81963 - Narratives of Others and the Self in Arab Culture (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course students will have acquired a varied set of tools for proper linguistic analysis, historical contextualisation and critical deconstruction of narratives and representations connected to the issues of « identity » and « otherness » produced within the Arab World. Students will be able do demonstrate awareness of inner diversity and multiplicity of the complex cultural construction usually referred to as « the Arab World », thus fighting stereotyped and oversimplified representations from both « outside » and « inside » that world ; moreover they will acquire awareness of the ideological implications of notions of « other » and « self » and of the rhetorical strategies put in motion in order to affirm a certain « version » of such notions in a certain social and cultural context.

Course contents

Images of Africans in Medieval Arab Culture.

This course will focus on the main trends in social representations on Africans in Medieval Arab Culture, on the grounds of a varied range of geo-ethnographic, historiographical, religious, biographical, hagiographical sources, spanning from 9th to 16th centuries C.E. In this framework, special attention will be paid to different theories on the origins of phenotypical diversity among the human beings, on the background of the fundamental opposition "Hamitic hypothesis"(explaining blackness as the effect of Noah's curse on his son Ham) vs. "climatic hypothesis" (explaining blackness, and phenotypical diversity in general, as the product of climatic conditions). The connection between representations on "Blackness" and "enslavability" theories will also be taken into account. Also, a special "case study" will be proposed, concerning different representations on Shaykh Yaqut al-Habashi (d. 732/1332), traditionally described as an Ethiopian Black slave who became a Muslim saint and a Sufi master in Early Mamluk Alexandria.

In particular, the following items will be specially analyzed:

1) the main trends in representation and "classification" of African peoples and the territories they inhabit;

2) different "explanations" proposed by Arab authors regarding the phenotypic diversity among the peoples of the Earth, with particular attention to the debate on the origin of "black" color (Noah's Curse on Cam or climatic and geographical causes);

3) theories on alleged implications of phenotypic diversity, and particularly of "black color" on the ethical, religious and socio-political level, with particular attention to the representations of the relationship between Islam and African cultures and the related ideological justifications Slavery and military expansionism;

4) the special and complex position that most Muslim intellectuals gave to the peoples of Ethiopia (Habasha) within the framework of African populations.

5) different historiographic traditions on Shaykh Yaqut al-Habashi (d. 732/1332).

Main primary Arabic sources that will be analyzed in classroom:

SAFI AL-DIN IBN ABI L-MANSUR (d. 1283): Risalat Safi al-Din Ibn Abi l-Mansur. Tahqiq wa-tarjama Denis Gril, Le Caire: Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale (IFAO): 1986, ff. 87-90b (An oral English Translation will be provided by the Teacher).

IBN ʿATA’ ALLAH AL-ISKANDARI (d. 1309): Laṭā’if al-minan, ed. by Khalīl al-Manṣūr, Beyrut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿilmiyya, 2004, p. 98 (An oral English Translation will be provided by the Teacher).

PROVISIONAL WEEKLY SCHEDULE

Week 1:

a) General Presentation of the Course

b) Context Analysis (Survey of the Students' preliminary knowledge concerning the main topics of the course, in order to assess specific individual educational needs as weel as to discuss each student's potential contribution in shared activities)

c) Theoretical introduction 1 : "Representing Others, Defining Self and Making History" (Suggested Preliminary Readings: SAID 1975, NORA 1989, BURUMA & MARGALIT 2005).

Week 2

a) Theoretical introduction 2: "Others and Self in Medieval Arab Culture" . Some general Remarks. (Suggested Preliminary Readings: FARIAS 1975).

b) Theoretical Introduction 3: "A Phenomenology of Slavery" (Suggested Preliminary Readings : PATTERSON 1982).

Week 3:

On the notion of Africans in Medieval Arabic Literature. A General Survey

(Suggested Preliminary Readings : ABKAR 1985, CUOQ 1975 Introduction and suggested sections as in Bibliography, GOLDENBERG 2003)

Week 4:

Blackness and Slavery in Medieval Arab Culture and Society (Suggested Preliminary Readings: WILLIS 1985, SERSEN 1985, CRAIG 2014).

Week 5:

a) Two case studies. Shaykh Mufarrij and Shaykh Yaqut al-Habashi as Black Slaves Turned into Muslim Saints. (Suggested Preliminary Readings: CECERE, Forthcoming. A not-to-be-circulated copy will be handed out to Students during Week 3 ).

b) Some Final Remarks

Readings/Bibliography

1) Compulsory Readings for both Attending and Non-Attending Students:

 

Studies

ABKAR, Muhammad, "The Image of Africans in Arabic Literature:Some Unpublished Manuscripts". In Slaves and Slavery in Muslim Africa. Volume I. Islam and the Ideology of Enslavement, Edited with an Introduction by John Ralph Willis, Princenton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1985, p. 47-74.

CECERE, Giuseppe, « From Ethiopian Slave to Alexandrian Sufi Master. Yaqut al-Habashi in Mamluk and Ottoman Sources», North Eastern African Review (special issue directed by Julien Loiseau), Forthcoming.

