Contemporary History of Arab Countries LM – 2024-2025 - Corso di Laurea magistrale in Scienze della storia e del documento

Teacher: Prof. Mohammed Hashas

CFU: 6
Course code: 804002762
Degree: Master’s Degree “Scienze della Storia e del documento”
Course delivery modalities: In-presence

Language: Italian
Pre-requisites: General knowledge of global history
Attendance: Optional
Assessment method: Oral examination

Period: 2^ndterm

Starting day:

Class hours

Program:

The course aims to study the socio-political and intellectual history of the Arab world from the 19th century to the present, with a focus on the contemporary period post-World War II. After a contextualization of the political relations and dynamics of global and Mediterranean history, the first part of the course is devoted to examining the main historical articulations and periodization of the region’s contemporary history. This part studies the continuities and discontinuities of historical, political, social, economic, and intellectual changes in the modern and contemporary period of Arab societies. Prominent themes and peculiar aspects to be studied include: the phase of the so-called “Arab-Islamic Awakening” (the Renaissance or Nahda), the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, colonialism and the creation of modern nation-states, the post-colonial period, the rise of secular Arab nationalism and political Islam, up to the present day after the “Arab Spring” social protests of 2010-2011. These dynamics and issues will be explored through the study of case studies from the different parts of the Arab world – from North Africa, the Middle East, and the Arabian Peninsula.
As to the second part of the course, it introduces how intellectuals of prominence in the contemporary Arab world look at their national, regional, international and universalist issues, starting from the issue of modernity, democracy, the rule of law, human rights, women rights, regional politics, geopolitics, to issues of global justice, environment, and global ethics. These issues are dealt with differently by major scholas and thinkers of the Arab world, depending on their critical perspectives, be they conservative, secular, feminist, liberal, socialist, or Third Worldist.

Text books:

Laura Guazzone Storia contemporanea del mondo arabo. I paesi arabi dall’impero ottomano ad oggi (Milano: Mondadori, 2016). (Capitolo 1 + 6 capitoli/paesi a scelta: 2 capitoli (paesi) dal Nord Africa, 2 dal Medio Oriente, 2 dal Golfo).
Massimo Campanini, Il pensiero islamico contemporaneo (Bologna: Il Mulino, 2016). (Focus: Il Pensiero arabo contemporaneo: Capitoli I, VI, VIII).
Edward Said, Orientalismo. L’immagine europea dell’Oriente, [1978] (Milano: Feltrinelli, 2008). (Introduzione).

Bibliography:

Eugene Rogan, Gli Arabi (Milano: Bompiani, [2009] 2012).
Margherita Pichi, L’ombra dei Fratelli. Le Sorelle musulmane nell’Egitto contemporaneo (Lucca: Edizioni La Vela, 2022).
Sara Borrillo, Femminismi e Islam in Marocco. Attiviste laiche, teologhe, predicatrici (Napoli: Edizioni scientifiche italiane, 2017).
Renata Pepicelli, Femminismo islamico. Corano, diritti, riforme (Roma: Carocci, 2010).
Sari Hanafi, Studying Islam in the Arab World: The Rupture between Religion and the Social Sciences (London and New York: Routledge, 2024).
Ali Humayun Akhtar, Italy and the Islamic World (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2024).
Michael Cook, A History of the Muslim World: From its Origins to the Dawn of Modernity (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2024).
Asma Asfaruddin, ed., The Oxford Handbook of Islam and Women (Oxford: Oxford UP, 2023).
George Corm, Arab Political Thought – Past and Present, trans. Patricia Batoma and Atoma Batoma, (London: Hurst, 2020).
Wael Hallaq, Restating Orientalism: A Critique of Modern Knowledge (New York: Columbia UP, 2018).
Arthur Goldschmidt Jr., and Ibrahim Marashi, A Concise History of the Middle East, 12th ed. (London and New York: Routledge, [1979] 2018).
Shahram Akbarzadeh, ed., Routledge Handbook of Political Islam (London and New York: Routledge, 2017).
Eugene Rogan, The Arabs: A History, 2nd ed. (London: Basic Books, 2nd ed, [2009] 2011).
Jonathan Lynons, The House of Wisdom: How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization (London: Bloomsbury Press, 2009).
Ibrahim Abu Rabi‘, Contemporary Arab Thought: Studies in post-1967 Arab Intellectual History (London: Pluto, 2003).
Ilan Pappé, The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine (Oxford: Oneworld, 2006).
Albert Hourani, Arab Thought in the Liberal Age, 1798-1939 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, [1962] 2012).

