10918 People, Society and Economy in Contemporary Middle East 1

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

Prerequisites: 36 credits, including one course in Modern History or in History of the Middle East. Students must also fulfill all English requirements and take bibliographic instruction in the Library.

Author: Onn Winkler. The materials include a collection of articles edited by Haggai Erlich and Tal Shuval.

The course deals with demographic trends in Middle Eastern Arab countries in the 20th century and how these trends influence, and are influenced by, politics. It also presents basic concepts needed in the study of demography.

The course integrates a description and analysis of demographic phenomena with an investigation of the mutual relations between these phenomena and internal and international politics. It constitutes an attempt to study the contemporary history of the Middle East from a unique perspective that provides important and original insights regarding major 20th century regional developments.

Topics: Rapid population growth in Arab countries in the 20th century; The economic consequences of high birth rates in Arab countries in the second half of the 20th century; Movement of labor workers between Arab countries; The effects of immigration on the large labor exporters: Egypt, Jordan, Yemen and Syria; Policy regarding reproduction in Arab countries in the second half of the 20th century.


1Students may write a seminar paper in this course, although it is not required.