| CODE | ANT2003 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Nation, State and Society in the Middle East/North Africa | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Anthropological Sciences | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Objectives: This study-unit is an introduction to the Mediterranean Middle East and North Africa. It explores a variety of everyday forms and practices, which are tense with class, gender and other social oppositions. Content: Both complementary and contrasting theoretical approaches are used to explore the diverse topics, while three large questions guide the discussions: - How do the various social forms and transformations relate to the expanded apparatus and functions of the modern state? - How do they relate to the region's strategic importance to Western political and economic interests? - How does the social organization of communications, with its varying blends of local and transnational contexts, shape belief, authority and community? Study-Unit Aims: - To impart a preliminary knowledge of the social and cultural variety of MENA as a region; - To impart an understanding of what anthropology can contribute to the understanding and explanation of MENA. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Articulate an understanding of the range of societies and cultures in MENA in the 20th and 21st centuries; - Draw upon various analytical and interpretive frameworks to explain and understand the range. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Evaluate contemporary news events against a broader and deeper knowledge of the region; - Evaluate in writing various stereotypes and theories of MENA by reference to particular ethnographic case studies; - Offer provisional generalisations from particular ethnographic cases in argumentative writing with a focus on clarity. Reading List: A wide range of readings, both classic and contemporary will be provided, of which some are: - Balakrishnan, Gopal and Benedict Anderson (eds.). - Mapping the Nation (London: Verso, 1996). - Eickelman, Dale F. and Jon W. Anderson (eds.), New Media in the Muslim World: the Emerging Public Sphere (Bloomington/Indianapolis: Indiana UP, 1999). - Hafez, Sherine and Slyomovics, Susan (eds.) The Anthropology of the Middle East and North Africa. Indiana University Press, 2013. - Herzfeld, Michael, Cultural Intimacy: Social Poetics in the Nation-State (London: Routledge, 1996). - Salem-Murdock, Muneera. Anthropology and Development in North Africa and the Middle East. Taylor and Francis, 2019. - Scheele, Judith and Shryock, Andrew (eds.) The Scandal of Continuity in Middle East Anthropology. Indiana University Press, 2019. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Ranier Fsadni |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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