Educational goals and expected learning outcomes:

A) Learning Outcomes: Be able to distinguish between the multiple histories and cultures of Arab societies chronologically, geographically, and thematically.
B) Knowledge and Understanding: Be able to know the historical roots of major socio-political, economic, and cultural concepts that have influenced Arab societies and communities especially in modern and contemporary times, and how they are now perceived by contemporary Arab citizens, intellectuals, and politicians.
C) Applying Knowledge and Understanding: Be able to apply one’s accumulated knowledge of history in comprehending contemporary Arab societies, their similarities and differences.
D) Making Judgements: Be able to critically evaluate events and situations regarding past and present issues of Arab societies.
E) Communication Skills: Be able to confidently express oneself in oral as well as written forms regarding the major issues pertaining to the history and culture of the Arab plural world.
F) Learning Skills: Be able to make use of the various methods of learning that correspond best to one’s major competences, be they through reading, writing, speaking, or/and listening.

Methods and criteria for verifying the learning:

The exam assesses the student’s overall preparation, the ability to combine knowledge about each part of the syllabus, the coherence of argumentation, the analytical ability, and the autonomy of judgment. In addition, the student’s command of language and clarity of presentation are also assessed, in adherence with the Dublin descriptors (1. knowledge and understanding; 2. applying knowledge and experience; 3. making judgments; 4. learning skills; 5: communication skills).
The final grade will be based 70% on the student’s depth of knowledge and 30% on the student’s ability for expression (written and oral) and independent critical thinking.
The exam will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
– Failed: significant deficiencies and inaccuracies in the knowledge and the understanding of the subject matter; poor analytical and synthesizing skills, recurrent generalizations, limited critical and judgmental skills; the arguments are exposed inconsistently and with inappropriate language.
– 18-20: Knowledge and understanding of topics barely adequate, with occasional generalizations and imperfections possible; sufficient capacity for analysis synthesis and autonomy of judgment, the arguments are frequently exposed in an incoherent manner and with inappropriate/non technical language.
– 21-23: Fair knowledge and understanding of the subject; proper analysis and synthesis skills with coherent, logical argumentation, but with language that is often inappropriate/non technical.
– 24-26: Moderate knowledge and understanding of the subjects; good analytical and synthesis skills with arguments expressed rigorously but with language that is not always appropriate/technical.
– 27-29: Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the subjects; remarkable analytical and synthesis skills. Good autonomy of judgment. Topics expounded rigorously and with appropriate/technical language.
– 30-30L: Excellent level of in-depth knowledge and understanding of the subjects. Excellent skills in analysis, synthesis, and independent judgment. Arguments are expressed in an original way and with appropriate technical language.

Teaching methods:

The course, which adopts an interactive approach. Each class session starts with questions related to the topic of the week, then the professor’s lecture, followed by class discussions, and ends with revisions. The course highly stimulates students’ active participation to enhance their critical learning methodologies through the following activities:

Class participation: students have to read the assigned material for each week before coming to class to be ready for the opening questions and closing revisions;
Individual work: students are encouraged to present in class on a theme of their choice as it relates to the reading material of the week; the exact minutes of the presentation time will be precised in class, when the number of students enrolled is known;
Group work: students are also encouraged to work in small groups to present to their peers a course topic that is of particular interest to them; students are expected to be creative in the way they present the topic through the use of appropriate print and digital resources, and also through role-playing, if applicable; division of labor and choice of topics takes place during the third week, and in-class presentations begin from the fourth week, when students are familiarized with the course and its scope.
Papers. Another recommended form of individual work is writing papers (between 2,000 and 3,000 words); the Chicago Reference Style (16th edition), with footnotes and bibliography, is recommended, especially for students who do not choose to present in class or are unable to attend class activities.
Since 30% of the overall evaluation (see details above) concerns modes of expressing one’s learning skills (written and oral), it is recommended that students use the methods above to increase their overall vote and percentage of this 30%; i.e. they should use well the class presentations, individual/team work options, and/or written papers. The rest of 70% of the vote comes through the acquired knowledge that is tested in the final oral exam.
The course uses digital material, like short film documentaries in class, and longer ones for home watching, as supplementary material to make the worlds and themes studied more visual and current to the students.
While the Powerpoints used in class will be shared on the online platform, students are encouraged to take notes by pen and paper, to enhance the traditional learning skills of the human senses and their autonomy.

Attendance modalities:

The course is based on an interactive approach, which means that a lot of learning happens through class discussions; the students’ immersion in the material discussed, besides the used digital means of teaching enhance critical understanding and allow the development of sharing the acquired knowledge. This makes attendance highly recommended.

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