Introduction to Topics in History (292-0-20)

Topic

Women, Power and Modernity in Islam

Instructors

Ashish Koul
847/467-3879
Harris 212

Meeting Info

Harris Hall L04: Mon, Wed 2:00PM - 3:20PM

Registration Requirements

How have women shaped ideas about religion, ethical conduct, and identity in the modern Muslim world? This seminar explores Muslim women's voices at two critical juncture in modern history—the transition from Muslim empires to European imperialism and then from European rule to post-colonial sovereignty. Although ‘Islam' is often believed to justify oppression of women and regulation of their public lives in theological terms, this seminar is an opportunity to dig deeper into Islamic intellectual movements that continue to shape how Muslim women and Islam are perceived to this day. Our goal is to historicize such common perceptions, rather than accept them as commonsensical or dismiss them as obvious stereotypes. This entails reflection using gender as an analytical category to study the historical intersections among Islam, modernity, and colonialism.
The course is divided into two parts. Part One focuses on ideological responses to historical transformations, most notably the onset of imperialism and then post-colonial nationhood, in various parts of the Muslim world. To contextualize our understanding of these intellectual currents, Part II focuses on South Asia which is home to one of the world's largest Muslim populations today. Based on texts composed by Muslim women and Muslim male theologians, we will consider themes such as religious and intellectual change, women's social and economic rights, and feminism in Islam. Throughout this course, we will elucidate the complexity and historical dynamism of Islamic intellectual traditions, and discover the nuanced ways in which Muslim women have become agents of their own change while navigating multiple forms of authority and power in Muslim societies.

Learning Objectives

In this course, students will learn to 1. read and summarize scholarly arguments. 2. analyze primary sources and think historically. 3. refine their writing skills by learning to examine evidence for producing cogent essays. 4. reflect on the interaction of religious traditions with social practices and political imperatives.

Class Notes

History Major Concentration(s): Asia/Middle East
History Minor Concentration(s): Asia

Class Attributes

Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
SoC Additional Distro