The course examines the historical and political trajectory of the Middle East and North Africa from the Colonial Era until today. A particular focus will be on the post-colonial era. Among the topics covered there will be: The debate on Orientalism; State formation, the role of ideologies (both secular and religious) in the shaping of the region, the intra-regional and international relations of the Region and the so-called ‘Arab Spring’.
scheda docente
materiale didattico
The course examines the historical and political trajectory of the Middle East and North Africa from the Colonial Era until today. The students will be introduced to the debate on Orientalism, its role in the colonial era, and its relevance until today. A particular focus will be on the post-colonial era. Among the topics covered there will be: State formation, the role of ideologies (both secular and religious) in the shaping of the region, the intra-regional and international relations of the Region and the so-called ‘Arab Spring’. Students are expected to actively participate to the course.
All the available teaching materials, the announcements and all that is related to this course will be posted on the course webpage (https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-SU_oOYtEuo5xuBrjJtoSwfxcwUEK7AW).
R. Owen, State, Power and Politics in the Making of the Modern Middle East, Routledge: London & New York: 2004.
J. Chalcraft, “The Arab Uprisings of 2011 in Historical Perspective” in The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Middle-Eastern and North African History, 2016 (available as a pdf file on the course website).
G. Achcar, “The Seasons after the Arab Spring”, Le Monde Diplomatique, June 2019 (available as a pdf file on the course website).
One of the following:
G. Achcar, The People Want. A Radical Exploration of the Arab Uprising, London: Saqi, 2013.
G. Achcar, Morbid Symptoms. Relapse in the Arab Uprisings, London: Saqi, 2016.
L. Anceschi, G. Gervasio & A. Teti (eds), Informal Power in the Greater Middle East. Hidden Geographies, London: Routledge, 2014 & 2016.
M. Aouragh & H. Hamouchene (eds), The Arab Uprisings. A Decade of Struggles, TNI & RLS, 2021, available online at: The Arab uprisings: A decade of struggles - Longreads
A. Bayat, Revolution without Revolutionaries: Making Sense of the Arab Spring, Stanford: Stanford UP, 2017.
A. Bayat, Revolutionary Life. The Everyday of the Arab Spring, Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 2021
F. Cavatorta & L. Storm (eds), Political Parties in the Arab World: Continuity and Change, Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP, 2018.
S. Cook, False Dawn: Protest, Democracy, and Violence in the New Middle East, Oxford: Oxford UP, 2017.
Corrao FM - Redaelli R (eds), States, Actors and Geopolitical Drivers in the Mediterranean. Perspectives on the New Centrality in a Changing Region, PalgraveMacMillan, 2021.
F. A. Gerges, ISIS: A History, Princeton: Princeton UP, 2017.
Sune Haugbolle and Mark LeVine (eds.), Altered States: The Remaking of the Political in the Arab World, London, Routledge, 2022.
Marc Owen Jones, Digital Authoritarianism in the Middle East: Deception, Disinformation and Social Media, Hurst/Oxford University Press, 2022.
A. Khalil (ed), Gender, Women and the Arab Spring, London & NY: Routledge, 2015.
H. Kraetzschmar & P. Rivetti (eds), Islamists and the Politics of the Arab Uprisings: Governance, Pluralisation and Contention, Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP, 2018.
Mark LeVine, We'll Play till We Die: Journeys across a Decade of Revolutionary Music in the Muslim World, University of California Press, 2022.
Shamiran Mako and Valentine M. Moghadam, After the Arab Uprisings: Progress and Stagnation in the Middle East and North Africa, Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 2021.
R. Owen, The Rise and Fall of Arab Presidents for Life, Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 2014.
J. Saab (ed.), A region in revolt: Mapping the recent uprisings in North Africa and West Asia, Ottawa: Daraja Press, 2020.
R. Stephan and Mounira M. Charrad (eds), Women Rising: In and Beyond the Arab Spring: New York, New York University Press, 2020.
