Back
| Semester | spring semester 2020 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Ali Sonay (ali.sonay@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | What has Sufism meant since early modern times? Sufism as the mystic dimension of Islam has a variety of forms of expression. With the formation of modern nation states in the Middle East and North Africa policies of administrative centralization have rearranged the relationship between states and Sufi orders. Turkey for instance forbade them in 1925 by law, which is valid until today. Sufism has, nevertheless, continued to play an important role in the region`s societies and politics. This course will examine Sufi traditions with a focus on the social, material, and political aspects of Sufi orders by referring to the case studies of Turkey and Morocco since the early modern period. In doing that, the seminar will answer the following questions: 1. In what ways have empires and nation states approached manifestations of Sufism? 2. How have Sufi orders reacted to the states` policies of administrative centralization? 3. Through which media have Sufi orders been communicating with their followers? 4. How can we contextualize Sufism within trends of global history and the politics of everyday life? The seminar will be held in the framework of the bilateral cooperation between the University of Basel and the Central European University (CEU) in Budapest. The course will be concluded at the CEU in a joint workshop, where the same course will be held in parallel at the Department of History by Professor Brett Wilson. Those who wish to participate in the joint workshop in Budapest will have to cover the financial costs on their own. Students in Near & Middle Eastern Studies may expect a moderate support by their own institution. The number of participants at the joint workshop will be restricted to ten students from Basel. Priority to take part in the joint workshop will be given along the following order: MA students in Near & Middle Eastern Studies, MA students in History, BA students in Near & Middle Eastern Studies, BA students in History, further MA and BA students. |
| Learning objectives | Students will • Become familiar with the diverse environment of mystic orders in both Turkey and Morocco • Comprehend how both states approached Sufi orders since their establishment. • Become acquainted with the strategies of adjustment Sufi orders have developed. • Gain in-depth insight into the existing literature. |
| Bibliography | The literature will be announced at the start of the seminar and be made available on ADAM. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|
No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Modul: Basics: Religion (Master's degree program: African Studies) Modul: Europäisierung und Globalisierung (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) Modul: Fortgeschrittene Nahoststudien (Bachelor's degree subject: Near & Middle Eastern Studies) Modul: Themen der Near & Middle Eastern Studies (Master's degree subject: Near & Middle Eastern Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Short presentations and response papers. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Nahost-Studien |