94473 - Contemporary History of North Africa and Middle East

Learning outcomes

The course focuses on the regions of the Middle East and North Africa in the 20th and 21st centuries. It takes a historical approach to examining the nature of political authority, the complex relationship between Islam and politics during the profound secularization of the 20th century, and the successive resurgence of religious themes in national and global politics. The course also aims to examine the challenges of democracy, the legacy of the past in national and transnational belonging, and the founding of political institutions in the MENA region, with an emphasis on the post-Cold War context. By the end of the course, students will have acquired knowledge of the contemporary history of these regions, focusing on social, economic and political issues and the main theories and concepts concerning the formation of contemporary Arab states.

Course contents

The course will be structured around four main sections: first, a contextual section that sets the scene for the rest of the course, focusing on the fall of the Ottoman Empire, which gives the region its current shape. We then move on to a second section devoted to the struggle for decolonization and the related issues of nationalism, religion and development. Here, we focus on two fundamental conflicts that will structure the entire region: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Cold War. Thirdly, we examine two trends that have shaped the region from the 1980s to the present day: the rise of political Islam and globalization. Finally, we conclude the course with a section on the protest movements that shook the region (Arab Spring, Gezi), as well as the migration issue. Each section will enable students to acquire both an in-depth knowledge of the history of a number of selected countries, and an understanding of the regional and global dynamics in which these histories are embedded.

Part I: The fall of the Ottoman Empire and the invention of the Middle East

Part Two: Anti-colonial struggles: nationalism, religion and development.

Part Three: Political Islam and globalization.

Part Four: Protest movements and migration crises.

Readings/Bibliography

Achcar, Gilbert. 2003. L’Orient incandescent : L’islam, l’Afghanistan, la Palestine: Le Moyen-Orient au miroir marxiste. Lausanne: Page 2 Editions. (extraits)

———. 2017. Le choc des barbaries : terrorismes et désordre mondial. Saint-Joseph-du-Lac, Québec : Paris: M-EDITEUR. (extraits)

———. 2017. Symptômes Morbides: La Rechute Du Soulèvement Arabe (Trad. de l’anglais par Julien Salingue), Paris, Sindbad-Actes Sud. (extraits)

Amin, Samir. 2015. Le monde arabe dans la longue durée: Le “printemps” arabe ? Enlarged édition. Montreuil: Le Temps des Cerises. (extraits)

Chomsky, Noam, and Gilbert Achcar. 2007. La poudrière du Moyen-Orient. Paris: Fayard. (extraits)

Dieckhoff, Alain. 2022. Israël-Palestine : une guerre sans fin? - 2e édition. Paris: Armand Colin. (extraits)

Gellner, Ernest. 1989. Nations et nationalisme. Paris: Payot. (extraits)

Lewis, Bernard. 2005. Islam et laïcité. Fayard. (extraits)

Prashad, Vijay, Omar Benderra, and Marianne Champagne. 2019. Une histoire politique du tiers-monde. Editions Ecosociété. (extraits)

Rodinson, Maxime. 1966. Islam et Capitalisme. Paris: Seuil. (extraits)

———. 2014. L’Islam, politique et croyance. Fayard. (extraits)

Rodinson, Maxime, and Quadrige. 2002. Les Arabes. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France - PUF. (extraits)

Roy, Olivier. 2016. L’Echec de l’Islam politique. Média Diffusion. (extraits)

Teaching methods

This seminar consists of lectures. Active participation is strongly encouraged.

Assessment methods

For attending students:
- An intermediate written test (at the end of the second part) consisting of an essay (50%).
- A research paper on a question defined by the student. The final essay will be written in the examination room (50%).

For distance learning students:
- An intermediate written test (at the end of the second part) consisting of an essay (50%).
- A final oral exam on the reading list (50%).

 

The ability of the student to achieve a coherent and comprehensive understanding of the topics addressed by the course, to critically assess them and to use an appropriate language will be evaluated with the highest grades (A = 27-30 con lode).

A predominantly mnemonic acquisition of the course's contents together with gaps and deficiencies in terms of language, critical and/or logical skills will result in grades ranging from good (B = 24-26) to satisfactory (C = 21-23).

A low level of knowledge of the course’s contents together with gaps and deficiencies in terms of language, critical and/or logical skills will be considered as ‘barely passing' (D = 18-20) or result in a failing grade (F).

Teaching tools

Students with a form of disability or specific learning disabilities (DSA) who are requesting academic adjustments or compensatory tools are invited to communicate their needs to the teaching staff in order to properly address them and agree on the appropriate measures with the competent bodies.

Office hours

See the website of Antoine Pierre Charles Dolcerocca