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War, Violence and Revolution in the Modern Middle East

Module description

From Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt and the Wahhabi destruction of shrines in Iraq, through the effects of colonial and world wars, genocidal conflicts and the Arab-Israeli wars to the Iranian Revolution and the Arab Spring, violence in various forms, for better or worse, has been instrumental in bringing about change in the Middle East. This module will explore ways in which dramatic and traumatic experiences of war, revolution and violence have shaped states, institutions and attitudes in the modern Middle East, and the ways in which historians, social scientists and other theoreticians have tried to analyse and understand these phenomena.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to equip you with a good knowledge of the history of the Middle East in the modern period, along with a detailed understanding of the ways in which violence and war have been formative of modern polities and societies in the region. It aims to ensure that you are able to directly connect theoretical literatures on war, revolution and violence to specific case studies, and to develop strong capabilities in comparative historical analysis, source analyses and the development of complex forms of written argumentation.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. demonstrate both a detailed understanding of the modern Middle East and an ability to connect and compare seemingly discrete national and local histories from across the region and the time period studied;
• 2. demonstrate familiarity with the major scholars working in the theoretical fields of war, revolution and violence, and on the region;

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. critically engage with theoretical debates on war, revolution and violence and an ability to apply such theories to the Middle East;
• 4. analyse case studies looking at key examples of wars, revolutions and genocide;
• 5. demonstrate a systematic understanding of the interdisciplinary methods which Area Studies and Middle East Studies are based upon;
• 6. engage with, research and complete one essay which displays an ability to analyse one single country or to compare two or more states;

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 7. critically engage with theoretical literature and apply it to the context under discussion; and
• 8. contextualise sources, rank them according to relevance, write coherent and structured arguments.

Syllabus plan

Although the module's precise coverage may vary each year, it is anticipated that the following topics will be covered (some for a period of more than one week)

1. Theories of violence
2. Colonial violence
3. Genocide and ethnic conflict
4. The Armenian genocide
5. Gender, war and violence
6. Theories of revolution
7. The Iranian Revolution
8. Lived Revolution: Cases from the Arab Spring
9. Colonialism, War and Revolution in Algeria
10. Nation, Statehood and the Arab-Israeli conflict
11. Violence and humanitarianism post 9/11

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Makdisi, U. and Silverstein, P. (eds) 2006. Memory and Violence in the Middle East and North Africa. Bloomington: University of Indiana Press.

Neep, D., 2013, Occupying Syria under the French Mandate: Insurgency, Space and State Formation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Arendt, H. 1970, On Violence. New York: Harcourt and Brace.

Key words search

Violence, War, Revolution, History, Politics, Middle East, Arab world, Islam, Iran, Israel, Palestine, Algeria, Yemen, Colonialism.