▼ In my thesis I undertake a comparative analysis of two recent secessions, one in the Balkans and the other in the North Caucasus. Specifically, I examine the events of the year 2008 and proclamations of independence by two regions: first by Kosovo in February and then by South Ossetia in August. The thesis also analyzes the precursors for the creation of secession movements, as well as the events of the last decade of the 20-th century. The central finding of this thesis is that the widely-claimed "sui-generis" argument is hardly applicable to Kosovo, as this region lacks uniqeness in many key aspects. Advisors/Committee Members: Papacosma, Victor.

▼ A succession of French governments, reacting to the more recent widespread social, political, and economic changes that to some are threats to the very idea of what being “French” means, have increasingly taken a harsh stance against perceived attempts by immigrants – mostly North African and Muslim in origin – to identify with their religious or ethnic heritages before identifying with the French nation. Those defending the French nation espouse a universalist, nation-centered approach where no one is defined outside of their Frenchness. This paper argues that recent successful attempts to ban religious symbols in French public schools(in 2004) and the burqa/niqab (in 2010) in all areas of the public domain can be seen as attempts to defend this universalist doctrine against efforts towards multiculturalist integration models where various groups (religious, ethnic, etc.) are recognized as legitimate (such as in the United States). However, as this thesis also argues, these threats are largely false perceptions on the part of the French state. Immigrants of Muslim origin overwhelmingly support the French state and moreover have no qualms about becoming fully integrated into the French way of life. Youth violence and crime in run-down suburban areas (called banlieues)increase this perception that immigrants of Muslim origin do not want to assimilate into French society, where the reality is, greater efforts toward the socioeconomic integration of these immigrants (in schools, employment, and living standards) are all that is missing from these immigrants becoming fully French. Unfortunately, French leaders continue to focus on cultural symbols of division among immigrants of Muslim origin(such as the hijab or the burqa/niqab) rather than the myriad of rather glaring socioeconomic issues affecting this population Advisors/Committee Members: Kemp, Matthew.

▼ This study examines the affects of colonialism on modern political development in Mexico and Venezuela. I particularly focus on the connection between elite collective identity formation during colonization and the dominant executive offices in the post-colonial era. This research finds that the post-colonial elite, whose entrenched collective identity determined the socio-political hierarchy, developed a strong, centralized executive branch in order to keep the established hierarchy intact. Furthermore, I argue that this specific legacy of colonialism is still relevant to the political development of Mexico and Venezuela today in that both countries have vestiges of colonial identity structures reflected in their political institutions. Advisors/Committee Members: Mazzei, Julie.