Fall/Winter Timetable

POL443H1F L0101

Graduate Course Code: POL2322H1F L0101

Topics in Comparative Politics II

Jewish and World Diasporas: A Comparative Perspective

Themes

Diaspora has played, and continues to play an important role in different nation-building projects such as for example Israel, Ireland, Armenia, Ukraine and Palestine. The term diaspora was historically used to describe people settled far from their ancestral homelands, and specifically Jews who first left the biblical land of Israel and later the Middle East to settle on the European continent, Asia or Africa. We will study multiple approaches to the Jewish Diasporas and modern Diasporas, distinguishing essentialist, pluralist and postmodernist approaches. We will study diasporas in terms of the reasons for their creation, dynamics of their development and political power, and the nature of the relationship they imply with the homeland and the hostland. We will explore political power of diasporas applying a comparative perspective that relies on case studies and simulations. One point of focus will be the evolution of a political relationship between Israel and the Jewish diaspora worldwide. The political activism of the Jewish diasporas in different nation-states will be compared to that of other diasporas.

Texts

Course pack

Format and Requirements

One two-hour seminar per week, consisting of instructor’s presentation and discussion (case studies and one simulation of the peace process negotiations). Two reaction papers on the assigned list of readings and one term paper (10-15 pages). Students should be prepared to actively participate in the seminar discussions.

Prerequisites

2.0 credits in POL/ JPA/ JPF/ JPI/ JPR/ JPS/ JRA courses