Papers by Jessica Mahlbacher
Social Movement Studies
An interactive approach to social movements highlights time dynamics in ways more correlational a... more An interactive approach to social movements highlights time dynamics in ways more correlational approaches do not, in that interaction and outcomes unfold in sequences as players react to one another. Some aspects of these engagements are shaped by institutional schedules, while others leave discretion to the players. Some institutional schedules, meanwhile, may be reshaped by strategic interactions. By examining the implicit trade-offs and explicit dilemmas that pervade strategic interaction, we see how some are tightly linked to time whereas others more closely reflect ongoing structural situations. Analyzing the case of participatory budgeting in New York City, we focus on two trade-offs, ‘being there’ and ‘powerful allies’, that appear when social movements attempt to institutionalize new policies and processes. These time-based strategic trade-offs complicate activists’ efforts to secure lasting gains.
Teaching Documents by Jessica Mahlbacher
Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:45-12:00 (room B-Vert 11-120) Course description: The goal of this cour... more Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:45-12:00 (room B-Vert 11-120) Course description: The goal of this course is to introduce and critically discuss questions, processes, and ideas that are central to the study of globalization. Due to transnational movements of people, goods, capital, information, and ideas, state borders have become increasingly permeable, and politics no longer takes place simply in and through the state but beyond its borders and through new political actors. International integration has implications for both the international order and the global integration. It simultaneously leads new forms of political identification and entrenches some older ones. In this seminar, we will examine works that describe how the processes of globalization have changed in form over the course of the 20 th and 21 st century. The course will also examine globalization from an agentful perspective, as mechanisms that are desirable to some political networks while disadvantageous to others. We will also investigate how changes in global capitalist structures, international institutions, and non-governmental organizations affect state sovereignty and national policy-making. Finally, we will critically engage with citizenship, nationalism, and contemporary debates about "foreign influence" and the degree to which major world powers can influence domestic political structures.
China’s rapid economic growth and increasing political influence has caused great fascination wit... more China’s rapid economic growth and increasing political influence has caused great fascination within political science. The politics of China invites us to re-evaluate many existing concepts and theories that have been focused on the Western political experience. This includes theories of revolution, contentious politics, economic development, and state-society relations. This course consists of four sections. In the first section, students will gain a fundamental knowledge of the modern political history of China. Based on institutional and historical analysis, students will examine modern China on its own terms. Then, in the second section, students will investigate the political dynamics of contemporary China’s institutions of governance. In the third section, we will examine China’s periphery, which holds some of the greatest challenges for China’s future. Finally, we examine several areas of political change within China from a comparative perspective, drawing on the theories and concepts at the cutting-edge of academic research.
Syllabus, 2020
Course Description: Nationalism and ethnic conflict are among the defining phenomena of contempor... more Course Description: Nationalism and ethnic conflict are among the defining phenomena of contemporary times. The politics of identity contributes to the turmoil all over the world, including Asia, the European Union, and the United States. It also affects the global refugee crisis, the rise of populist authoritarian leaders in many parts of the world, and escalating tensions between countries, such as the growing tension between China and the United States. Yet our understanding of these phenomena remains contested, if not elusive. What explains the power of nationalist identification? Where is the nation's homeland? What determines who is part of "us", rather than "them"? What collective mission does invoking the nation and the ethnic group accomplish? What are the causes of nationalist and ethnic conflict, and what might be viable remedies? These and other questions of nationalism and national identity are at the heart of inter-and intra-national conflict around the world. This course will unpack key concepts and examine cases from all over the world. The first part of the course defines the contours of ethnic and nationalist identification, and compares them to other forms of identification, including class, populist ideology, gender, and religion. The second part of the course then examines theoretical causes of nationalism identified by the literature and maps those theories onto two in depth case studies. Finally, we will then examine efforts to resolve ethnic and nationalist tensions, and the role of the international community in facilitating the success or failure of those efforts. Course Goals 1. To identify and apply key concepts surrounding the politics of identity and violence. 2. To be able to cogently discuss the ongoing scholarly debates about the explanations of ethnic conflict and nationalist promotion. 3. To be able to analyze the causes of ethnic and nationalist conflict across contexts, as well as compare conflicts across the globe.
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Papers by Jessica Mahlbacher
Teaching Documents by Jessica Mahlbacher