In our introductory lecture, Dr. Kaufmann covers the distinctions between ethnic groups, nations, and states, examining their key characteristics and interrelationships. We see how ethnic groups are defined by subjective beliefs in common ancestry and shared cultural markers, while nations are territorial political communities, and states are political units with monopoly over force in a defined territory. Finally, Dr. Kaufmann highlights the ongoing dialectic between cultural and political forces in shaping national identity.

In lecture two, we examine the historical formation of ethnic groups, tracing how small face-to-face groups evolve into large imagined communities through integration, differentiation, and growing cultural consciousness. We explore the debate between ethnosymbolists, who see ethnic identities as rooted in premodern history, and modernists, who view them as modern constructions shaped by political elites. The lecture concludes by considering how written records, religious distinctiveness, intellectual leadership, and scale sustain ethnic identities over time.

In lecture three, we analyze competing theories of nationalism and ethnicity, focusing on three main schools of thought: instrumentalism/modernism, ethnosymbolism, and primordialism. The lecture examines when nations historically emerged and what motivates nationalism, contrasting modernist views that emphasize political and economic factors with ethnosymbolist perspectives that stress cultural and historical attachments. We examine key works from leading scholars in the field, discussing how these different theoretical approaches explain the formation and persistence of national identity.