141092 SE The Arab World in Modern Times: Political and Social Issues (2025S)

This seminar covers a few topics and problems related to modern Arab societies. Its aim is to enhance our understanding of social change and dynamics in these societies. The seminar is divided into three major parts.

The first part is dedicated to the notion of Arab Nationalism. We will discuss the history of Arab Nationalism and the concepts accompanying this notion. The significant questions the sessions will address are: what are the ideological principles of Arab Nationalism; can we talk about Pan-Arab Nationalism when we have strong local-based Nationalism; what is the effect of Islamism on nationalistic ideologies, especially after the Seventies? We will look into specific expressions of Nationalism, such as Nasserism and Ba'athism, and read about some prominent thinkers on Nationalism, such as Sati al-Husri and Constantin Zureiq.

The second part is dedicated to discussing a core structure in society—family as a unit and societal institution. We will try to understand the place of men and women and their changing roles in the family. We will look into different discourses of kinship systems and the interaction of tradition and modernity within different settings of kinship.

The third part is dedicated to exploring the politics of arts in Arab countries. We will investigate themes such as interaction between artistic production and democratization process, the artists' role during the Arab Spring, the roles of international organizations and funding in the arrangements of art politics in Arab countries, and the modes of their interventions into Arab settings.