NEJS 197B Syllabus page 1
SYLLABUS
Politics and Culture of the Middle East [NEJS 197B]
A seminar aimed at advanced undergraduates and Graduate students who have a prior knowledge of the Middle East.
Otherwise, instructor's permission required. Enrollment limited to twenty. In addition to regular class hours, students are
expected to view and discuss three films. The time and manner of film viewings will be determined after the first week of
classes. Students are expected to read and write a book report on one work of modern fiction translated from Arabic dealing
with politics.
Professor: Kanan Makiya.
Office: Lemberg 228
Office Hours: Tuesdays 2:30-4:30pm
Tel: (781) 736-2967; e-mail: kmakiya@brandeis.edu
Description
This seminar will consider the emergence, evolution and interactions of the reigning ideologies of the modern period
in the Arab world: liberalism, nationalism, socialism, and Islamism. The time period covered will range from the
early 19th century to the present. The focus of the course is on the ideas that have moved millions of men and
women starting in the 19th century and through the 20th century. The course will conclude by examining
contemporary issues concerning the language of politics, religiosity, human rights and change, and the series of
upheavals in Arab politics starting in 2011 known as the Arab Spring.
Requirements
Please note use of laptops and smartphones for any purpose is not allowed in the
classroom. Exceptions are for disability reasons alone and by permission of instructor.
(1) Regular class attendance, doing the reading, watching all required films, and participation in class. Assigned
reading must be completed before the class that discusses it. The final grade will be affected by more than one
unexcused absence during the semester and by unauthorized use of smartphones and laptops during class. No one
will be excused w/o a medical slip or written permission from the instructor given in advance of the class session.
During the semester, each student is expected to make a number of presentations, to be determined later, and lead
the class discussion that follows. Graduate students will conduct additional researched presentations.
(20% of grade)
(2) Each student is expected to submit eight weekly 500-word commentaries (excluding book review and paper
drafts) in e-mail form on the reading or on written class assignments handed out in class. These must be numbered
and dated, and engage closely with the week’s reading. Think of these as your own running commentary on the
course material. Keep a copy. At the end of the semester, all previously submitted commentaries should be collected
and grouped in chronological order. Each commentary must be received no later than midnight on the Tuesday
night before our assigned class meeting on Thursday. That gives me Wednesday to read through them. They will
form the basis of class discussion that Thursday. Always identify yourself, the reading being commented upon, and
the week and date of the class during which it will be discussed. The commentaries are not individually graded. But
students lose grades by doing them sloppily or not submitting them. There is no point to a late submission. This IS
NOT a requirement that can be compensated for at a later date.
(30% of grade)
(3) Each student will write one 5-page book review on a work of political fiction translated from Arabic. Titles of
such books will be suggested by the instructor in the third week of class.
(10% of grade)
(4) Each undergraduate student must write a 15 page (exclusive of Bibliography) carefully worded paper on a theme
derived from the reading and syllabus and agreed in advance with the instructor. Graduate students will be expected
to write a 20-page paper (exclusive of Bibliography). The writing of this paper is a process that goes through stages
NEJS 197B Syllabus page 2
during the semester. At least one meeting with the instructor on your paper must take place following preliminary
research on the topic. The student is responsible for arranging that meeting early in the course.
Concept, preliminary outline & bibliography due: Week 7, Thursday, October 7.
Final Paper due: Last Day of Classes
(40% of grade)
On The Reading
The reading is available either online or on reserve or is available for purchase from the bookstore. The
reading entered under each week is intended for discussion on the following week. Generally we will
consider texts in the order in which they appear in the syllabus.
Books Available for Purchase and To Be Read In Their Entirety. (Check Syllabus before purchase and do
not purchase before the first day of class with the exception of the Bernard Lewis book. The Arabs In
History is background reading, essential for students with limited knowledge of the Middle East.):
• Bernard Lewis, The Arabs In History.
• Albert Hourani, Arabic Thought in the Liberal Age (Oxford University Press)
• Roy Mottahedeh, The Mantle and the Prophet (Pantheon)
• Jalal Sadiq al-Azm Self-Criticism After the Defeat (Saqi Press)
• Kanan Makiya, The Monument: Art, Vulgarity and Responsibility in Iraq (University of California Press).
• Roger Owen The Rise and Fall of Arab Presidents for Life (Harvard University Press). Optional
• Gilles Kepel, Jihad
• Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline, Saqi Books, London. Edited by Malu Halasa, Zaher
Omareen and Nawara Mahfoud. (If available)
Films
The films below are part of the course. They are either on reserve in the library or available online. They are:
• Riklis and Lai’s The Syrian Bride, 2006. Set in a village divided in half by the border between Syria and Israel.
• Pontecorvo, The Battle of Algiers, 1967. A classic on the Algerian war of independence, and the battle between the
French army and the FLN over the Casbah.
• Hany Abu-Assad’s Paradise Now, 2005. A thriller that tells the story of two young Palestinian suicide bombers.