I. Szmolka (ed.), Political Change in the Middle East and North Africa: After the Arab Spring, Edinburgh, Edinburgh UP, 2017.
Ch. Tripp, The Power and the People: Paths of Resistance in the Middle East, Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2013.
IMPORTANT! Students without any prior knowledge of the History of the MENA, must read one of the following textbooks:
W. Cleveland & M. Bunton, A History of the Modern Middle East, Boulder: Westview Press, 2016,
Betty Anderson, A History of the Modern Middle East, Stanford: Stanford UP, 2016.
Programma
(insegnamento tenuto in inglese)The course examines the historical and political trajectory of the Middle East and North Africa from the Colonial Era until today. The students will be introduced to the debate on Orientalism, its role in the colonial era, and its relevance until today. A particular focus will be on the post-colonial era. Among the topics covered there will be: State formation, the role of ideologies (both secular and religious) in the shaping of the region, the intra-regional and international relations of the Region and the so-called ‘Arab Spring’. Students are expected to actively participate to the course.
All the available teaching materials, the announcements and all that is related to this course will be posted on the course webpage (https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-SU_oOYtEuo5xuBrjJtoSwfxcwUEK7AW).
Testi Adottati
REQUIRED READINGS:R. Owen, State, Power and Politics in the Making of the Modern Middle East, Routledge: London & New York: 2004.
J. Chalcraft, “The Arab Uprisings of 2011 in Historical Perspective” in The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Middle-Eastern and North African History, 2016 (available as a pdf file on the course website).
G. Achcar, “The Seasons after the Arab Spring”, Le Monde Diplomatique, June 2019 (available as a pdf file on the course website).
One of the following:
G. Achcar, The People Want. A Radical Exploration of the Arab Uprising, London: Saqi, 2013.
G. Achcar, Morbid Symptoms. Relapse in the Arab Uprisings, London: Saqi, 2016.
L. Anceschi, G. Gervasio & A. Teti (eds), Informal Power in the Greater Middle East. Hidden Geographies, London: Routledge, 2014 & 2016.
M. Aouragh & H. Hamouchene (eds), The Arab Uprisings. A Decade of Struggles, TNI & RLS, 2021, available online at: The Arab uprisings: A decade of struggles - Longreads
A. Bayat, Revolution without Revolutionaries: Making Sense of the Arab Spring, Stanford: Stanford UP, 2017.
A. Bayat, Revolutionary Life. The Everyday of the Arab Spring, Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 2021
F. Cavatorta & L. Storm (eds), Political Parties in the Arab World: Continuity and Change, Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP, 2018.
S. Cook, False Dawn: Protest, Democracy, and Violence in the New Middle East, Oxford: Oxford UP, 2017.
Corrao FM - Redaelli R (eds), States, Actors and Geopolitical Drivers in the Mediterranean. Perspectives on the New Centrality in a Changing Region, PalgraveMacMillan, 2021.
F. A. Gerges, ISIS: A History, Princeton: Princeton UP, 2017.
Sune Haugbolle and Mark LeVine (eds.), Altered States: The Remaking of the Political in the Arab World, London, Routledge, 2022.
Marc Owen Jones, Digital Authoritarianism in the Middle East: Deception, Disinformation and Social Media, Hurst/Oxford University Press, 2022.
A. Khalil (ed), Gender, Women and the Arab Spring, London & NY: Routledge, 2015.
H. Kraetzschmar & P. Rivetti (eds), Islamists and the Politics of the Arab Uprisings: Governance, Pluralisation and Contention, Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP, 2018.
Mark LeVine, We'll Play till We Die: Journeys across a Decade of Revolutionary Music in the Muslim World, University of California Press, 2022.
Shamiran Mako and Valentine M. Moghadam, After the Arab Uprisings: Progress and Stagnation in the Middle East and North Africa, Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 2021.
