The Arab World (SA0037)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : SPS-3-SAAW

The course intends to address relevant themes and approaches in the anthropological study of the Arab world. It investigates continuities and discontinuities between theory and ethnography of the region and the wider field of anthropological research. In doing so, it will consider some of the classical themes that have dominated anthropological literature on the Arab world, such as women, family, kinship and Islam. The course explores new approaches to understand these classical themes. At the same time, it aims to illuminate new avenues of research that have emerged in the anthropology of the Arab world in the light of the changing socio-political landscape of the region.

The course begins with an Introduction that problematizes the Arab world as an area of anthropological study. Then it moves to consider new approaches to the study of lineage, kinship and family. The construction of masculine and feminine identities is explored in the light of wider discussions on morality, religion and power. ?Islam? is then addressed as a topic of anthropological research. A special attention will be devoted to new forms of religiosity and their relationship with ?modernity? and political activism. The course then explores the themes of consumption, media and popular culture as they have emerged in recent research. Phenomena of belonging and exclusion are then discussed while approaching the themes of nationalism and citizenship. In the context of the recent history of the Middle East, the course will consider episodes of conflict, violence and their intersection with forms of political engagement. Finally, the boundaries of ?Arab world? as a separate region will be further problematized while discussing the theme of Arab diasporic and migrant communities and their complex transnational connections.