FARIAS, Paulo Fernando de Moraes, "Models of the World and Categorial Models: The 'Enslavable Barbarian' as a Mobile Classificatory Label". In Slaves and Slavery in Muslim Africa.Volume I. Islam and the Ideology of Enslavement, Edited with an Introduction by John Ralph Willis, Princenton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1985, p. 27-46.

GOLDENBERG, 2003. The Curse of Ham: Race and Slavery in Early Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Princenton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2003 (INTRODUCTION only).

NORA, Pierre, 1989. "Between Memory and History: Les Lieux de Mémoire". Representations 26 (Spring, 1989), Special Issue: Memory and Counter-Memory, p. 7-24.

WILLIS, John Ralph, "The Ideology of Enslavement in Islam". In Slaves and Slavery in Muslim Africa. Volume I. Islam and the Ideology of Enslavement, Edited with an Introduction by John Ralph Willis, Princenton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1985, p. 1-15.

2) Compulsory Additional Biblography for Non-Attending Students:

In addition to the abovementioned texts, students that do not attend at least 50% of the lessons will have to choose one of the following volumes:

BURUMA, Ian, and MARGALIT, Avishai, 2005. Occidentalism: The West in the Eyes of Its Enemies. New York: Penguin Books. (The whole book).

CUOQ, Joseph, 1975. Recueil des sources arabes concernant l'Afrique occidentale du VIIIe au XVIe siècle : Bilād al-Sūdān. Traduction et notes par Joseph M. Cuoq ; préface de Raymond Mauny. Introduction only.

PATTERSON, Orlando, 1982. Slavery and Social Death: A Comparative Study.Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 1982.

PERRY, Craig, 2014. The Daily Life of Slaves and the Global Reach of Slavery in Medieval Egypt, 969-1250 CE. An abstract of a dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the James T. Laney School of Graduate Studies of Emory University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History 2014

SAID, Edward W., 1978. Orientalism. New York: Pantheon Books, 1978 (First Edition). (The whole book).

SERSEN 1985: William John Sersen, “Stereotypes and Attitudes Towards Slaves in Arabic Proverbs: a Preliminary View”, in John Ralph Willis (ed.), Slaves and Slaves in Muslim Africa.
Volume One: Islam and the Ideology of Enslavement, London: Frank Cass, 1985, p. 92-105.

3) Suggested Preliminary Readings for Students Intending to Attend the Course

BURUMA, Ian, and MARGALIT, Avishai, 2005. Occidentalism: The West in the Eyes of Its Enemies. New York: Penguin Books (The whole book).

CUOQ, Joseph, 1975. Recueil des sources arabes concernant l'Afrique occidentale du VIIIe au XVIe siècle : Bilād al-Sūdān. Traduction et notes par Joseph M. Cuoq ; préface de Raymond Mauny. Paris: Éditions du Centre national de la recherche scientifique. 1975. Introduction only.

PATTERSON, Orlando, 1982. Slavery and Social Death: A Comparative Study. Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 1982.

PERRY, Craig, 2014. The Daily Life of Slaves and the Global Reach of Slavery in Medieval Egypt, 969-1250 CE. An abstract of a dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the James T. Laney School of Graduate Studies of Emory University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History 2014

SAID, Edward W., 1978. Orientalism. New York: Pantheon Books, 1978 (First Edition). (The whole book).

SERSEN 1985: William John Sersen, “Stereotypes and Attitudes Towards Slaves in Arabic Proverbs: a Preliminary View”, in John Ralph Willis (ed.), Slaves and Slaves in Muslim Africa.
Volume One: Islam and the Ideology of Enslavement, London: Frank Cass, 1985, p. 92-105

Teaching methods

The course consists mainly of lectures. However, part of the classwork will be specially devoted to foster the students' direct involvement. In particular, individual or groups of students will be encouraged to organize oral presentations in classroom, concerning specific historical and ideological issues and / or translation of texts previously agreed upon with the teacher

Assessment methods

The final exam consists of an oral test. The activities that students will carry out during the course (either in class or individually) will also be evaluated and they will matter for the formation of the final judgment

The oral exam will assess the student's command of the material studied in the course. The student will be judged on his/her ability to summarise and critically discuss topics raised in the course, making use of the exam bibliography and the course tools provided.

The assessment will thus consider the student's:
- competence in commenting on sources and contextualizing them;
- knowledge and understanding of the topics covered;
- ability to summarise and analyse themes and concepts;
- familiarity with the terminology associated with the subject and his ability to use it effectively.

Top marks will be awarded to a student displaying an overall understanding of the topics discussed during the lectures, combined with a critical approach to the material and a confident and effective use of the appropriate terminology

Average marks will be awarded to a student who has memorized the main points of the material and is able to summarise them satisfactorily and provide an effective critical commentary, while failing to display a complete command of the appropriate terminology.

A student will be deemed to have failed the exam if he/she displays significant errors in his understanding and failure to grasp the overall outlines of the subject, together with a poor command of the appropriate terminology.

Teaching tools

References provided in the Course Bibliography will be integrated with a wide range of other tools, mostly relying on Arabic sources (audiovisual, press, literary texts, as well as religious, legal, economic and political texts).

Office hours

See the website of Giuseppe Cecere