• Makiya & Roberts, Saddam’s Killing Fields, Frontline 1991. Reported on by K. Makiya
• Bhaman Ghobad, Turtles Can Fly, 2004, 2002. Story of Iraqi Kurdish children amid the debris of war in northern
Iraq
Attendance Required at Following Events
Students are required to attend the following events:
• The presentation of the Documentary " ONE ROCK THREE RELIGIONS, and the discussion following it, which
begins at Brandeis University on Thursday, September 3, at 7:00pm. Place: Wasserman Cinematheque.
• Students must visit the Kniznick Gallery of WSRC, which is exhibiting the work of Scholar and artist Linda Bond.
Her work addresses issues of political and social concern and primarily explores the mediated experience of
wartime. Students are expected to write 300 words or so on the artists’ intent and manner of depicting that intent.
• Brandeis is hosting Syrian visual/film/music artists. They will attend Political Cultures of the ME starting at 2:00
pm on Thursday October 29. The class will view clips from their work, and explore issues that are expressed
through the art: political issues, social issues, issues of identity, etc.
• The live painting/ music collaborative work “Home Within,” a powerful, passionate and deeply personal artistic
response to conflict. The full live performance of the work, and other pieces as well, will culminate the artists’
weeklong visit to Brandeis, and take place on, Saturday, Oct. 31.
Note: If you are a student with a documented disability on record at Brandeis University and wish to have a
reasonable accommodation made for you, please see the instructors immediately after class.
NEJS 197B Syllabus page 3
Syllabus
Week One: Thursday, August 27 - Introduction
A discussion of concepts like “political culture,” the “Middle East,” “identity” and “ideology.” Politics as ideology
and politics as identity. Outline of the course and the reading. Discussion of course structure, requirements and
mechanics. Assigning dates for first set of class presentations.
Reading (for Week 2):
• EI2 entry, “Badw.” And EI2 entry. “Arab.” ON LATTE
• Bernard Lewis, The Arabs In History. Read whole book, with focus on first two chapters for class.
• Samir Kassir, extracts from Being Arab, on LATTE
• Abbas Kelidar, ‘A Quest For Identity,’ Review article in ME Studies. ON LATTE
• Film Viewing: The Syrian Bride. Time and place To Be Determined
Week Two: Thursday, September 3 – On Being Arab
Who or what exactly is an Arab? We will discuss changing notions of Arabness and the film, The Syrian Bride.
What does it mean to be an Arab in the 21st Century?
Reading (for Week 3):
• Albert Hourani, Arabic Thought in the Liberal Age (Oxford University Press). Read chapters 1-6.
Please attend film viewing today: ONE ROCK THREE RELIGIONS, and the discussion following it, which begins
at Brandeis University on Thursday, September 3, at 7:00pm. Place: Wasserman Cinematheque. Discussion in
class on week 3.
Thursday, September 10
NO CLASS TODAY. Monday Class schedule in effect.
Week Three: Thursday, September 17 –The West & The Early Modernists
Discuss film aired on Thursday, Sept 3. Come with a question to class.
Dating the beginning of the modern era in the Middle East, and defining what the Middle East is and how the
category came into being. The invasion of Egypt by Napoleon. What were the first views Muslims from the Middle
East formed of Europe after that invasion? And vice versa. How did the first generation of early modern Arab
intellectuals deal with Western military superiority and new ideas of government and social order?
Reading (for Week 4):
• Hourani, Arabic Thought in the Liberal Age , Chapters 7-9
Week Four: Thursday, September 24 – The Early Modernists
The biography, ideas and influences of Shaikh Rifaa al-Tahtawi, Emile Bustani, Jamal al-Din al-Afghani and
Muhammad Abduh. Student presentations on each. The biography and influence of Taha Husayn.
NEJS 197B Syllabus page 4
Reading (for Week 5):
• Finish Hourani, Arabic Thought. Chapters 10-12.
• Hourani, ‘The Climax of Arabism’, chap 24, A History of the Arab Peoples, pp.401-458. ON LATTE
• Fouad Ajami, The Arab Predicament (Cambridge University Press). Read the Introduction and Part 1,
through p.76. ON LATTE
Film Viewing:
• Pontecorvo, The Battle of Algiers, 1967. A classic on the Algerian war of independence, and the battle
between the French army and the FLN over the Casbah.
Week Five: Thursday, October 1 – The Politics of National Liberation
The origins of pan Arabism and early pan-Islamism. How are the two different from one another in the last quarter
of the 19th century. The end of pan-Arabism and the 1967 war. Contrast the concepts of qawm, from which is
derived qawmiyya, and watan, from which is derived wataniyya.
Reading (for Week 6):
• Jalal Sadiq al-Azm Self-Criticism After the Defeat (Saqi Press). Read whole book.
• Paul Salem, 'The Rise and fall of Secularism in the Arab World,' Middle East Policy, vol. iv, no. 3, March
1996, pp. 147-160. ON LATTE
Week Six: Thursday, October 8 – Secularism, Arab Nationalism & Islamism
Historians of the modern Middle East are agreed that the Arab defeat at the hands of Israel in 1967 was a
transforming event in the region. We will examine the long-term changes in state and culture brought about by that
event. Describe in your own words the over-arching argument of Paul Salem. How does it conform or differ from
other readings in the course?
