04365 - History of Islamic Countries

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students will be able to recognise the different historical ‘periodisations’ of the Arab-Islamic world, from the 6th century to contemporary times, acquiring the methodological tools to grasp and analyse the interaction between historical events, geography and international politics. The use of archival, archaeological and literary sources will be extensively used throughout the course.

Course contents

Three lectures per week of 2 hours. Lecture, prezi.com slides and video documents.

 

Course Synopsis

Part 1. The following topics will be covered during the course. The Arab world before the advent of Islam. Rome and the Near East. The Islamic ‘Revolution’, reality and perception. The Umayyad century (661-750). The Abbassid Caliphate (750-1258), rise, decline and fragmentation. The Fatimid Caliphate (909-1171), the emirate and Umayyad Caliphate in al-Andalus. The Islamic Near East and the Byzantine and Latin worlds. Islam in Iran and the Indian subcontinent. Crusades, Crusaders and Muslims (1099-1291). The Mongols and Islam. The Sultanate of Delhi (1206-1526)

Part Two. The Gunpowder Empires, concept and formation. Brief history of the Mughal (1526-1858), Safavid (1501-1736) and Ottoman (1326-1922) empires. The concept of Modernity and the Islamic world. Islam, Renaissance and geographical discoveries, the vision of the other. Ottoman world and modern Europe. Pre-colonialism and Colonialism, the global economy and the Islamic world. Napoleon and Egypt, a paradigmatic event (1798) ? Reforms and attempted reforms, the Tanzimats (1839-1876). Islam and the European nation state. The impact of the First World War (1914-1918). Zionism and Israel. Self-determination and anti-colonialism. Islam and the Cold War. Great Expectations ? (the 1990s). The post-9/11 Islamic world.

Readings/Bibliography

-Jo Van Steenbergen, A History of the Islamic World 600-1800. Empire, dynastic formation and Heterogeneities in pre-Modern Islamic West Asia, London: Routledge, 2021,

traduzione in lingua italiana pubblicata da Morcelliana.

-Tim Mackintosh Smith, Gli Arabi. 3000 anni di storia di popoli, tribù e imperi, Torino: Einaudi, 2022. da “Rinascita, 1800-Oggi.”

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-Campanini M. Storia del Medio Oriente, Bologna: Il Mulino, ultima edizione.

-Ch. Issawi, Europe, the Middle East and the Shift in Power: Reflections on a theme by Marshall Hodgson, Comparative studies in society and History 22/4, 1980, pp. 487-504.

Teaching methods

Lectures, prezi.com platform slides, video and docu-film.

Assessment methods

- Written open-ended intermediate examination.

- Final oral question on the course topics in which the student's mastery of the subject matter covered during the course will be assessed.

 

The student will be invited to discuss the examination bibliography and the contents of the lectures.

The following will then be assessed:

- The mastery of the contents and the ability to place any event or object of historical investigation in time and space.

- The ability to synthesise and analyse in relation to the content.

- The ability to elaborate short written answers on open questions.

- The ability to express oneself adequately and in the specific language of the subject matter.

 

A thorough mastery of the topics dealt with in the lessons, an excellent expository capacity and control of the specific language of the subject together with an excellent capacity for reasoning and argumentation of the topics dealt with. (28-30L).

Mnemonic knowledge of the subject, ability to summarise and analyse articulated in correct but not always appropriate language, poor analytical and reasoning capacity. (25-27).

Formative deficiencies and/or inappropriate language - albeit in the context of minimal knowledge of examination material. (18-24).

Formative deficiencies, inappropriate language, lack of orientation within the bibliographic material. (failed examination)

Teaching tools

Bibliographic texts, pdf articles and prezi.com slides.

Office hours

See the website of Marco Demichelis