Lesson Report:
**Lesson Report**
**Title:** Ethnic Conflict Theories (Kaufman) & Introduction to Nationalism Debates (Primordialism vs. Modernism)
**Synopsis:** The session began with a student presentation analyzing Stuart Kaufman’s theories on ethnic conflict and comparing them to related scholarship. The remainder of the class was dedicated to setting up and beginning the first of three planned student-led debates, focusing on whether nationalism is a primordial or modern concept.
**Attendance:**
* Several students were noted as absent, which impacted the formation and size of the debate groups.
**Topics Covered:**
1. **Student Presentation: Ethnic Conflict (Inazik)**
* **Focus:** Analysis of Stuart Kaufman’s perspective on ethnic conflict.
* **Kaufman’s Definition:** Ethnic conflict involves groups differing in culture, origin, language, religion, or race, where identity is defined by birth/tradition, and conflict sites are chosen based on ethnicity.
* **Kaufman’s Core Argument:** Ethnic identity is socially constructed, not inherent. Politics and leaders manipulate ethnic symbols and narratives (history, myths) to mobilize groups and incite conflict (violent or non-violent). Conflict arises from inter-group clashes driven by political manipulation, not ethnicity itself. Ethnicity often masks deeper political or economic issues.
* **Comparison with Wolfe:** Inazik compared Kaufman (presented as 2016) with Wolfe (presented as 2022). Both scholars reportedly agree that ethnicity itself doesn’t cause conflict but emphasize the role of leader manipulation, identity construction, and narratives over primordial hatreds.
* *Instructor Note:* A clarifying question was raised regarding the publication dates, as Kaufman (2016) was presented as refining Wolfe (2022), which seems chronologically inconsistent.
* **Theoretical Shift:** The presentation highlighted a shift in scholarship from viewing ethnicity as inherent to examining how societal and political forces shape identity and utilize ethnic differences in broader struggles.
2. **Transition and Debate Setup**
* **Group Formation:** Students were instructed to form their pre-assigned debate groups (numbered 1, 2, and 3). One student (Salomon) was assigned to Group 2. Group 3 was noted as being small due to absences.
* **Reviewing Debate Questions:** Groups were given 3-5 minutes to review the three debate questions they had previously prepared.
* *Instruction:* Questions must be balanced and controversial, offering both sides relatively equal opportunities to argue and counter-argue, avoiding questions with an obvious advantage for one side.
3. **Debate Preparation: Introductory Statements**
* **Task:** Each moderating group was instructed to draft a ~1-minute introductory statement for their debate.
* **Content:** The statement should introduce the debate topic and outline the general positions and broad arguments of the two opposing sides.
* **Logistics:** One student per group was designated to present the statement and write the topic/positions on the whiteboard.
4. **Debate Procedure Outline**
* The instructor outlined the steps for each debate:
1. **Introductory Statement:** Presented by the moderating group.
2. **Team Assignment:** Determined by a coin toss.
3. **Opening Statements:** Each debating team drafts (~5 mins) and presents (~1 min) their general position, referencing specific scholars/texts.
4. **Moderated Questions:** The moderating group asks 3 questions; debating teams respond and counter-respond.
5. **Assessment:** The moderating group assesses debating teams on depth, relevance (use of texts/authors), and persuasiveness, declaring a winner.
5. **Debate 1: Is Nationalism Primordial or Modern? (Group 1 Moderating)**
* **Introduction:** Group 1 introduced the debate topic: Is nationalism an ancient, primordial concept or a modern one linked to the industrial revolution and modern state formation?
* **Team Assignment:** Via coin toss, Team 3 was assigned the ‘Modern’ position, and Team 2 was assigned the ‘Primordial’ position.
* **Opening Statements:**
* *Team 3 (Modern):* Argued nationalism emerged with modern states (capitalism, mass literacy, popular sovereignty). Pre-modern identities were local/religious/imperial. Modern political mobilization (18th/19th C) required creating unified nations via language, propaganda, history, and culture.
* *Team 2 (Primordial):* Presented their opening statement (details not captured in transcript).
* **Moderated Questions:**
* *Assessment Reminder:* Group 1 was reminded to assess answers based on accuracy, relevance (use of texts/authors), and persuasion.
* *Question 1 (Implied: Evidence for Primordial Roots):*
* Team 3 (Modern): Argued against primordial roots, citing Gellner (nationalism linked to industrialization/modernization). Evidence: French Revolution creating unity based on political values; 19th C German unification creating identity despite diverse regions.
* Team 2 (Primordial): Presented counter-arguments/evidence (details not captured).
* Team 3 offered counter-arguments during the free-response period.
* *Question 2: How do mass literacy, print capitalism, and bureaucratic states demonstrate nationalism is modern?*
* Team 3 (Modern): Argued print capitalism/mass media created unified images/language, uniting people. Cited Gellner again on industrial states needing standardized populations, achieved via mass media unifying language/identity/history.
* Team 2 (Primordial): Countered that deep-seated connections (ethnic/religious divides) are key. Cited Kaufman (likely error, meant a primordialist) arguing ethnic nationalism survives weak institutions. Example: US violence rooted in older divides, not modern education. Acknowledged modern tools amplify nationalism but roots are primordial.
* *Question 3: Can nationalism draw from both ancient elements and modern frameworks? How do they interact?*
* Team 3 (Modern): Agreed, arguing modern frameworks (states, media, education) *activate* and *standardize* ancient cultural elements (shared history/culture) into modern nationalism, unifying disparate groups (e.g., languages).
* Team 2 (Primordial): Forfeited the opportunity to respond.
**Actionable Items:**
* **Student Academic Records:**
* A student reported discrepancies on official transcripts (missing semesters, duplicated region name). Advised to report issues to the relevant administrative office, noting the error exists on multiple versions.
* **Course Administration/Planning:**
* The assessment for Debate 1 needs to be conducted at the start of the next class (Monday).
* Debates 2 and 3 are scheduled for Monday.
* *Adjustment:* Due to time constraints, the remaining debates on Monday will feature only two moderated questions instead of three.
Homework Instructions:
NO HOMEWORK
**Justification:** The transcript indicates the class session ended with the professor outlining the plan for the *next* class (Monday), which involves completing the remaining debates and the assessment from the current session’s debate, but no specific tasks were assigned for students to complete outside of class before then.