs Protestants OR Nationalists/Separatists Vs Royalists: “The Troubles” of Ireland’s Civil Wars
Assigned Reading:
Tuesday
Hayes, Bernadette C., and Ian McAllister, “Public Support for Political Violence and Paramilitarism in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland,” Terrorism and
Political Violence, 17:559. 2005 (PDF)
Viewing a short documentary on the topic, followed by class discussions.
Friday
Hayes, B. C., & McAllister, I. (2004). Protestant Disillusionment with the Northern Ireland Peace Agreement. Irish Journal of Sociology, 13(1), 109-
125.https://doi.org/10.1177/079160350401300108(Original work published 2004)
WEEK 9: Oct 21 & 24, 2029
Topics: Reviews, student presentations, and preparation for the Midterm Evaluation WEEK 10 Oct 28 and 31, 2025
Topics: International Crimes: The Crimes of Genocide
Accountability for Political Violence: The International Criminal Court & the International Court of Justice (ICJ)
The UN Convention on Genocide Raphael Lamkin's Fight against the Crimes of Genocide
The Politicization of Humanitarian Laws
Required Readings
Tuesday (Please Read both Pieces)
1. Jaakko Heiskanen, In the Shadow of Genocide: Ethnocide, Ethnic Cleansing, and International Order, Global Studies Quarterly, Volume 1, Issue 4, December 2021, ksab030,https://doi.org/10.1093/isagsq/ksab030(Requires a Response Note)
Friday
2. Berry, Marie. "The Politics of Naming" and The Genocide Debate." from the following
link:The "Politics of Naming" and the Genocide Debate - Political Violence at a Glance
3. Mamdani, Mahmood "The Politics of Naming: Genocide, Civil War, Insurgency: Iraq & Darfur." from the following link:The Politics of Naming: Genocide, Civil War,
Insurgency: Iraq and Darfur (lrb.co.uk).(Requires a Response Note)
Recommended Reading
1. Clark, Janine, “Genocide, war crimes and the conflict in Bosnia: understanding the perpetrators.” Journal of Genocide Research: Vol. 11, Issue 4, 2009
4. Clark, Janine Natalya (2010) "The ICC, Uganda and the LRA: Re-Framing the Debate," African Studies, 69:1, 141-160, DOI:10.1080/00020181003647256
5. Berry, Marie. "The Politics of Naming" and The Genocide Debate." from the following
link:The "Politics of Naming" and the Genocide Debate - Political Violence at a Glance
WEEK 11: Nov 4 & 7, 20225
Topics:
Colonialism and Postcolonial State Political Crisis of Citizenship
Case Study: The Rwandan Genocide
Assigned Reading:
Tuesday:
Mamdani, Mahmood, 2001. “Defining the Crisis of Postcolonial Citizenship” From When Victims Become Killers: Colonialism, Nativism and Genocide in Rwanda. Princeton and Oxford. Pp1-38. (Requires Response Note)
Friday:
Samantha Powers, “By Standers to Genocide, The Atlantic. September 2001.Bystanders to
Genocide - The Atlantic
Recommended Reading:
Frantz Fanon, Chapter 2 “Violence,” The Wretched of the Earth
Power, Samantha. "A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide. Basic, 2002.
WEEK 12: Nov 14 & 17
Topics:
Election-Related Political Violence: Violent political tactics for manipulating election outcomes
Gerrymandering, voter intimidation, and voter harvesting
Assigned Reading:
Hans von Spakovsky, “A Recipe for Intimidation, Coercion, and Election Fraud,” A Legal
Memorandum No. 253 | October 8, 2019, Edwin Meese III Center for Legal & Judicial Studies. The Heritage Foundation.
Friday
Adrienne LaFranceand Vann R. Newkirk II, “The Lost History of an American Coup D’état: Republicans and Democrats in North Carolina are locked in a battle over which party inherits the shame of Jim Crow”
WEEK 13: Nov 18 & 21
Topic: Structural Violence
Global Relations of Power & Structural Violence: The Organizational Scheme & Institutional Relations Between Poverty & Political Violence
Case Study: Political Violence in El Salvador
Reading Assignment:
Bourgeois, Philippe, 2001. “The Power of Violence in War and Peace: Post-Cold War Lessons from E-Salvador,” Ethnography Vol 2(1):5-34. (Requires Response Page)
Galtung J. Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution: The Need for Transdisciplinary, Transcultural Psychiatry. 2010;47(1):20-32. doi:10.1177/1363461510362041
Viewing the following documentary video
In the Name of the People: El Salvador's Civil War 1985 DOCUMENTARY -
WEEK 14: Nov 25 ONLY (No class on Friday-Thanksgiving)
Topic: Structural Violence - PART TWO
Case Study: Poverty and Political Violence in Haiti
Reading Assignment:
Tuesday
Paul Farmer, “Anthropology of Structural Violence.” Current Anthropology, June 2004, Vol. 45, No. 3 (June 2004), pp. 305-325
Paul Farmer, “On Suffering and Structural Violence: A View from Below,” Race/Ethnicity:
Multidisciplinary Global Contexts, Vol. 3, No. 1, Race and the Global Politics of Health Inequity (Autumn, 2009), pp. 11-28.
WEEK 15: Dec 2 & 5, 2025
Topics:
Nationalism & Populism
The Rise of Extreme Right Political Parties in Europe and the US
Reading Assignment
Tuesday
Sanjaume, M, 2016. “Anderson and the Imagined Nation.” Debats. Journal on Culture, Power and Society, 1. 65–69
Heiskanen, J. (2023). Mind the gap: The nation form. and the Kohn dichotomy. Nations and Nationalism, 29(4), 1179–1195.https://doi.org/10.1111/nana.12991
Viewing European Parliamentarian Debates by Extreme Right Nationalist & Populist Parties Friday
Greven, Thomas, “The Rise ofRight-Wing Populism in Europe and the United States” (Requires Response Note)
Viewing European Parliamentarian Debates by Extreme Right Nationalist & Populist Parties
Viewing Short Clipping on the topic
WEEK 16: Dec 9, 2025, ONLY
Q & A With Peer Response
WEEK 17: Dec 12 Final Exam 9:30-11:30 AM