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Topics in Performance Studies (330-0-23)

Overview of class

This team taught course offers an interdisciplinary approach to major issues in the study of histories, cultures, and societies of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), as well as an introduction to MENA as a field of study. We seek to understand how "MENA" was made as well as how the imaginary of MENA coalesced into a geopolitical entity and conceptual category. Among the topics explored are the history of the idea of MENA and the multiple meanings of "modernity" in that context; the complex relations between MENA and the West, the historical formation of Midle East nation states, polities, ideologies, identities, and economies; the War on Terror and its impact on the region, and the dynamic struggles unfolding in the region since the 2011 Arab uprisings including mass migration. The course will consider the making of these structures, events, and relationships from a range of perspectives, focusing on historical and cultural production. Primary and secondary course materials will include historical, social science, performance, cinematic, literary, and digital texts.

Short description: This team taught course offers an interdisciplinary approach to major issues in the study of histories, cultures, and societies of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), as well as an introduction to MENA as a field of study. We seek to understand how "MENA" was made as well as how the imaginary of MENA coalesced into a geopolitical entity and conceptual category.