The course aims to familiarize students with the theories concerning the formation of nation states and the rise of nationalism. It does not adopt a specific theoretical approach but presents the full range of theories, categorized into broader theoretical "approaches" (for example primordialism, modernism, and ethnosymbolism), which attempt -more or less successfully- to interpret the origin and dominance of nationalism. The course adopts a historical-analytical approach so that these theoretical perspectives can be better understood through concrete examples (Ireland, Algeria, contemporary extremist nationalism).