1. The Colonial and Pre-Colonial Origins of the Modern Middle East Prof. M. Cammett POLS1270 Feb. 2 & 7, 2012

2. Birth of Islam Why is it important to understand the origins of Islam? Prophet Mohammed (570-632) Relationship of Islam with Judaism & Christianity What was so revolutionary about Islam? – Monotheism – Unity of tribes; one god (Allah) – Social Justice

3. Pre-Islamic Empires: The Byzantine & Sassanid Empires

4. Spread of Islam (7 th cen. onwards)

5. Development of Islam Why conversion? Multiple motivations Splits within Islam: Sunnis & Shi’a Islamic “law” or guiding principles Sharia: (Qur’an, Sunna, Hadith) Islamic Jurisprudence & Schools of Thought

6. The Rise and Spread of the Ottoman Empire Why should we care about the Ottoman Empire? Emergence and territorial expansion Ottoman motivations for expansion

7. Features of Ottoman Rule: Key Institutions of Governance What is “governance”? Institutions and practices of Ottoman governance Sources of strength for the Empire & the Sultan: – Devshirme – Millet system – Timar system Ottoman v. European state formation

8. Why Ottoman Decline? Internal reasons Decline of devshirme, timar system External reasons Changing technologies, Capitulations Ottoman responses to decline: Tanzimat

9. Ottoman Legacies Economic (and then political) subordination of the Middle East to European powers Enduring organizational features – Millet system – Decentralized power  indirect rule

10. European Imperialism in the Middle East

11. Types of European Imperial Authority in the Middle East

12. Israel/Palestine Herzl & Zionism 1917 Balfour Declaration British Mandate of Palestine Jewish immigration (aliyot) and demography 1920s/1930s: Increasing violence 1947: British announcement of departure  UN UN Partition Plan May 14, 1948: Israel declares independence Contested narratives

13. Lasting Legacies of Colonial Rule National territorial legacies – Problems of legitimacy and national identity formation Creation of key political institutions – Military, bureaucracy – Role of minorities Economic legacies Domestic social cleavages (rural/urban)