Anthropology of the Middle East

Harvard FAS

Where is the Middle East, and what makes it such a contested region? This course introduces students to the social, cultural, political, and economic complexity of the Middle East from an anthropological perspective. Although it is not a historical survey, the course begins by examining the international power relations and nation-building projects that have reshaped the region since World War I and that undergird its current dynamics. We then turn to ethnographies to explore the depth and…