MA Course

Identity Based Conflict

An Master's-level course offered by Saint Paul University on how "who we are" impacts what conflicts we enter and why.
Historically, the field of peace and conflict studies has focused on how power, resources and states have impacted conflict onset, intensity and duration.

Since the end of the Cold War, however, a new framework has emerged: identity.
In this twelve-week class, instructor Rohee Dasgupta unpacks a wide range of theoretical frameworks and case studies to help participants understand the dynamics of religious and ethnic conflicts.

We will look at these intersect with other identity signifiers, and other factors in general, to result in conflicts ranging from the cultural disputes to civil war. Along the way, we will look at specific dynamics that may emerge within identity-based conflicts, like ethnonationalism, genocide or a reliance on historical narratives.

Each page was written using notes from each lecture. Many of the lectures began with a student presentation on a case study (often related to that day's theme), and additional readings are listed below.
Understanding
Identity Politics
The term "identity politics" is used often,
but what does it actually imply? Rohee Dasgupta shares on how identity can affect conflict and how conflict can affect identity.
Read
Conflict Theories
and Collective Identity
Different theorists have developed explanations of how identity works and how it interacts with other conflict dynamics. In this lecture, the roots of identity formation are discussed as well as what makes identity-based conflicts unique.
Read

Core Classes

Memory and Historical Narratives
Rohee Dasgupta talks about how diverging ideas of history can drive identity-based conflicts.
Religious and Ethnic Nationalism
Rohee Dasgupta describes the complex relationship between religion, ethnicity, belonging and violence.
Leaders, Genocide and Censorship
Rohee Dasgupta describes how charismatic leaders contribute to identity conflicts, sometimes to the point of censorship or genocide.

Conflict Dynamics

Religion, Law and the Public Sphere
Rohee Dasgupta highlights the difficulties of bridging religious and political interests in the spheres of law and governance.
Gender and Conflict
Rohee Dasgupta explores how identity markers like gender can create entirely different experiences of conflict.
The Politics of Space
Rohee Dasgupta explores the intersection of identity, land and how competing claims over each leads to violence.

Post-Conflict Reconstruction

Reconciliation and Dialogue
Rohee Dasgupta speaks to the need for communities to find healing for division in the face of war and structural violence.
Transitional Justice
Rohee Dasgupta shares different perspectives on identity and how it can be be used to generate conflict.
Conflict Management
Rohee Dasgupta discusses the nuances, and often the compromises, that identity brings to the conflict management process.
The Limits of Identity
While identity has emerged as an increasingly relevant topic of study for researchers and policy makers, it cannot explain violence in and of itself.

What are the limits to studying identity and violence, and what other factors are important to take into consideration?
Read

Final Paper: Ideological Identity and Conflict

Two versions of the final course paper
in an academic (first) and a more accessible format (second)
Ideology, Identity and Threat
Josh Nadeau describes why it's important to understand the effects of ideological identity dynamics on dialogue processes
Ideological Identities: A Barrier to Dialogue?
Josh Nadeau describes why it's important to understand how ideological identities complicate dialogue.
Rohee Dasgupta teaches conflict studies at St. Paul University; her research interests include identity, cosmopolitanism, security and anthropology.

Josh Nadeau is a freelance writer and dialogue practitioner.
He studied identity-based conflict at St. Paul University in 2021.
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