UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI ROMA TOR VERGATA| Teacher: Prof. Mohammed Hashas |
| E-mail: hashasmohammed@gmail.com |
| CFU: 6 Course code: 8047867 Degree: Master’s Degree “Scienze della Storia e del documento” Course delivery modalities: In-presence |
Language: Italian Pre-requisites: A basic knowledge of Contemporary History and elements of Islam are considered a prerequisite for the course Attendance: Optional Assessment method: Oral exam |
| Period: 2nd term |
| Starting day: 19 February 2024 |
| Class hours Monday, 10.00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m., T20 Venerdì, 11.00 a.m. – 2.00 p.m., T30 |
| Program: |
| The course aims to provide the necessary knowledge of the main features of the contemporary history of Arab countries. The first part of the course will be devoted to examine the main articulations and historical caesuras of the periodisation of the contemporary history of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, also in relation to the dynamics of global history. On the regional level, tools will be offered to understand the continuities and discontinuities of the historical, political, social, and economic changes of the countries of the Middle East and North Africa in the contemporary period, dealing with the peculiar aspects of some relevant historical phases: the so-called “Islamic awakening”, colonialism, the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and the post-colonial period, from the Independences up to the present day. Thanks to the in-depth study of some case studies, the historical dynamics of specific countries will be examined, focusing on the relationship between state and civil society and the influence that ideologies inspired by Islamic identity reference and secularism have had on the socio-historical development of the contexts analysed. The second part of the course will examine the construction of the nation state and the most recent historical changes in some countries chosen as case studies from a gender perspective, intended as a prism of analysis useful to study historical phases and complex social phenomena, including the interactions between state reforms, development policies and the political use of Islam. Particular attention will be paid to the public debates on gender equality that have characterised the social-political scenario during the 20th and 21st centuries up to the most recent popular mobilisations that have affected the Arab region since 2010-2011. The transversal objective of the course is to deepen and thematise the central issues and categories of the contemporary historical and political debate in Arab countries, in order to recognise and avoid reductionist generalisations and stimulate the desire for critical knowledge about phenomena of national, regional and global relevance. |
| Text books: |
A basic knowledge of Contemporary History and elements of Islam are considered a prerequisite for the course. To this end, students are invited to read at least one of the following texts:
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| A) ATTENDING STUDENTS 1. Guazzone, Laura, Storia contemporanea del mondo arabo. I paesi arabi dall’’impero ottomano ad oggi, Mondadori Università, Milano, 2016 (o altre edizioni). 2. Abu Lughod, Lila, “Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving? Anthropological Reflections on Cultural Relativism and Its Others”, American Anthropologist, 104/3 (Sept., 2002), pp. 783-790. 3. Al-Ali, Nadje, Pratt, Nicola, “Gender, Protest and Political Transition in the Middle East and North Africa”, in Steans, Jill, Tepe, Daniela (eds), Handbook on Gender in World Politics, Edward Elgar, 2016 (11 pp.). 4. A text to be chosen among the following ones: – (on Egypt): Biancani, Francesca, Sex Work in Colonial Egypt: Women, Modernity and the Global Economy, Londra-New York, IB Tauris, 2018. – (on Morocco): Borrillo, Sara, Femminismi e Islam in Marocco. Attiviste laiche, teologhe, predicatrici, Napoli, Edizioni scientifiche italiane, 2017. – (on Palestine/Israel): Daniele, Giulia, Women, Reconciliation and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. The Road not yet Taken, Londra-New York, Routledge, 2013. – (on Palestine/Israel): Ferrero, Laura, “Prigionieri politici e contrabbando di sperma dalle carceri israeliane. Nuovi scenari riproduttivi e di genere in Palestina”, in Antropologia 9/3 (2022), pp. 133-152. – (on Egypt): Picchi, Margherita, L’ombra dei Fratelli. Le Sorelle Musulmane nell’Egitto contemporaneo, Lucca, La Vela, 2022. |
| B) NON ATTENDING STUDENTS 1. Cleveland, William L., Bunton, Martin, Storia del Medio Oriente Moderno (trad.it. a cura di Francesca Biancani), Mondadori, Milano, 2020. 2. A text to be chosen among the following ones: – (on Egypt): Biancani, Francesca, Sex Work in Colonial Egypt: Women, Modernity and the Global Economy, Londra-New York, IB Tauris, 2018; – (on Morocco): Borrillo, Sara, Femminismi e Islam in Marocco. Attiviste laiche, teologhe, predicatrici, Napoli, Edizioni scientifiche italiane, 2017; – (on Palestine/Israel): Daniele, Giulia, Women, Reconciliation and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. The Road not yet Taken, Londra-New York, Routledge, 2013. – (on Palestine/Israel): Ferrero, Laura, “Prigionieri politici e contrabbando di sperma dalle carceri israeliane. Nuovi scenari riproduttivi e di genere in Palestina”, in Antropologia 9/3 (2022), pp. 133-152. – (on Egypt): Picchi, Margherita, L’ombra dei Fratelli. Le Sorelle Musulmane nell’Egitto contemporaneo, Lucca, La Vela, 2022. |
| Bibliography: |
| Educational goals and expected learning outcomes: |
| A) Learning outcomes: The course aims to provide tools for understanding the main features of the contemporary history of Arab countries. Students will be aware of the main milestones and challenges in the contemporary political and social history of Arab countries, elements of international relations related to the Arab region, as well as the main debates, confrontations and ideological clashes that have characterised and partly still characterise this area of the world. B) Knowledge and understanding: The course aims to provide the necessary tools to consolidate knowledge of the main dynamics of the contemporary history of Arab countries in order to make students able to observe the present with the necessary awareness of the historical roots of the major social and political challenges, including the most recent crisis and conflicts which are affecting the Arab region. C) Applying knowledge and understanding: The course is intended as a significant addition to students’ knowledge in order to contribute in strengthening their ability to analyse the main historical dynamics of the Arab countries and to develop students’ ability to apply and interrelate their own historical knowledge in a global, transnational, regional and national perspective. D) Making judgements: Through participatory teaching, consisting of lectures and seminars, students will be encouraged to develop analytical and interpretative skills both individually and collectively in order to critically thematise the most significant elements of the historical changes of the Arab world by overcoming the most widespread stereotypes about Arab countries. E) Communication skills: During the course, students will be stimulated to express their opinions and knowledge on the main topics of the course and to develop their communication skills, including by learning some of the main categories that characterise the main debates and issues in the political and social history of the Arab region. F) Learning skills: The course will enable students to learn new knowledge in the field of area studies of the Arab world, through in-depth case studies, and to be able to situate it in a coherent and systematic manner within the body of knowledge acquired in their overall course of study. |
| Methods and criteria for verifying the learning: |
| The oral examination will consist of a discussion in which both basic knowledge and more specific knowledge about the topics covered by the course will be tested. The ability to critically understand and interpret the phenomena studied in a complex manner, relating the national dimension to the transnational, regional and global dimensions will be assessed. The ability to relate, also in a diachronic manner, events and categories of analysis central to the understanding of the historical dynamics examined will also be assessed. |
| Teaching methods: |
| The course will be conducted through lectures and seminars in order to actively involve students as much as possible in a type of “participatory” teaching, capable of adapting to the specific interests of the students. During the lectures, space will be given to discussions on topics addressed from time to time and specific readings on current political and social events in the Arab region. |
| Attendance modalities: |
| Attendance is not compulsory, but highly recommended. Those who attend at least 80% of the lectures are considered “attendees”. |