Course Name Year Term Period Faculty / Graduate School All Instructors Credits
13077:[2025 Spring]IR18‐EE231 Race and Ethnicity in the Modern World (RA) § 13078:IR-ECS203 Race and Ethnicity in the Modern World (RA) § 13079:RUIR-2422 Race and Ethnicity in the Modern World(RA) 2025 Spring Tue4 College　Of　International　Relations LEE JINHYE 2

Campus

KIC

Class Venue

MEIGAKUKAN　MG001

Language

English

Course Outline and Method

【+R-Jugyo】
Information for “+R-Jugyo” will be posted on the “Course News” on manaba+R by April 1. Be sure to check the “Course News” on manaba+R.

This introductory course aims for students to understand how race and ethnicity -- the elusive markers classifying human beings into different social categories -- had contributed to shaping the historical ideologies and orders that distinguish human groups and individuals from “us” to “others.” The course comprises two-fold theoretical and empirical case studies to link theories with global concerns of race and ethnicity issues. It provides students with essential knowledge and debates on race and ethnicity studies to delve into various ongoing global phenomena and contentious issues of ethnic conflicts and territorial disputes. To bridge the Western-centred studies on race and ethnicity, I introduce specific case studies in Japan and other countries or regions to invigorate comparative views and expand the scope of analysis.

Specifically, the course will begin with the historical development of race and ethnicity and the intersections of two concepts based on different scholarly approaches and regional contexts. Second, we will examine how modern nation-building involves race and ethnicity by articulating the connections between modernization, nationalism, and ethnicity. We will also explore how contemporary nation-states address racially and ethnically heterogeneous populations under the government policies of multiculturalism. Lastly, we will focus on the bilateral effect of ethnicity, consolidating people under comradeship and shared identity. On the other hand, it generates conflicts between humans with different attributes and identities. We also address how ethnicity brings about divides and rivalry, illustrated by the separatist movements (secession), genocide, and ethnic cleansing in the final phase of the course.

Throughout the course, we explore how identities, mythologies, beliefs, and collective memories or traumas permeating race and ethnicity can impact real international politics and disputes in conjunction with ethnonational symbolism.

This course adopts a "students-centred learning" principle, combining a series of lectures and students' group discussions. I evaluate students' performance based on submitted assignments, class group discussions, and final research papers. Considering the expected class size, I cannot return feedback individually. Instead, I will provide feedback to the whole class every week by synthesizing the submitted reflections and discussions.

Student Attainment Objectives

Students will be able to:
1) understand and explain race and ethnicity concepts and their controversy within the historical development of human race ideologies in the West and its influence on other world regions in their respective contexts;
2) read and understand scholarly materials to summarize the contents in their words and express their views orally and in a written form while identifying meaningful questions for discussions;
3) develop a critical lens to explain the cause of a specific international incident, such as territorial disputes and ethnic conflicts, by adequately engaging with scholarly discussions of race and ethnicity studies;
4) complete a research paper at the end of the semester, which includes a coherent flow of problem setting and unravelling the complex racial and ethnic issues in a particular region or country supported by sufficient academic references.

Recommended Preparatory Course

Course Schedule

Lecture/Instructor（When there are multiple instructors) Theme
Keyword, References and Supplementary Information
1

【+R-Jugyo】, The Historical Development of “Race Thinking”

・Course Introduction: Explaining the course overview and goals
・Colonialism and slavery, Monogenism and polygenism, sciences and the invention of “races”

Spencer, Stephen (2014) “Chap. 2 The Politics of Naming” in Race and Ethnicity: Culture, Identity and representation (Second Edition), Routledge, 40-66.

2

Race in the "Post-Racial" World--Students' Group Discussion (1)

‧ Globalization and human mobility, racialization in sport, us vs. others

Agergaard, Sine, and Engh, Mari Haugaa (2017) "Chap. 8 Globalization, Migration and Racialization in Sport," in John Nauright and David K. Wiggins (eds.) Routledge Handbook of Sport, Race, and Ethnicity, Routledge, 107-120.

