Anthropological/Ethnographic Survey of Pre-Modern Central Asian Cultures. This course explores the rituals, oral literature, and music associated with the nomadic cultures of Central Eurasia.
The seminar covers the history of the region during the 19th and 20th centuries. It looks at how the modern historiography of modern Middle Eastern studies shaped, and was shaped by, post-colonial studies, subaltern studies, and historical perceptions of urbanity, modernity, Orientlaism, and class. The class will pay heed to the fluid and constructed nature of Arab national culture, and the terminology used by Arab nationalists concerning "revival," and "rebirth." We will explore various "golden ages" Arab nationalists envisioned, like pre-Islamic Semitic empires, the first Islamic state under the leadership of the Prophet Muhammad, the Ummayds, the Abbasids and Muslim Spain, as a way of analyzing the the constructed and temporal nature of national discourses. We will finally examine the distinction between Pan-Arab nationalism (qawmiyya), which considered Arab culture, history, and language as markers of one's national identity, and often strove for political unity with other Arab states; and territorial-patriotic nationalism (wataniyya), which hailed the national cultures of particular Arab states (Egyptian, Iraqi, Lebanese), focusing on their geography, archaeology, and history the key features of national identity.
This class compares between Iraqi and Palestinian histories. While Iraq was a strong state until the 2000s, and Palestine has yet to gain a sovereign statehood, both have much in common; both were British mandates; both maintained strong transnational relationships, and both suffered tremendously from Western intervention and modern forms of imperialism and colonization. Both Iraqis and Palestinians became radicalized in the postcolonial period and use radicalism to challenge both Arab states and Western domination in the region. We will discuss both structural similarities and actual interactions. Conceptually, we will work with ideas about nationalism, transnationalism and Diaspora and try to challenge narratives about Palestinian and/or Iraqi exceptionality.
The story of Abraham’s (near) sacrifice of his son, Isaac, found in Genesis 22:1-19, is one of the most influential and enduring stories in Western literature and art. It is part of the living tradition of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and its meaning and implications have been repeatedly explored in the communities defined by these religions, and has, in turn, helped to shape the self-perception of those communities. This course will consider the multiple perspectives from which this story has been viewed and the multiple interpretations which this story has generated, starting with its earliest incorporation into the Hebrew Bible, moving to its role in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and concluding with its influence on modern works. No knowledge of Hebrew is required.
This course explores the intellectual history of the Islamic world from the coming of Islam in the seventh century CE through the development and spread of its civilization in the middle of the tenth. (It is followed in the Winter and Spring quarters by Islamic Thought and Literature II & III). The course covers the historical events of the period in question, the emergence of Islam, and the life of Muhammad, and then moves on to explore Islamic thought and literature: scripture, theology, law, mysticism, philosophy, poetry, and belletrist prose. In addition to lectures and secondary background readings, students read and discuss samples of key primary texts, with a view to exploring Islamic civilization in the direct voices of the people who participated in its creation. All readings are provided in English translation. No prior background in the subject is required.
The Ottomans ruled in Anatolia, the Middle East, South East Europe and North Africa for over six hundred years. The objective of this course is to understand the society and culture of this bygone Empire whose legacy continues, in one way or another, in some twenty-five contemporary successor states from the Balkans to the Arabian Peninsula. The course is designed as an introduction to the Ottoman World with a focus on the cultural history of the Ottoman society. It explores identities and mentalities, customs and rituals, status of minorities, mystical orders and religious establishments, literacy and the use of the public sphere.
Radical Islamic Pieties 1200-1600
Seminar, Historical exploration of genesis and consolidation of Ottoman state, empire, 1300-1600
This course covers the period from ca. 1750-1990, surveying works of literature, theology, philosophy, politics, history, etc., originally written in Arabic, Persian and Turkish, with specific emphasis at reform and modernization efforts and response to the same.
Who are the Armenians and where do they come from? What is the cultural contribution of Armenians to their neighbors and overall world heritage? This crash-course will try to answer these and many other similar questions while surveying Armenian history and elements of culture (mythology, religion, manuscript illumination, art, architecture, etc.). It also will discuss transformations of Armenian identity and symbols of 'Armenianness' through time, based on such elements of national identity as language, religion, art, or shared history. Due to the greatest artistic quality and the transcultural nature of its monuments and artifacts, Armenia has much to offer in the field of Art History, especially when we think about global transculturation and appropriation among cultures as a result of peoples' movements and contacts. The course is recommended for students with interest in Armenian Studies or related fields, in Area or Civilizations Studies, Art and Cultural Studies, etc.
