STRUGGLES AND IDENTITIES IN THE MODERN MIDDLE EAST in Fall 2018 (ME1091FB4)

Following the decline of the Ottoman Empire during the First World War, five founding moments have marked the history of the Middle East. The first is the one of European promises, betrayals, and establishment of maps and borders (1915-1920). The second moment is that of the creation of Israel in 1947, followed by the First Arab Israeli war (1948-49), and the displacement of a million Palestinians. The third moment, 1973, is the one of the last Arab-Israeli war, the oil boom, and the rise of political Islam. The fourth moment is that of the Iranian revolution in 1979, followed by the devastating Iraq-Iran war. It happened at the same moment when the Afghan jihad started against the Soviet army. The fifth is the one that was inaugurated in 2011, when revolutions against dictatorships erupted in many Arab countries. Conflicts, counter-revolutions and foreign military interventions followed and led to the series of crises that the Middle East (and the world) continues to witness today.

Organized around a central lecture, the course will allow students to achieve a nuanced understanding of politics in the modern Middle East, giving them the tools they need to take part in a variety of contemporary debates. Film screenings and visits to institutes and media outlets in Paris will be organized. Students will also be encouraged to do case studies and make class presentations.