Global Arc

To what extent is globalization a new phenomenon? This seminar considers the flow of people (free and enslaved), commodities, and manufactured goods across Europe, Africa and Asia, with a focus on the human and qualitative dimensions. We will touch on the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean basin, the overland Silk Roads and the Atlantic world; the time-span ranges from the ancient Greeks to the eighteenth century; among the trading diasporas we will consider are Jews and Armenians. Readings include classic and newer studies as well as merchant correspondence and sailors' logs.

Popularized through translations of world-famous poets like the 13th-century Rûmî, the Sufi mystical strain pervaded Islamic culture for a thousand years and played a major historic role in furthering friendly relations between Muslims and other religious communities through endorsement of spiritual tolerance. This two-course sequence examines Sufism's origins, growth, social role, guiding ideas, impact on Islamic literature, and even on medieval European thought as filtered through Spain, and the profound but controversial influence of the Spanish-Muslim Ibn `Arabî (1165-1240) as far as India.

Popularized through translations of world famous poets like the 13th century Rûmî, the Sufi mystical strain pervaded Islamic culture for a thousand years and played a major historic role in furthering friendly relations between Muslims and other religious communities through endorsement of spiritual tolerance. The Spring session of this two-course sequence addresses the overwhelming influence of the Spanish-Muslim Ibn `Arabî (d. 1240 AD) on all subsequent higher Islamic mystical speculation and poetical literature - as far as India.

Syriac is a dialect of Aramaic very similar to the language spoken by Jesus in first-century Palestine. Aramaic-speaking Christians in the Near East soon adopted Syriac as their literary language: by the early fourteenth century Syriac Christianity spread from the western Mediterranean to China. In this seminar we shall be exploring the origins of Syriac Christianity in the Near East and its spread along the Silk Road before 1500.

This seminar examines the evolution of American diplomacy and military policy in the Middle East from the late Cold War through the "Unipolar movement" and 9/11 to the very recent past. Given the militarization of American policy, it pays particular attention to the use of force. It asks why military force has become the defining instrument of US foreign policy in this region, seeks to evaluate the efficacy of America's military interventions, and to identify the sources of American conduct. Prior coursework in international relations and Middle Eastern history is beneficial but there are no prerequisites.

Since the attack against a Jewish school in March 2012, France has experienced, as have other countries, traumatic terror attacks. Most of these acts have been perpetrated by French and Belgian citizens of North African descent claiming to be acting in the name of jihadi groups such as ISIS. This course aims at understanding this terrible violence by relocating its authors in a French and European context since the 1970s. Above all, beyond the enigma of the terrorists, this course will explore a broader issue: the very diverse situation of the Muslims in France in an era of uncertainty, racial divide, and political contentions.

Ancient Near Eastern religions conceive of the divine as a relative category, which not only defines anthropomorphic deities but can be extended to demons, humans, and cultic objects. Rather than being conceived as an individual person, a deity represented an agent of functions and roles placed in the social constellation of the pantheon. The fluid understanding of the divine and the political setting of rising territorial states and empires eventually allowed for the development of the concept of national deities such as Marduk, Assur, and Yahweh. This course traces the interface between polytheism and the formation of monotheism.

This course will discuss how civil war has transformed the states and societies of the modern Middle East and North Africa. Drawing on rich historical literature, theoretical perspectives, and empirical analysis, the course will give students an understanding of the context in which civil wars occur, the forms of order that emerge when states break down, and the long-term consequences of violence and its aftermath.

An examination of major facets of Islamic political thought from the late 19th century to the present in a broadly comparative framework and against the backdrop of medieval Islamic thought. Topics include: the "fragmentation" of religious authority and its consequences for Muslim politics; conceptions of the shari'a and of the Islamic state; and Islamist discourses on gender, violence, and relations with non-Muslims. One three-hour seminar.

An introduction to the political, social and cultural history of the Arabic-speaking Middle East, in addition to Iran, Israel, and Turkey from the late 19th century until the turn of the 21st century. Topics covered include: the end of the Ottoman and Qatar Empires; the integration of the Middle East into the world economy; the establishment of the Middle East state system; the development of political institutions, ideologies and religious revivalist movements; nationalism; women's movements; gender; the spread of political Islam; as well as literature, film and other forms of media.Two lectures, one preceptorial.