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Nationalisms in the Middle East

Module description

This module examines theories of nationalism (particularly modernism, perennialism and ethnosymbolist approaches to nationalism), and will enable students to independently interpet and explain the emergence of nationalism, nations, and national identity across cases in the Middle East and North Africa. While providing some theoretical orientation and critique of explanations that are either entirely reliant on the idea of the state, or approaches that emphasise pre-state identities as constitiuting bases for nationalism, the course will ultimately help students to understand the complex interplay of identities, social structures and politics in their ultimate expression as nations and nationalisms. 

Module aims - intentions of the module

By the end of this module students will:

• have gained an understanding of a variety of political, cultural and ideological dimensions associated to the historical development of nationalist movements in the Middle East;
• be able to appreciate the development of nationalism by evaluating the links between historical change and the transformation of Middle Eastern identities; and
• be able to apply abstract theoretical concepts about sociological and political understanding to concrete case studies, and to discuss how such concepts contribute (or not) to understanding of social and political behaviours.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

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

• 1. Understand a variety of political, cultural and ideological dimensions associated to the historical development of nationalist movements in the Middle East;
• 2. Appreciate the development of nationalism by evaluating the links between historical change and the transformation of Middle Eastern identities;

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

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

• 3. Demonstrate the ability to work on primary sources under tutor guidance;
• 4. Demonstrate the ability to relate case studies to conceptual and theoretical frameworks in order to foster original and independent thinking;
• 5. Demonstrate the ability understand historical change from a multi-disciplinary perspective;

ILO: Personal and key skills

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

• 6. Work independently and within a group, including participation in oral discussion;
• 7. Demonstrate the ability to organise and process data to produce a coherent and argument, both orally and in writing.

Syllabus plan

• What is nationalism?
• Nationalism and nation-state
• The Ottoman and Safavid Empires
• Arab nationalism
• Turkish Nationalism
• Egyptian Nationalism
• Jewish nationalism
• Palestinian Nationalism
• Nationalism in Iran
• Kurdish nationalism
• Review

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

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

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

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Smith, Anthony D. Nationalism, Blackwell Publishers, Oxford, USA, 2001

I.Gershoni/J-Jankowsi, Rethinking Nationalism in the Arab Middle East, Columbia UP., 1997

M-J.Esman/I.Rabinovic, Ethnicity, Pluralism and the State in the Middle East, Ithaca Press, 1988

Arjomand, S.A. From Nationalism to Revolutionary Islam, SUNY Press, 1984

Vali, Abbas (ed.) Essays on the Origins of Kurdish Nationalism, Costa Mesa, Mazda. 2003

Said, Edward W. The Questions of Palestine, Vintage, 1992.

Rose, Jacqueline, The Question of Zion, Princeton University Press, 2005.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/

Key words search

Nationalisms, Middle East, Palestinian, Kurdish, Turkish