Middle East

This course takes as its point of departure processes of reform and modernization in the late Ottoman Empire (18th and 19th centuries) and its demise in the early 20th century. On this background, the course sheds light on the entanglement of politics, religion and ethnic identity in the region, but also on the impact of Western powers. In addition, the course introduces students to scholarly approaches in Middle Eastern Studies, to its cultures and religions, and to its conflicts in historical perspective. This includes a critical appraisal of hackneyed terms and binaries, such as the east/west dichotomy, the ‘clash of civilizations’ thesis, and the very concept of ‘the Middle East’ itself.

We zoom in on the role of religion. The religion with the greatest number of followers in the modern Middle East is Islam. In this course, we examine the many different ways in which Muslims in the 19th and 20th centuries reacted to the increasing cultural and political influence of the West. We also study the role of Christianity in the modern Middle East. Attention is paid to the century-old Christian communities in the region (Marionites, Copts, and others) as well as to Western Christian mission in the colonial and postcolonial periods. Finally, we examine the position of Judaism and discuss the role of religion in the Palestianian-Israeli conflict.

This course module concerns the long-nineteenth century origins of the Middle East, spanning a period from the invasion of Egypt by Napoleon in 1798 through until the end of World War II. It explains how the region became a playground for Great Power interests and how it was invented through these interests. The students are introduced to the first proxy wars, internationalised civil conflicts, as well as the penetration of the European capital into the region through trans-imperial banks and by means of the oil industry in the region. They are also introduced to the Middle Eastern reception of imperialism with particular reference to the birth of indigenous nationalisms, which allows a greater understanding of contemporary political cultures and instability in the region.

The modern history of Iran has been tumultuous, full of revolts, revolutions and reversals. Key political developments in the nineteenth century included the impact of European political philosophies and Western educational systems, the Tobacco Revolt (1891), the Constitutional Revolution (1906-1911) and its aftermath, and the rise of feminist movements. Pivotal events in the twentieth century included the rise of the Pahlavi dynasty and the modernization project, the nationalization of oil production, the CIA-staged coup that removed the democratically-chosen Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq (1882-1967), the White Revolution and urbanization, the repression of intellectuals and the 1979 Revolution, the hostage crisis, the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88), and the consolidation of the Islamic Republic of Iran. These events have been followed in recent decades by reforms and revolts and even, most recently, by the possibility of war against the United States. 

The year 1979 marked the start of several weighty political developments in the Middle East, which have considerably changed the region and international relations. The rivalry between Iran and Saudi-Arabia, the Shiite-Sunnite divide, the role of Iran in Afghanistan, the ISIS in Iraq and Syria, and Hizballah in Lebanon are among topics which are going to be treated in this course. We will survey this period from the perspectives of Iranians, seeing how they view their own history and use religious tenets, poetry, art and material culture to contribute to the modernization of their country. How have they positioned Iran in the regional and international political settings? While secondary sources will be used to examine Iran’s modern history, key primary sources will be introduced in translation, to show how Iranians look at their own history in relation to their neighbours and Western powers.

There are no entry requirements.

• First, you register via Osiris for the entire minor. You only need to do this once, you do not need to re-register for each study period.
  • Does your minor start in study period 1 or 2? You can register from 1 May until the end of the course registration period in June.
  • Does your minor start in study period 3 or 4? You can register from 1 October until the end of the course registration period in November.
• Then you also register via Osiris for the individual courses of your minor:
  • For the courses in study period 1 and 2 during the registration period in June.
  • For the courses in study period 3 and 4 in November.
• If a Minor includes a course with priority rules, this order of registration is particularly important: first for the minor, then for the course. If you register for the course first, you will be put on the waiting list and may be excluded.  

Deviate from curriculum

If you wish to deviate from the Minor curriculum, you must first ask the Board of Examiners of the programme that offers the Minor for approval or exemption. 

You can register for the minor and each course module using the digital registration form. You do this during the Faculty of Humanities course registration period. After we have processed the registration form, we will notify you.