Nations and Nationalism

University of Chicago, Spring 2021, Winter 2024

What is a nation?  How do nations come into being?  What does it mean to be a part of a national group? These questions will be explored over the quarter through close readings and discussions of both classical theories of nationalism as well as the critiques that have been leveled against them.  Studying both classical and contemporary approaches to nationalism, the class will consider how scholars have grappled with the from whence and how of nationalism over time.  Over the course of the quarter, we will critique ideas of nationalism; consider the efficacy of nation and nationalism as categories of analysis; and will use cases from post-Soviet and post-socialist spaces to ground our discussions in the later part of the quarter, exploring narrative, performative, and material aspects of nationalism in the contemporary period.

ЦГА КР КФФД 0-62666

Monuments: Practice and Representation in the (post-) Soviet space and the United States

University of Chicago, Spring 2024

Twice in the last decade have there been mass removals of monuments in the United States; first in 2015-2017, and again in 2020. However, the building and removing of monuments has a long political and cultural history in the US and in other countries. In this course we will discuss the categories of monument and monumentality primarily in two geographical cases—the USA and the former Soviet Union—to consider how and why monuments are built, when they are used by political regimes and for what purpose (including when they are removed), what might be considered a monument, and how do monuments change over time? Lastly, how can understandings of monuments and monumentality help us understand ourselves, our histories, and our visions for the future? 

This course offers a variety of theories and methods for approaching monuments and monumentality, using case studies from different countries. Over the course of the semester, you will have the opportunity to build skills in cultural, historical, and visual analysis and to apply these skills toward the development of an original project.  

Historical Methods in the Social Sciences

University of Chicago, Winter 2023, Spring 2024

© Moira O’Shea

This course is designed to introduce students to the methods, theories, and problems encountered in research utilizing historical methods in the social sciences. The course pairs readings that address theoretical and ethical issues in historical methods—such as for and by whom history is written— with practical instruction in using common sources such as archives, oral histories, newspapers and non-textual evidence. Drawing from diverse readings across the social sciences, we will examine some of the ways scholars from different fields have approached problems of structure, agency, and method; in the process, we will explore the relationship between theory and methods in our own projects. Throughout the course, students will have the opportunity to practice their skills through hands-on assignments that make use of the materials at University of Chicago and beyond.