The Social History of the Modern Middle East

Course content

The aim of this course is to examine the international and inter-regional relations of the Middle East through the prism of social history and, focusing on global themes such as urbanization, poverty and consumption, to consider the internal dynamics of Middle Eastern societies and the impact on them of extra-regional factors. The course will cover the period from the late eighteenth century to the early 1980s. The themes will be examined using specific case studies from selected countries and comparisons will be made between the experiences of different countries in the region. The students will be provided with primary material in translation and films made by Middle Eastern film makers will be shown.