Admission requirements
Admission to the MA Middle Eastern Studies (research). Students should have had approximately 30 EC worth of courses in Islamic studies at BA level. Students who are interested in taking this course, but who are not confident regarding their background in Islamic studies are requested to contact Dr. C. Strava or the programme coordinator. Students of other MA programmes are kindly referred to the regular MA course.
Description
For more than four decades cultural/social anthropologists have engaged in the study of Muslim societies. Anthropological perspectives have become increasingly prominent in studies of the Muslim world. According to Edward Said, they might serve as an antidote against essentialist and static views of older “orientalist” approaches. This seminar aims to give an overview of anthropological studies of Muslim societies, both contemporary and historical. This means that also books of historians who use an anthropological perspective might be subject to analysis. Our starting point will be the seminal essay by Clifford Geertz, “Islam Observed” (1968). Following this lead, the comparative study of Muslim societies is understood to be central. The first meetings are dedicated to a general introduction to anthropology, its theories, complicated history, concepts and methods. Special attention will be given to combination of the study of written sources with fieldwork. The different styles of report and writing ethnographies will also be analyzed.
In addition, the in-depth discussion of these texts will allow us to engage with practical questions about anthropological methods of participant-observation, interviewing, writing field notes, and more. What role can anthropology play in framing not only popular perceptions of Muslim societies but also broader policies and programs? Should that be the role of ethnographic writing, and how well does this genre lend itself to cross-disciplinary dialogue?
As such, the anthropological approach itself will be subject to scrutiny, by placing it in its social and historical context, in which the colonial past looms large. The second part of the seminar is focused on a systematic comparison of several regional traditions in which anthropological approaches have taken place. We will compare monographs from those regions (for instance the Arab World, Central Asia, the South Asian subcontinent, South East Asia and/or Sub-Saharan Africa) with recent work on Muslim communities in Europe, focusing on central anthropological themes, such as religion, social structure, urban culture, gender, politics and the public sphere, pilgrimage and ritual.
Course objectives
A sound overview of the main anthropological studies of Muslim societies and the central issues they cover.
An introduction to anthropological theories and methods in the context of Muslim societies.
A critical reflection on the history of anthropological approaches to the study of Muslim societies placed into a socio-political context.
Timetable
Mode of instruction
- Seminar
Attendance and participation are obligatory. Classes missed for a good reason (to the discretion of the conveners and to be discussed BEFORE the class takes place) will have to be made up with an extra assignment. Being absent without notification can result in a lower grade or exclusion from the term end paper and a failing grade for the course.
Course Load
Total course load for the course for 10 EC, 280 hours:
Hours spent on attending lectures and seminars: 3 hours per week x 12 weeks = 36 hours, with an extra 6 hours for ResMA students, (in a form to be discussed)
Time for studying the compulsory literature: 100 hours
Time for assignments (presentation and participation): 44 hours
Time to write a paper (including reading / research): 94 hours
Assessment method
The final mark is composed of
25% for participation
25% for presentation
50% final paper.
The final paper is written in two stages: a first version which will be commented on and a final version. Students who do not meet the deadline for the first version will lose the right to get comments and will only be graded based on their final version.
(The paper deadline mentioned in uSis is a fictional date for administration purposes only. The actual date will be communicated by the convenor of the course.)
In order to pass the course, students must obtain an overall mark of 5.50 (=6) or higher.
The course is an integrated whole. All assessment parts must be completed in the same academic year. No partial marks can be carried over into following years.
Blackboard
Reading list
Selections from:
Geertz, Clifford. 1968. Islam Observed. Religious Development in Morocco and Indonesia. New Haven & London: Yale University Press
Kreinath, Jens. ed., 2012. The anthropology of Islam reader. Routledge.
Rabinow, Paul. 2007 (orig. 1977). Reflections on Fieldwork in Morocco. Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: University of California Press Thirtieth Anniversary Edition with a new preface by the author
Varisco, Daniel. 2005. Islam Obscured. The Rhetoric of Anthropological Representation. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Ghodsee, Kristen. 2010. Muslim Lives in Eastern Europe: Gender, Ethnicity, and the Transformation of Islam in Postsocialist Bulgaria. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Fishcher, Johan. 2011. The Halal Frontier: Muslim Consumers in a Globalized Market. London: Palgrave.
Tarlo, Emma. 2010. Visibly Muslim: fashion, politics, faith. London: Bloomsbury.
Some additional readings. A definitive reading list will be made available at the beginning of the course
Registration
Students of the MA program Middle Eastern Studies are required to register through uSis before August/January 15. To avoid mistakes and problems, students are strongly advised to register in uSis through the activity number which can be found in the timetable in the column under the heading “Act.nbr.”.
(The paper deadline mentioned in uSis is a fictional date for administration purposes only. The actual date will be communicated by the convenor of the course.)
Other students are requested to send an email to the study co-ordinator including their name, student ID number, course title and prospectus or catalog number. Depending on the availability of places, the study co-ordinator will register these students after August/January 15. By September/February 1 at the latest the student will be able to see in uSis whether (s)he is registered or not.
Not being registered, means no permission to attend this course. See also the ‘Registration procedures for classes and examinations’ for registration deadlines and more information on how to register.
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Contractonderwijs.
Studeren à la carte is not possible for this course.
Contact
Remarks
Students with disabilities
The university is committed to supporting and accommodating students with disabilities as stated in the university protocol (especially pages 3-5). Students should contact Fenestra Disability Centre at least four weeks before the start of their courses to ensure that all necessary academic accommodations can be made in time conform the abovementioned protocol.
Academic Integrity
Students are expected to be familiar with Leiden University policies on plagiarism and academic integrity. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. If you submit any work with your name affixed to it, it is assumed to be your own work with all sources used properly indicated and documented in the text (with quotations and/or citations).