HIST 6544

WWI & the Emergence of the Modern Middle East

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2014-2015.

It is hard to think of a region in the world that changed more drastically during the course of World War I, than that of the Middle East.  For the war not only spelled the end of an empire that had united the region for well over 400 years, but it also meant the creation of new national borders, new state structures, colonial occupation, the entrenchment of settler colonialism, and a drastic upheaval in traditional socio-cultural orders.  Despite the important role that the Ottoman Empire played in the war, and the deep and long-lasting impact the war had on the region, academic interests in the Great War has mostly focused on European experiences.  This seminar, which will be offered in conjunction with a number of events taking place on campus, will turn the spotlight onto this important topic. Even though classic texts will be used in this seminar, the focus will be on newer scholarship dealing with the social and political history of the Ottoman Empire on the eve of the war, the experience of the war on the frontline and at home in the Middle East, and the impact of the war on the region in the first half of the 20th century.  Thematically, the course will focus on trials of imperialism at the end of the 19th century, the study of the emergence of new forms of complex identifications in the region, the long-term impact of colonialism, and the emergence of nationalism.  A basic background in the history of the region is strongly preferred, but not required.

When Offered Spring.

Comments Co-meets with HIST 4544/NES 4641.

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