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 it. The major 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 Nationalisms; what is the effect of Islamism on nationalistic ideologies, especially after the Seventies? We will look into specific expressions of Arab 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 a discussion of a core structure in society—family - as a societal unit and institution. We will try to understand the place of men and women and their changing roles within 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 the exploration of politics of arts in the Arab world. We will investigate themes such as interactions 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 in Arab arts settings.

Learning Outcomes: Part I
After successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
• Have a general idea about the history of Arab nationalism and the main concepts around it
• Distinguish between various policies of Arab nationalism
• Grasp the discords among various patterns of thought related to the issue of nationalism
• Acquire knowledge on various expressions of Arab nationalism and its critique

Learning Outcomes: Part II
After successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
• Understand the modes of function of Arab families
• To evaluate the (changing) roles of men and women in the societal unit of family
• To have better image on the notion of kinship in Arab societies, and on the interaction of modernity and tradition within various kinships
• To see in what ways family as a unit can affect larger polities

Learning Outcomes: Part III
After successful completion of the course, students will have a better idea on the
• The interaction between Art production and society
• The role of artistic production in the improvement of societies
• State policies towards artists and art institutions
• Relationships between foreign funds and local art institutions