Race, Ethnicity and Identity

The module provides an overview of issues surrounding race, ethnicity and racism, by providing a theoretical understanding of the issues and investigating recent developments in immigration, racism, and the politics of multiculturalism and integration, in Ireland, Europe and further afield.

Part I of the module ? Race and Ethnicity: A theoretical introduction ? offers a broad theoretical introduction to the questions surrounding race and racism, and examines how these issues are discussed in public life. This section explores how ideas of race and identity are constructed, and how these concepts have affected the modern world. Students will gain an overview of various approaches to 'race', an understanding of how it is reported, and learn to situate race and ethnicity within social, political and economic processes. We will examine sociological theories of race and racism, learn how to analyse media representations of race and ethnicity and investigate the concepts of multiculturalism and integration. We will discuss the impact of Islamophobia and the prevalence of colonial discourse in a globalised world. Finally, we will ask if it is possible to move 'beyond race' and look at the possibilities and the problems of anti-racism.

Part II of the module ? States, Migration and Ethnicity ? aims to promote further reflection on the interactions between states, identity, ethnicity and race. First, building on Part I, we will examine social constructions of race and racism, before investigating theories on identity and the origins of nationalism. We will then move to an exploration of how immigration is affecting contemporary West European politics and society. We will cover the topics of citizenship policies, immigrant 'integration' and the role of the state, the rise of far right parties and immigrant protests and riots. The module ends with a comparative examination of immigration in the United States and Europe.