War, Violence and Revolution in the Modern Middle East

Module title	War, Violence and Revolution in the Modern Middle East
Module code	ARA3045
Academic year	2023/4
Credits	30
Module staff	Dr Ross Porter (Convenor)

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks		11

Number students taking module (anticipated)	30

Module description

This module aims to equip you with a detailed understanding of the ways in which war, violence and revolution have been formative of modern polities and societies in the modern Middle East. Throughout the course, different theories of violence will be examined in relation to diverse contexts of conflict and struggle. Subjects range from colonial psychiatry to the violence of liberation struggle, from the eliminationist logics of settler colonialism to the ambiguities of humanitarian intervention, and from structural and cultural genocide to the symbolic dimensions of martyrdom.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to give you a good grounding in theories of violence and revolution from across the social and political sciences, as well as a broad knowledge of key events in the history of the modern Middle East. It aims to ensure that you are able to directly connect theoretical literatures to specific case studies, and to develop strong capabilities in comparative analysis and persuasive argumentation.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

1. demonstrate both a detailed understanding of the modern Middle East and an ability to connect and compare seemingly discrete national and local histories from across the region and the time period studied;
2. demonstrate familiarity with the major scholars working in the theoretical fields of war, revolution and violence, and on the region;

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

3. critically engage with theoretical debates on war, revolution and violence and an ability to apply such theories to the Middle East;
4. analyse case studies looking at key examples of wars, revolutions and genocide;
5. demonstrate a systematic understanding of the interdisciplinary methods which Area Studies and Middle East Studies are based upon;
6. engage with, research and complete one essay which displays an ability to analyse one single country or to compare two or more states;

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

7. critically engage with theoretical literature and apply it to the context under discussion; and
8. contextualise sources, rank them according to relevance, write coherent and structured arguments.

Syllabus plan

Although the module's precise coverage may vary each year, it is anticipated that the following topics will be covered (some for a period of more than one week)

Theories of violence
Colonial violence
Genocide
The Armenian Genocide
Gender and conflict
Revolutionary violence
Martyrdom
Non-violence
Settler-colonialism
Humanitarian violence

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
44	256	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled learning and teaching activities	44	22 x 2 hour classes. You will need to complete all readings prior to class and be ready to participate. On some occasions you will be asked to make presentations
Guided independent study	130	Reading and research
Guided independent study	63	Completing assignments
Guided independent study	63	Preparing for assessments

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Submission of essay plans	500 words	1, 5, 6, 8	Tutorials in and outside class.

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
60	0	40

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Essay	60	3000 words	1-8	Written and oral
Group presentation 1	20	15 minutes	1-4, 7-8	Oral, in class
Group presentation 2	20	15 minutes	1-4, 7-8	Oral, in class
	0
	0
	0

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Essay	Essay (3,000 words)	1-8	August/September reassessment period
Group presentation 1	Written summary of presentation (2000 words)	1-4, 7, 8	August/September reassessment period
Group presentation 2	Written summary of presentation (2000 words)	1-4, 7, 8	August/September reassessment period

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Agamben, G. 1998. Homo Sacer: Sovereign Power and Bare Life. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

Akçam, T. 2012. The Young Turks' crime against humanity: the Armenian Genocide and ethnic cleansing in the Ottoman Empire. Princeton University Press.

Allen, L. 2009. “Martyr bodes in the media: Human rights, aesthetics, and the politics of immediation in the Palestinian Intifada.” American ethnologist 36(1): 161-180.

Arendt, H. 1963. On Revolution. Penguin Books.

Balakian, P. 2013. “Raphael Lemkin, cultural destruction, and the Armenian genocide.” Holocaust and Genocide Studies 27(1).

Bellamy, A.J. 2011. Libya and the Responsibility to Protect: The Exception and the Norm. Ethics and International Affairs 25(3): 263-269.

Fanon, F. 1961. The Wretched of the Earth. Penguin.

Finlay, C.J. 2006. “Violence and Revolutionary Subjectivity Marx to Zizek.” European Journal of Political Theory 5(4):373 - 397.

Galtung, J. 1969. “Violence, Peace, and Peace Research.” Journal of Peace Research 6(3): 167-191.

Klose, F. 2013. Human Rights in the Shadow of Colonial Violence: The Wars of Independence in Kenya and Algeria. University of Pennsylvania Press.

Lemkin, R. 1947. “Genocide as a crime under international law.” American Journal of International Law 41(1): 145-151.

Lloyd, D. 2012. “Settler Colonialism and the State of Exception: The Example of Palestine/Israel.” Settler Colonial Studies, 2:1, 59-80.

Mamdani, M. (2010) “Responsibility to Protect or Right to Punish?” Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, 4(1): 53-67

Mittermair, A. 2015. “Death and martyrdom in the Arab uprisings: an introduction.” Ethnos: journal of anthropology 80(5): 583-604.

Peteet. J. 1994. “Male gender and rituals of resistance in the Palestinian intifada: A cultural politics of violence’.” American Ethnologist 21(1): 31-49.

Scheper-Hughes, N. and P. Bourgois. 2004. “Introduction: Making Sense of Violence.” In N. Scheper-Hughes and P. Bourgois (eds.), Violence in War and Peace: An Anthology. Malden: Blackwell. pp. 1-31.

Srivastava, N. 2010. “Towards a critique of colonial violence: Fanon, Gandhi and the restoration of agency.” Journal of postcolonial writing 46(3-4): 303-319.

Wolfe, P. 2006. “Settler colonialism and the elimination of the native.” Journal of Genocide Research, 8(4): 387-409.?

Young, R.J.C. 2005. “Fanon and the turn to armed struggle in Africa.” Wasafiri 20(44): 33-41.

Key words search

Violence, War, Revolution, History, Politics, Middle East, Libya, Palestine, Algeria, Turkey, Suria, Yemen, Colonialism, Genocide

Credit value	30
Module ECTS	15
Module pre-requisites	None
Module co-requisites	None
NQF level (module)	6
Available as distance learning?	No
Origin date	08/03/2020
Last revision date	29/09/2020