10646 The Modern Middle East

Credits: 6 intermediate credits in Modern History or in History of the Middle East

Prerequisites: none

The course deals with the history of the Middle East from the aftermath of WWII to the present day. It is based on texts authored by leading historians, each surveying a different state (excluding Israel), with an eye to regional developments:

• Haggai Erlich, Egypt – The Older Sister

• Michael Eppel, Iraq – Monarchy, Republic, Tyranny

• Joseph Nevo, Jordan – In Search of an Identity

• Moshe Maoz, Syria – To Pan-Arabism and Back

• Kais Firro, Lebanon – The Challenge of Diversity

• Mustafa Kabha, The Palestinians – History of the Dispersed

• Uzi Rabi, Saudi Arabia, An Oil Kingdom in the Labyrinth of Religion and Politics

• Anat Lapidot, Turkey – Nationalism and its Counter Dimensions

• Moshe Aharonov and Meir Litvak, Iran – From an Empire to Islamic Revolution

• Uzi Rabi, Yemen – From the Era of Revolution to Unification

The books present multidimensional historical analyses of the different entities, always addressing their role in the overall Middle Eastern dynamism.

In general, the course follows three periods: The last phase of the old elite hegemony, shaped during the emergence of modern nationalist movements in the 19th century; The era of Nasserism, the emergence of the young military elite and the secular, socialist, pan-Arab ideology; The period from around 1970 to the present, the re-stabilization of regimes and the re-emergence of political Islamic movements striving to revive all-regional religious unity. Focusing mainly on Arab societies, the course also covers the contemporary histories of Turkey and Iran.