| Course Title: Special Topics in Anthropology: 'Violence and the State' |
| Start Date: 01/27/2026 End Date: 05/12/2026 |
| Term: Spring Semester 2026 |
| Description: The definition of terrorism within international law remains contested. Coined in the late 18th century, the term was initially used to refer to government by intimidation as directed and implemented by the party in power during the French Revolution. In current usage, the term is used to refer to unofficial or unauthorized use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims by non-state actors. We will examine the ways in which these contestations of definition derive from conceptions of the state as that entity which alone has monopoly over the legitimate use of violence. Our case-studies will be drawn from the Global North and the Global South. |
| Distribution(s): III - Social Sciences , MP - Multicultural Perspectives , SI - Speaking-Intensive , WI - Writing-Intensive , TP - Topics Course |
| Academic Level Of Course: Undergraduate | Credits:4.00 |
| Faculty | Phone | Email address |
| Nadia Latif | nlatif@mtholyoke.edu |
| Meeting Dates | Method | Meeting days | Meeting times | Building name | Room | Frequency |
| 01/27/2026 - 05/12/2026 | Seminar | Tuesday | 01:30PM - 04:20PM | CLAP - Clapp Laboratory | 225 | Weekly |
| Requisite Courses | ||
| Prereq: ANTHR-105 and 4 additional credits in Anthropology, Sociology, or Politics. | Take previously | Required |
| Comments |
| Additional Comments |
| Course Tags | ||
| CRPE0001 | CRPE-1: CRPE - Major Pathway/Minor | This course has been approved to count towards the CRPE major pathway and the CRPE minor. |
| NXLAR0001 | NXLAR: Nexus in Law, Public Policy, and Human Rights | This course is approved for the Law, Public Policy, and Human Rights Nexus track. |
| Cross-listed Sections |
| None |
| Course Availability | ||||
| Section status: Open | Capacity: 15 | Enrollment: 9 | Available: 6 | Waitlist: 0 |
BOOK INFORMATION
| Book List | Required | Publisher Full Price |
| Title: Imagined communities: Reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism Author: Anderson, Benedict Copyright: 2016 Edition: Volume: ISBN: 9781784786755 Publisher: Verso |
Required | 19.95 |
| Title: Imperialism: A Study of the History, Politics and Economics of the Colonial Author: Hobson, J. A. Copyright: 2018 Edition: Volume: ISBN: 9781387997572 Publisher: Adansonia Publishing |
Required | 17.98 |
| Title: Image and imperialism in the Ottoman revolutionary press, 1908-1911 Author: Brummett, Palmira Copyright: 2000 Edition: Volume: ISBN: 9780791444634 Publisher: SUNY Press |
Required | 37.95 |
| Additional Book Comments |
| This is the complete book list for this class. |