History, Anthropology, Religions

The course aims to introduce a) the historical-critical issues that the study of the origins of Islam entails and the fundamental traits that characterize this religious tradition in its so-called classical form; b) identify the main thematic axes along which the medieval, modern and contemporary history of the Muslim world has unfolded both in consonance with the common roots (religious, economic, structural, cultural) shared with the West, in autonomy and - in the most recent period - in subordination to the Western world. The themes addressed in this course aim to show - starting from its origins, perfectly understandable if inserted in the broader framework of the evolution of the Judeo-Christian monotheistic tradition in Late Antiquity - how the study of the history of Islam must be started, in each of its periods, within a global key to understanding the phenomena that have characterized the historical development of the Mediterranean and Eurasia. The course is chronologically divided into three parts: - Formative age (VII-IX century): tools for understanding the birth of the Islamic religion, the Arab conquests in the Near and Middle East and in North Africa, phenomena framed in a broader historical landscape such as Late Antiquity, will be provided; the characteristics of the formation of the first internal divisions, of a political order and subsequently of a religious order, and of the foundation of the first two caliphal dynasties will be outlined, within which there will be room for in-depth studies on the Arab-Islamic society of the first centuries, the formation of Shiism, the legal conditions of coexistence and autonomy of religious minorities (Christianity and Judaism), the enduring multi-ethnic definition of the Muslim empire, women history, the regional variants that have innervated the history of the first centuries of the Muslim world. - Middle period (10th-14th century): tools for understanding the historical development of Islamic societies during the so-called classical period will be provided, with insights into continuities - trans-regional phenomena - but above all into the fractures that have characterized the political, legal and cultural evolution of Muslim societies, moving from the ideal of the universal empire to the reality of regional empires. - Modern and Contemporary Ages (15th-20th century): more than ever in the treatment of this period, students will have the opportunity to compare the skills acquired in other courses of the Degree Course and to develop the ability to connect and link with the discursive practices of subjects such as anthropology by facing the issues that mark the history of Islamic countries in this period: the clash with the West, colonialism, nationalism, the development of new ideologies and practices to contrast Western hegemony.

No prerequisites are required.

L. Capezzone, Medioevo arabo. Una storia dell'islam medievale (VII-XV secolo), Milano, Mondadori, 2016. B. Scarcia Amoretti, Il mondo musulmano. Quindici secoli di storia, Roma, Carocci, 1998. The text is available in PDF format, but its circulation is strictly limited to personal use and course purposes.

Attendance is not mandatory. However, it is an important evaluation criterion at the time of the exam. To aspire to the maximum grade, an attendance of at least 70% of the lessons is required. The teacher will record attendance randomly during the course.

The criteria for evaluating the knowledge acquired are in line with the expected learning outcomes. However, it should be added that attendance at the course, although not compulsory, is another criterion for positive evaluation, given the importance attached by the teacher to the active participation of the audience in the discussions that characterise the progress of the course.

Further bibliography is given as the course progresses, and is based on the in-depth studies requested directly by students.

Since the course is aimed at acquiring new knowledge, lessons will be held in traditional frontal teaching. Ample room will be devoted to the discussion of the topics covered, to verify the ability of critical thinking and connection between transversal skills.