Dev. of Islamic Pol. Thought

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

Prerequisite: None but Islamic Religious Thought and Practice highly recommended The sweeping effects of the ‘Arab Spring’ throughout the Middle East have brought the discussion of the Islamic State to the forefront of political and academic discussions alike. When surveying these discussions, perhaps what is most remarkable is their immense diversity regarding the possibility and form of the Islamic State. Part of this diversity is inherited from the classical Islamic tradition which struggled in both theory and practice to identify an ideal model of governance. In this class we will survey the development of Islamic political thought throughout its varied history from the classical period until the modern one. It will broadly be divided into two parts: classical foundations and modern manifestations. We will begin our inquiry by studying the early Muslim polity as constructed by Muhammad and his followers. Subsequently we will move to what has been deemed the watershed moment in Islamic political thought, the death of Muhammad and the discussion regarding succession. After completing that discussion, we will then survey different articulations of Islamic Political thought grounded in juridical, philosophical and mystical understandings. In addition to examining the works of key thinkers throughout classical Islamic intellectual history, we will also look at the corresponding political situations in which they were writing. This will give an additional insight into some of their considerations when writing, which naturally differ from thinker to thinker. In the second part of the course we will look at modern articulations of Islamic political thought which began to burgeon in the late 19th century. Many of these movements are classified as revivalist movements due to an attempt to revive the classical Islamic model of governance in the modern world. On the other hand, other movements are deemed as reformist because they are attempting to reconstitute and reformulate Islamic political thought for modern needs. Exploring the various contours of these movements, and the reasons for their difference will occupy the last half of the course. We will finally conclude with a case study examining the battle which is currently unfolding in Egypt with regards to the form of its state in a post-Arab Spring context.