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History And Culture Of Islamic Societies 2026/2027
Generali:
- Dipartimento: Lettere E Filosofia
- Settore Ministeriale: L-OR/10
- Codice di verbalizzazione: 804002931
- Metodi di insegnamento: Frontale
- Metodi di valutazione: Orale
- Prerequisiti: General knowledge of global history
- Obiettivi: Programme This course aims at introducing students to major historical events and faith-based concepts that have influenced the making of Muslim societies worldwide over the last fifteen centuries. The production of knowledge in the classical Arab-Islamic civilization will be underlined, followed by the study of how modern Muslim societies face different cultural challenges and transformations. The course is divided into three major parts. The first part introduces the formative part of Islamic societies based on the Islamic creed, the place of the Quran, the role of the Prophet, and the place of sharia legal interpretations in Muslim societies in the past. The second part examines the diversity of Muslim societies and cultures through major political, theological, and philosophical divisions that marked them; the aesthetics of the tradition will be studied here as a form of understanding differences and similarities within Muslim societies. The final third part studies the modern transformations Muslim societies and cultures �" in particular in North Africa and Western Asia (��Middle East��) - have been experiencing in their encounter with modernity, the ideas of secularism, constitutionalism, democracy, human rights, feminism, and pluralism. Objectives A) Learning Outcomes: Be able to distinguish between the multiple histories and cultures of Muslim societies chronologically, geographically, and thematically. B) Knowledge and Understanding: Be able to know the historical roots of major socio-political, economic, and cultural concepts that have influenced Muslim societies and communities throughout history, and how they are now envisioned by modern and contemporary Muslims globally. C) Applying Knowledge and Understanding: Be able to apply one's accumulated knowledge of history in comprehending contemporary Muslim societies, their similarities and differences. D) Making Judgements: Be able to critically evaluate events and situations regarding past and present issues of Muslim societies. E) Communication Skills: Be able to confidently express oneself in oral as well as written forms regarding the major issues pertaining to the history and culture of the Muslim plural worlds. F) Learning Skills: Be able to make use of the various methods of learning that correspond best to one's major competences, be they through reading, writing, speaking, or/and listening. Obligatory: The students can opt for either Option 1 or 2 for the obligatory textbooks, depending on their studies background; if this is their first encounter with Islam Studies, or wish to further their studies of Islamic history and Muslim societies, Option 1 is obligatory for them; if they have studied Islamic history and Muslim societies before, and are interested in culture and tourism strategies in these Societies in particular, then they can preferably opt for Option 2. These texts are available in the university library (Faculty of Letters): Option 1: Carole Hillenbrand, Islam: A New Historical Introduction, 3rd ed. (London: Thames and Hudson, 2015), 314 p. + Suzanne Kassab, Contemporary Arab Thought: Cultural Critique in Comparative Perspective, 2nd ed. (New York: Columbia UP, 2025), 600 pp. (Selected chapters: Introduction: Cultural Malaise, Chapter 1: Modern Arab Cultural Renaissance, 4: Critique in Secular Theology, 5: Secular Critique). Option 2: Michael Hall and Girish Prayag, eds., The Routledge Handbook of Halal Hospitality and Islamic Tourism (London and New York: Routledge, 2022), 352 p. Recommended: Oliver Leaman, Islamic Aesthetics: An Introduction (Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press, 2004), 211 p. Francesca M. Corrao, Islam: Religion and Politics (Rome: Luiss University Press, 2016), 186 p.
- Ricevimento: Da concordare in presenza o a distanza scrivendo all'indirizzo mail.
Didattica:
- A.A.: 2026/2027
- Canale: UNICO
- Crediti: 6