3

Rethinking “Mixed Race” and “Pure Race” Ideology in the Global Contexts

‧ Genetics and race, miscegenation and anti-miscegenation, “mixed-blood” or "mixed-raceness" as a historically constructed ideology, ethnicity and nationality as the elements of mixedness

Törngren, Sayaka Osanami, Irastorza, Nahikari, and Rodriguez-Garcia, Dan (2021) “Understanding Multiethnic and Multiracial Experiences Globally: Towards a Conceptual Framework of Mixedness,” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 47(4): 763-781.

4

“Mixed Race” People in Asia and Beyond--Students' Group Discussion (2)

‧ The contexts of "mixedness" in Asia, Cultural and language elements of "mixedness"

Rocha, Zarine L. (2018) “Re-viewing Race and Mixedness: Mixed Race in Asia and the Pacific,” Journal of Intercultural Studies, 39(4): 510-526.

5

Race and Ethnicity

‧ Primordial, instrumental, and circumstantial accounts of ethnicity, race and ethnicity as the interchangeable variables?

Cornell, Stephen, and Hartmann, Douglas (2007) “Chap. 3 Fixed or Fluid?” in Ethnicity and Race: Making Identities in a Changing World, Pine Forge Press (Second Edition), 41-74.

6

Ethnicity and Identities--Students' Group Discussion (3)

‧ Assimilation, acculturation, ethnic boundary, stereotyping

Cornell, Stephen, and Hartmann, Douglas (2007) “Chap. 4 A Constructionist Approach,” in Stephen Cornell and Douglas Hartmann (eds.) Ethnicity and Race: Making Identities in a Changing World (Second Edition), Pine Forge Press, 75-106.

7

Ethnicity and Nationalism

‧ Modernism and primordialism approaches to a nation and nationalism, nationalism as political (civic) or ethnic consciousness and movement?

Eriksen, Thomas Hylland (2010) “Chap. 6 Nationalism,” in Thomas Hylland Eriksen (ed.) Ethnicity and Nationalism: Anthropological Perspectives, Pluto Press, 117-146.

8

Nationalism, Immigration, and Chauvinism in the Modern World—
Students’ Group Discussion (4)

‧ Ethnic nationalism, the rise of far-right wing parties, anti-immigration, chauvinism

Kaufmann, Eric. (2019) “Ethno-traditional Nationalism and the Challenge of Immigration,” Nations and Nationalism 25(2): 435-448.

9

Ethnicity and Race in Multicultural Societies

‧ The myth of a homogenous nation-state, multiculturalism, liberalism, communitarianism, developmental model

Eriksen, Thomas H. (2010) “Chap. 8 Identity Politics, Culture and Rights,” in Ethnicity and Nationalism: Anthropological Perspectives, Pluto Press, 174-197.

10

Challenges of Multicultural Societies in Asia and Beyond--Students' Group Discussion (5)

‧ The rise of international labour migration and mixed marriage in East Asia, new formation of the hierarchies in nationhood and ethnicity

Nagy, Stephen Robert. (2014) “Politics of Multiculturalism in East Asia: Reinterpreting Multiculturalism,” Ethnicities, 14(1): 160-176.

11

Self-Determination as Collective Rights

‧ Collective rights vs. individual rights, internal and external elements of self-determination, self-determination of indigenous people and immigrants

Trifunovska, Snežana (1997) “On Theme in Two Variations: Self-Determination for Minorities and Indigenous Peoples,” International Journal on Minority and Group Rights 5: 175-197.

12

Ethnic Consolidation and Conflicts

‧ Ethnicity as the cause of conflicts? instrumental and “the myth-symbol complex”

Kaufman, Stuart J. (2010) “Chapter 8. Ethnicity as a Generator of Conflict,” in Karl Cordell and Stefan Wolff, Routledge Handbook of Ethnic Conflict, Routledge, 91-102.

