Politics 308: Middle East Politics

This course examines approaches to the study of politics in the modern Middle East. We will consider region-specific iterations of conventional themes, including but not limited to: the state; political economy; nationalism; revolution; war; religion and politics; and authoritarianism and democracy. The course begins with critiques of knowledge production articulated in response to colonization and foreign intervention. How are we to interpret modern Middle East politics in light of these critiques? What would it mean to write against regional exceptionalism¾to understand the “Middle East” as a global phenomenon with ill-defined borders? When analyzing geopolitics, how can we think beyond suffering and resistance to envision a politics of the everyday? What are the limits of area studies? And finally, despite its limits, can area studies nevertheless afford generative possibilities for future inquiry and political action? Case studies appear selectively to illustrate core themes. May taken for credit toward the Middle East area requirement for the South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies major.