Reading (for Week 7):
• Start Roy Mottahedeh, The Mantle and the Prophet (Pantheon). Finish first 6 chapters.
Week Seven: Thursday, October 15 – The 1979 Iranian Revolution I
We will begin a discussion of the origins of the 1979 revolution in Iran by looking closely at the competing state and
traditional educational systems in place in Iran. How did the language of politics begin to change?
Concept, preliminary outline & bibliography of final paper is due today. Concept is a 300-400 word description of
your idea for the paper. The reading attached as a bibliography must be relevant and have been skimmed through.
The outline will then break down the concept into sections with brief descriptions of a sentence or two.
Reading (for Week 8):
• Finish Roy Mottahedeh, The Mantle and the Prophet (Pantheon).
Week Eight: Thursday, October 22 – The 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran II
Continue the discussion on the origins of the Iranian revolution. The intersection of the secular and the religious
opposition to the Shah’s regime. The importance of Jalal al-e-Ahmed. Student presentations of themes in
NEJS 197B Syllabus page 5
Mottahedeh identified by the instructor.
Reading (for Week 9:
• Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline, Saqi Books, London. Edited by Malu Halasa, Zaher
Omareen and Nawara Mahfoud. Read whole book
• Kanan Makiya, The Monument: Art, Vulgarity and Responsibility in Iraq (University of California Press).
Read whole book.
• Students must visit the Kniznick Gallery of WSRC before class, which is exhibiting the work of Scholar and
artist Linda Bond. Her work addresses issues of political and social concern and primarily explores the
mediated experience of wartime. Students are expected to write 300 words or so on the artists’ intent and
manner of depicting that intent.
• FILM VIEWING: Hany Abu-Assad’s Paradise Now, 2005. A thriller that tells the story of two young
Palestinian suicide bombers.
Week Nine: Thursday October 29 – Art and Violence
This week our class will host Syrian visual/flim/music artists visiting Brandeis. The class conversation will revolve
around art and the Syrian civil war. Do the arts have a role in response to violence? Students are required to attend
the live painting/ music collaborative work “Home Within,” a powerful, passionate and deeply personal artistic
response to conflict. The full live performance of the work, and other pieces as well, will culminate the weeklong
visit to Brandeis, and take place on, Sat, Oct. 31. Students are required to attend and write a 500-word piece centered
on the performance. Class visits will show clips from the work, and explore issues that are expressed through the art:
political issues, social issues, issues of identity, etc.
Reading (for Week 10):
• Selected chapters in Roger Owen and Gilles Kepel, Jihad. To Be Assigned
• Reminder to attend Oct. 31 event, “Home Within.”
Week Ten: Thursday, Thursday, November 5 – Islamic Politics & Arab Culture
Instructor will lecture on politics and art in Ba’thi Iraq. The Monument, assigned for week 9, must be finished in its
entirety. Contemporary examples of Arab art will be viewed and discussed.
Reading (for Week 11)
• Selected chapters in Gilles Kepel, Jihad. To Be Assigned
• Makiya & Mneimneh, ‘Manual For A Raid,’ NYRB (2001). ON LATTE
Week Eleven: Thursday, November 12 – Militant Islam
The rise of militant Sunni Islam. What is Jihadi Islam? How does it differ from previous forms of Islamist
oppositional politics. Contrast Jihadi Islam with the pan-Islamism of Jamal al-Din al-Afghani. Does militant Islam
represent a break with tradition, or is a reaffirmation of it?
Written Student Progress Reports on papers, including a written section of not less that 5 pages, required. Revised
concept of final paper, if applicable, also due.
Reading (to for Week 12):
• Eva Bellin, ‘The Robustness of Authoritarianism in the ME,’ Comparative Politics (2004). ON LATTE
• Roger Owen The Rise and Fall of Arab Presidents for Life (Harvard University Press). Finish book.
NEJS 197B Syllabus page 6
• FILM VIEWING: Makiya & Roberts, Saddam’s Killing Fields, Frontline 1991. Reported on by K. Makiya
Week Twelve: Thursday, November 19 – The Politics of Tyranny
This week we will discuss Arab authoritarianism post 1967 and the legacy it has left in the region.
Final Papers and presentations due last day of classes. Students having problems should arrange individual
meetings with instructor to discuss and review their papers.
Reading for week Fourteen, December 3:
• Roger Owen The Rise and Fall of Arab Presidents for Life (Harvard University Press). Read whole book and
summarize the argument in your weekly written response.
Thursday, November 26
NO CLASS TODAY. Thanksgiving Holiday.
Week Fourteen: Dec 3 - The Rise and Fall of the Arab Spring
We will discuss the new landscape of Middle East following the failure of the Arab Spring: world with collapsing
tyrants and weakening state systems. Can one speak of the beginnings of the emergence of new cultural political
paradigms in the region? Thinking about the future of the Middle East region.
Final papers due and Oral Presentations of final papers