Contemporary Shi'i Thought

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

This course offers a broad survey of Contemporary Twelver Shi‘i thought and Islamic movements, focusing on groups and scholars from Lebanon, Iraq, and Iran, during the Twentieth and Twenty-First centuries. In its first part, the course looks at the impact of modernization and the formation of national identities, on the social, political, and religious consciousness of the Shi‘a. The second part discusses the ideologization of Shi‘ism (narratives and doctrines) during the second half of the Twentieth century. The third part examines Shi‘i Islamic responses to the questions of adaptability and applicability of Shari‘a in the post-colonial period. It analyzes core transformations in the Shi‘i political thought, focusing on the suitability of Islam for governance in religiously diverse and pluralistic societies. The course ends with a survey on the state of Shi‘i – Sunni relations, discussing dialectical and dialogical interactions, before and after the "Arab Spring.”