C0029 - STORIA E ISTITUZIONI DEI PAESI DEL MEDIO ORIENTE

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

At the end of the course, students will be able to understand the evolution of Islamic history over the centuries, from its formative phase to the present day, with particular attention to its different historical phases within an exclusively Islamic periodization. A good knowledge of European history as a prerequisite would be desirable.

 

Three weekly lessons of 2 hours each. Lectures, prezi.com slides and video documents.

Course synopsis

Part One. The topics in question will be covered during the course.

-The Arab world before the advent of Islam. Constantinople, Ctesiphon and the Near East. The Islamic “Revolution”, reality and perception.
-The Umayyad century (661-750).
-The Abbasid Caliphate (750-1258), rise, decline and fragmentation.
-The Fatimid Caliphate (909-1171), the Emirate and Umayyad Caliphate in al-Andalus (756-1031).
-The Islamic Near East and the Byzantine and Latin worlds. Islam in Iran and the Indian subcontinent.
-The Crusades, Crusaders and Muslims (1099-1291). Ayyubid rule. The Mongols and Islam. The importance and impact of the Mongol invasions on the Islamic world.
-The Egyptian Mamluks (1250-1517)
-The Sultanate of Delhi (1206-1526)

Part Two

- The Gunpowder Empires, concept and formation.
- A brief history of the Mughal Empire (1526-1858), the Safavid Empire (1501-1736) and the Ottoman Empire (1326-1922).
- Islam in Southeast Asia (13th-18th centuries)
- The concept of modernity and the Islamic world. Islam, the Renaissance and geographical discoveries, the vision of the other.
- The 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 attempts at reform, the Tanzimat (1839-1876).
- Islam and the European nation state.
- The impact of the First World War (1914-1918).
- Zionism and Israel (1897-1948). Self-determination and anti-colonialism.
- Islam and the Cold War. High hopes? (the 1990s).
- The Islamic world after 11 September 2001.

Readings/Bibliography

On of the two essays for the First Part.

-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.

oppure

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

__________

Both for the Second Part.

-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.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/178464?seq=1

The Prezi.com slides will be provided by the Prof.

 

Teaching methods

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

Assessment methods

- Intermediate written exam with open-ended questions (4 open-ended questions, 90 minutes) on Part One.

- Final oral exam on the course topics, which will assess the student's mastery of the subject matter covered during the course (20 min.).

Students will be asked to review the exam bibliography and lesson content.

The following will therefore be assessed:

- Mastery of the content and the ability to place any event or object of historical investigation in time and space.

- The ability to summarise and analyse the content.

- The ability to develop written answers to open-ended questions.

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

___________________________

In-depth mastery of the topics covered in class, excellent presentation skills and command of the specific language of the subject, together with excellent reasoning and argumentation skills on the topics covered. (28-30L).

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

Gaps in knowledge and/or inappropriate language – albeit in a context of minimal knowledge of the exam material. (18-24).

Gaps in knowledge, inappropriate language, lack of orientation within the bibliographic material. (exam failed)

Teaching tools

Bibliographic texts, pdf articles and prezi.com slides.

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is suggested that they get in touch as soon as possible with the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) and with the lecturer in order to seek together the most effective strategies for following the lessons and/or preparing for the examination. Any requests for adjustments must be made within 15 days of the date of the examination by sending an e-mail to the teacher and entering the e-mail address disabilita@unibo.it [mailto:disabilita@unibo.it] (in the case of a disabling condition) or dsa@unibo.it [mailto:dsa@unibo.it] (for students with DSA)."

Office hours

See the website of Marco Demichelis