Empire and Messianism in the Middle East

3 units

Senior Seminar: This course looks at imperial politics in its relations to monotheistic messianic movements and ideologies in the Islamic Mediterranean from the late antiquity to the sixteenth century. Messianic beliefs offered political hope, rallied opposition against the existing rule, defined and ordered lived reality for imperial subjects, presented a political leitmotiv for rulers, and advocated a just socio-political order to be realized in the immediate or indefinite future. Thus, this course attempts to see how politics became messianic by its very ability to promise a better future. Despite the chronological scope of the course, we will examine only specific ideas, practices, and movements as case studies to study in depth various facets of messianic movements and thought in their geographic and historical context. We will use primary sources, which will be the main methodological focus of the course, and secondary literature. We aim to develop skills in identifying, reading, analyzing, and dealing with primary sources in their variety and critically engaging modern scholarship on the political role of messianism. Students will write a term paper and several reports on preassigned readings, and make regular class presentations. Admission preference will be given to graduating seniors in JINELC, but the course is open to all advanced students provided that they consult the instructor prior to enrolling. Knowledge of a relevant primary source language is highly desired but not required.