Faith, power and revolution: Islam in modern history
Ian Copland and Jane Drakard
8 points
* One lecture and one 2-hour seminar per week
* First
semester
* Clayton
Objectives The subject is designed to introduce students, through a study of selected primary and secondary sources, to debates about the rise and spread of Islam, the creation and dissolution of Islamic states and empires, the role of Islam in modern Muslim nationalist movements and the post-1979 `Islamic renaissance'. More generally, it aims to foster a critical awareness of the `Orientalist' stereotypes that have been constructed about Islam and a sense of the diversity of `Muslim' history. Students successfully completing this subject should have developed an understanding of the process of religious proselytisation and of the interplay between ideology, social organisation and state power.
Synopsis Of the great world religions, Islam is probably the least understood in Australia. Yet its massive following and political potency have long made it a leading force on the world stage. This subject investigates the nexus between religion and politics within the Islamic world from its beginnings. Topics to be investigated include the life and times of the prophet Muhammad; the genesis of the Sunni-Sh'ia split; Islamic conquests in the West; the Abbasid Caliphate; the spread of Islam in Asia; the nature of political authority in the Mughal empire; Islamic modernism; the Pakistan movement; the role of Islam in modern Indonesian politics; the revolution of the Ayatollahs in Iran; and the challenge of Islamic fundamentalism.
Assessment second year Short essay (1500 words): 20%
* Thematic
essay (3500 words): 50%
* Examination (1 hour): 20%
* Class
participation and attendance: 10%
Assessment third year Short essay (1500 words): 20%
* Research essay
(3500 words): 50%
* Examination (1 hour): 20%
* Class participation and
attendance: 10%
Recommended texts
Ahmed A S Discovering Islam - making sense of Muslim history and society Routledge, 1988
Guillaume A Islam Penguin, 1990
Mernissi F Women and Islam: An historical and theological enquiry Blackwell, 1994
Hourani A A history of the Arab peoples Warner Books, 1991
Ruthven M Islam in the world Penguin, 1991
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