History 491MMH - S-Mass Migrations/Middle East

Media headlines across the world today contain news of the humanitarian, political, economic, and social implications of the refugee crises that have resulted from the Arab Spring. Seen through the lens of history, however, these recent events form part of a long tradition in which people have been displaced during the modern era. This course will connect contemporary events to the history of mass migration in the Middle East, taking the settlement of major cities during the mid-eighteenth century as our starting point. Together we will explore the pushes and pulls of population transfer through urbanization, invasion, state centralization and forced labor, European and Ottoman imperialism, technological change, the development of nationalism, genocide, world wars, and economic migration. Along the way we will stop to focus on the lived experience of migration, examining topics such as protest and subversion, cosmopolitanism, identity and belonging, mahjar (emigration), exploitation, and historical memory. We will also contemplate how these earlier episodes in mass migration impact the Middle East today through topics like cultural exchange, political and ideological organization, citizenship, and globalization. Students will leave this course with an understanding of the major historical topics of the modern Middle East, and a framework for interpreting contemporary events.

Open to Seniors, Juniors & Sophomores only.