Approaches and Perspectives in MENA Studies (411-0-1)

Topic

Producing Territory: People, Goods and Values on t

Instructors

Emrah Yildiz
847/467-6254
1819 Hinman Ave, #103
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 1-3pm

Meeting Info

Annenberg Hall G29: Tues 2:00PM - 4:50PM

Overview of class

Producing Territory: People, Goods and Values on the Move

What is territory? Is it simply the physical space (land, air or sea) over which a state exercises sovereignty? How does this presumed alignment of territory and sovereignty come about and get maintained in modern nation-states and internationally? Is territory a given and static contract or the terrain of constant contestation or negotiation in global and international affairs? This course examines these questions by proposing that territories products of mobile social actors, contraband commodities and fluctuating values as much as they are of state policies aimed at managing these movements. Through reading anthropological and historical monographs as well as theoretical essays drawn from geography and social theory more broadly, in this course we explore the spatial production of social worlds and trace how this process has come to unfold at local, national and regional scales. By the end of the course students are expected to be well versed in diverse theories of space and able to articulate what an attention to space and the relations of power inscribed in particular processes of territorial production can contribute to ethnographic and historical inquiry.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, student will be able to:

· Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of social science theories related to the influence of culture and power on the behavior of individuals, interpersonal relationships, and/or group dynamics in prevalent interpretations of territory, borders, and state formation in anthropology and allied disciplines;

· Develop the ability to critique theories, claims, and policies in the social and behavioral sciences of territory and its objects and subjects of practice through careful evaluation of scholarly arguments including their major assertions, assumptions, evidential basis, and explanatory utility;

· Reflect upon the way in which theories and research about territory and borders from the social and behavioral sciences help elucidate the factors underlying contemporary social issues, social problems, and/or ethical dilemmas in a global and comparative framework.

Evaluation Method

Students will be evaluated on the basis of two writing assignments (50%) and class participation (50%). The writing assignments include one American Anthropologist style book review of an ethnographic monograph (20%) and one 12-page paper recasting own research project in light of seminar readings (30%). Class participation includes (1) Regular attendance (10%) in seminar meetings and contribution to discussions; (2) 8 Reading responses (25%); and (3) Leading seminar discussion in one session (15%).

Class Materials (Required)

All required texts with the exception of the book-length manuscripts given below can be found either on Northwestern library online sources or under files on the course website. If acquiring the listed monographs poses a financial burden to your budget, please reach out to the instructor.

Nadia Abu El-Haj. 2002. Facts on the Ground: Archaeological Practice and Territorial Self-Fashioning in Israeli Society. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press. ISBN-13: 978-0226001951.

Emrah Yildiz, 2024. Zainab's Traffic: Moving Saints, Selves, and Others across Borders. Oakland, CA: University of California Press | ISBN-13: 978-0520379831.

Amitav Ghosh, 1993. In an Antique Land: History in the Guise of a Traveler's Tale. New York, NY: Knopf. | ISBN-13: 978-0679727835.

Cyrus Schayegh, 2017. The Middle East and the Making of the Modern World. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. ISBN-13: 978-0674088337.

Eric Tagliacozzo, 2005. Secret Trades, Porous Borders: Smuggling and States along a Southeast Asian Frontier, 1865- 1915. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. | ISBN-13: 978-0300089684.

Rihan Yeh, 2017. Passing: Two Publics in a Mexican Border City. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. | ISBN-13: 978-0226511917.

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: REASON: Pre-registration is not allowed for this class. Please try again during regular registration.