13

Ethnic Cleansing and Ethnonational Symbolism--Students' Group Discussion (6)

‧ The creation and dissolution of the former federation of Yugoslavia, Ethno-symbolic and instrumental reasons for ethnic cleansing

Jenne, E. K. (2010) “The Causes and Consequences of Ethnic Cleansing,” in K. Cordell and S. Wolff (eds.) Routledge Handbook of Ethnic Conflict, Routledge, 112-121.

14

Peer-Review on the Final Research Paper--Students' Group Discussion (7)

‧ Students will submit the memo of the Final Research Paper on Manaba before the class.

Class Format

Conduct face-to-face clases from lecture 1 to 14

Recommendations for Private Study

Students must complete all readings assigned to every class. Besides, please refer to additional readings introduced by the instructor to cultivate their knowledge and familiarize them with academic debates critical in the areas.

Grade Evaluation Method

Kind Percentage Grading Criteria etc.
Final Examination (Written) 0

Report Examination
(A report to be submitted by the unified deadline)		 0

Exams and/or Reports other than those stated above, and Continuous Assessment　
(Evaluation of Everyday Performance in Class)		 100

‧ Reflection comments (15%; approximately 150-200 words per posting)
‧ Summary and problem setting report (10%; approximately 500-600 words per posting)
‧ The participation and contribution to the group discussions & after-discussion comments (25%; approximately 150-200 words per posting)
‧ Final research paper (50%; approximately 2000-2300 words excluding a reference list)

Grade Evaluation Method （Note）

* Students' Final Research Papers will be assessed by the systematic criteria or rubric (i.e., selecting an appropriate topic, the focus of a paper, logical organization of a paper, fair use of scholarly resources and engaging & coherent in-depth discussions, etc.). Please keep in mind that I will check all Final Research Papers' originality through the online program. If your paper is found to significantly overlap with others' writings without adequate citations or reuse the previous term papers submitted to other courses (ex. both papers' contents are almost identical), you will fail this course. Students must know what acts can constitute academic misconduct on their responsibility.

Advice to Students on Study and Research Methods

Textbooks

Textbooks （Frequency of Use, Note）

Reference Books

Title Author Publisher ISBN Code Comment
Race and Ethnicity: Culture, Identity and Representation (Second Edition) Spencer, Stephen Routledge 9781134086597 We will use it for several classes. Available as an e-book form.
Ethnicity and Race: Making Identities in a Changing World (Second Edition) Ethnicity and Race: Making Identities in a Changing World (Second Edition) Pine Forge Press 9781412941105 We will use as a reference text.
"Mixed-Race" Studies: A Reader "Mixed-Race" Studies: A Reader Routledge 9780203643617 Reference reading text for Week 5.
Ethnicity and Nationalism: Anthropological Perspectives Eriksen, Thomas Hylland Pluto Press 9780745330433 We will use it for several classes. Available as an e-book form.
Statehood and Self-Determination: Reconciling Tradition and Modernity in International Law French, Duncan (ed.) Cambridge University Press 9781139248952 We will use it for several classes. Available as an e-book form.
Multiculturalism in East Asia Iwabuchi, Koichi, Kim, Hyun Mee, Hsia, Hsiao-Chuan (eds.) Rowman & Littlefield Publishers 9781783484997 We will use it for the Week 11 class. Available as an e-book form.
Routledge Handbook of Ethnic Conflict Cordell, Karl, and Wolff, Stefan (eds.) Routledge 9780203845493 We will use it for several classes. Available as an e-book form.

Reference Books （Frequency of Use, Note）

You can find most of the reading texts above in the online Library databases you can avail via a VPN connection.

Web Pages for Reference

How to Communicate with the Instructor In and Out of Class(Including Instructor Contact Information)

Talk with Students

Other Comments

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