Critical Social Inquiry 0203 - Anthropology of the Mid East

The images of brave youth challenging authoritarian power in the "Arab Spring" has proven inspirational -- and even contagious - around the world. In this course, we will question various forms of power in the Muslim Middle East. In particular, we will look at the power of orientalism, colonialism, tribe, kin, gender, religion, nationalism, class and globalization. Anthropology sheds light on issues of power by illuminating how it works on-the-ground -- how authority is constructed, maintained, challenged, and reproduced in various ways. Our interests lie in the practices of power in the everyday, revealed through the careful ethnographic study of particular processes and peoples. We thus will spend a good part of the course closely and critically reading and discussing a number of contemporary ethnographies of the Middle East. Throughout the course, we also will take time to track the politics of the "Arab spring" as they shift and are contested. In the end, I hope you will acquire an appreciation of the value of the anthropological perspective for understanding power in the Middle East and beyond and gain insight into some of the most pressing issues facing this area after the "Arab Spring."

Multiple Cultural Perspectives Writing and Research Independent Work Instructor: Leyla Keough, Adjunct Assistant Professor