Seminar in Middle East and North African Studies (301-2-1)

Topic

Between the Middle East and the Americas: Diaspora

Instructors

Nicholas Ely Bascunan-Wiley
847/491-5415
1810 Chicago Avenue

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-319: Tues, Thurs 12:30PM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

Course title: Between the Middle East and the Americas: Diaspora and Transnational Identities

Since the mid-1800s, migrants from Bilad al-Sham (modern-day Levantine region of the Middle East) have traveled to the Americas and settled in towns and cities from Canada to Argentina. Today, this diasporic community—the modern mahjar—has unique local identities while maintaining cultural, political, and economic links to distant homelands. In this course, students will engage with historical and ethnographic accounts of contemporary Middle East diasporas, discussing similarities and differences within the overlapping transnational networks. Students will read about Palestinians in Santiago, Chile; Iraqis in Dearborn, Michigan; Lebanese in Tijuana, Mexico; and much more. From these accounts, the course will extrapolate lessons about intercultural engagement, global migration, and diasporic connectivity and cover topics including culture (food & music), religion, politics, gender, and more.