R. Owen, The Rise and Fall of Arab Presidents for Life, Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 2014.
J. Saab (ed.), A region in revolt: Mapping the recent uprisings in North Africa and West Asia, Ottawa: Daraja Press, 2020.
R. Stephan and Mounira M. Charrad (eds), Women Rising: In and Beyond the Arab Spring: New York, New York University Press, 2020.
I. Szmolka (ed.), Political Change in the Middle East and North Africa: After the Arab Spring, Edinburgh, Edinburgh UP, 2017.
Ch. Tripp, The Power and the People: Paths of Resistance in the Middle East, Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2013.
IMPORTANT! Students without any prior knowledge of the History of the MENA, must read one of the following textbooks:
W. Cleveland & M. Bunton, A History of the Modern Middle East, Boulder: Westview Press, 2016,
Betty Anderson, A History of the Modern Middle East, Stanford: Stanford UP, 2016.
Bibliografia Di Riferimento
Further suggested readings (such as short online articles etc) will be distributed throughout the course. Students should consider (and subscribe where possible) the following online materials: 1. The Jadaliyya website—an independent e-zine produced by ASI (Arab Studies Institute), http://www.jadaliyya.com/ 2. The Middle East Research and Information Project (MERIP), non-profit, non- governmental organization based in Washington, DC MERIP: Home 3. The ‘North Africa & West Asia’ section of OpenDemocracy website: https://www.opendemocracy.net/north-africa-west-asia 4. Orient XXI - multilingual website on the MENA Region https://orientxxi.info/ 5. The POMEPS Arab Uprisings Bibliography https://pomeps.org/2012/09/04/arab-uprisings-bibliography/Modalità Erogazione
The course examines the historical and political trajectory of the Middle East and North Africa from the Colonial Era until today. The students will be introduced to the debate on Orientalism, its role in the colonial era, and its relevance until today. A particular focus will be on the post-colonial era. Among the topics covered there will be: State formation, the role of ideologies (both secular and religious) in the shaping of the region, the intra-regional and international relations of the Region and the so-called ‘Arab Spring’. Students are expected to actively participate to the course. (Corso tenuto in inglese)Modalità Valutazione
(insegnamento tenuto in inglese) 1. FOR THOSE ATTENDING THE COURSE (“FREQUENTANTI”) In-Class Presentation 33.3% Final Exam 66.6% IN-CLASS PRESENTATION: Attending Students students are asked to select a topic from those covered in the course (a full list will be circulated ASAP) and to make a short presentation (approximately 12/15 minutes) either in group or independently, to the class in an agreed slot (to be allocated ASAP) and to submit a short paper (one page maximum) summarising their presentation. 2. FOR THOSE NOT ATTENDING THE COURSE (“NON FREQUENTANTI”) Research Essay 33.3% Final Exam 66.6% - RESEARCH ESSAY The students will freely choose one essay topic among the topics of the course and ask for lecturer’s approval orally or via e-mail. Essay Guide: The Essay must be 2000 to 3000 words, excluding footnotes and bibliography. Essays with less or more words will be penalised. The essay will assess your ability to research the literature, form a thesis, analyse the available material and then present a coherent and compelling argument as a polished academic essay. Essays should refer to a range of material in addition to the required reading and be correctly and consistently referenced. Students are expected to do their own research. The basis of this additional material should be academic works ie: chapters in edited books or academic articles in recognised journals. Wikipedia, and similar web-based resources, are not acceptable sources for the essay. The Essay needs to be 1,5 or double spaced and possibly including in-text quotations (eg. Sadat, 1977: 200) and a final bibliography. Submission Instructions: Students must submit their papers in hard copy or via e-mail attachment at least one week before the date of the oral exam. Late submissions will not be allowed. FINAL EXAM: Oral Final Exams will be held in the Exam Sessions. Advice on what to expect will be given during classes by the Lecturer.