At the end of this course:
- You will be able to summarize selected academic debates from the field of conflict studies, and exemplify, compare, and criticize the different positions taken in those debates –notably on state-centred versus global perspectives on violent conflict; on geographical and international relations perspectives; on the meaning and role of identity in conflict; on economic versus political explanations of conflict; on the process of state formation; on democratization; and on violence– and explain how different perspectives in those debates describe the origins, nature and development of (violent) conflict.
- Notably, you will be able to recognize and question how different theoretical perspectives within those debates are the product of the academic or socio-political context in which they have emerged, and typify the ontological/epistemological assumptions on which they base their claims.
- You will be able to apply the theoretical perspectives discussed to particular countries and cases of (violent) conflict, and evaluate the explanatory value as well as shortcoming of those different theoretical perspectives regarding this particular country or case.
- Consequently, you will be able to critically assess the debates concerned. You will be capable to evaluate progress made in the interdisciplinary field of conflict studies and identify questions and topics that need further exploration.
- You will be able recognize and reflect on your own ontological and epistemological assumptions and how these might have changed during the course, and what this implies in terms of the questions you pose about conflict and the way you collect data.
- You will be capable to present your reflections in concise, written form, in such a way that your reflections could, for instance, serve to advise policy makers and development practitioners, could help to define promising questions for future research, or could form part of the introduction of a master thesis.
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The academic literature offers a variety of theoretical perspectives on the causes and dynamics of contemporary conflicts. These theories focus on different dimensions of conflict, such as the political, the economic or the social. They look for explanations either in structural factors or in the strategies of key actors; they also look at different levels, from the local to the global. Theories rarely give conclusive answers and give rise to much debate. Do conflicts originate from greed or grievance? Does democratization bring peace? Are ethnic differences a root cause of conflict or instead an instrument for mobilizing people? In this course we try to understand how theories differ and why the theoretical perspective matters for the study of conflicts. Students will learn to position themselves in the theoretical debates and will practice using theoretical perspectives to analyse particular conflicts.
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| Weekly essays/assignments and final paper. Partial results from previous year stay valid. |
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| This course is part of the master-tracks 'Conflict, Territories and Identities' and 'Conflict, Power & Politics'. Students from other programmes are kindly asked to consult with the course coordinator about possibilities to join the course. |
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