A Changing Middle East: Revolutions in Perspective
This course will examine the ongoing political and social changes in the Middle East, examining both historical and contemporary contexts that have given rise to dramatic changes (and some dramatic continuities). How are we to make sense of the many narratives that attempt to explain current events in the region? What are the historical roots for slow political mobilizations and precedents for swift changes in the legitimacy and function of ruling regimes? What have “states” and “societies” been up to over the last century that has laid the foundation for what we see today? Using primarily historiographic and ethnographic material, this course will examine multiple narratives that have been presented as explanatory frameworks, including the clash of civilizations, orientalism, and cultural evolution. What is the “Arab Spring”? How is it related to other social and political projects of the contemporary moment? What was hopeful, and is there still room to be so? What has changed and what has remained the same? The course will utilize case studies, with particular attention to Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Yemen, Israel and Palestine, Iraq and Iran.