Peoples of the Middle East

Fall 2003

Instructor—Kathy Kamp

Goodnow 208; ext 3140

Contact me by e-mail or phone for appointments; I am in most of the day, but teaching 8-9 and 11-12 MWF, W 1-4, and TTh 8:30-10.

Books

Fernea, Elizabeth 1964.  Guests of the Sheik: An Ethnography of an Iraqi Village.  New York: Doubleday.

Inhorn, Marcia  1996.  Infertility and Patriarchy: the Cultural Politics of Gender and Family Life in Egypt.  Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.

Hoodfar, Homa 1997.  Between Marriage and Market: Intimate Politics and Survival in Cairo.  Berkeley: University of California Press.

Lynd, Staughton, Sam Bahour, and Alice Lynd, eds.  1994.  Homeland: Oral Histories of Palestine and Palestinians.  New York: Olive Branch Press. 

Sharoni, Simona 1995.  Gender and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.  Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press.

Kanaaneh, Rhoda Ann  2002.  Birthing the Nation: Strategies of Palestinian Women in Israel. Berkley: University of California Press.

Chatty, Dawn  1996.  Mobile Pastoralists: Development and Social Change in Oman.  New York: Columbia University Press.

1. Class attendance and active participation is mandatory.  You are expected to be prepared. 15%

2. Three short (3 page) reaction papers over assigned readings.  15% each=45%

3. Final Paper  30%

4. Presentation of Final Paper  10%

8/29  Introduction—What is the Middle East?  Is it really a viable entity for study?

9/1  A Brief Introduction to the Ethnography of the Region--Fernea, Elizabeth Guests of the Shiek,  Intro. to p. 194.

9/5  Finish Guests of the Shiek.  Read Fernea, Elizabeth Warnock and Robert A. Fernea  1997. The Arab World: Forty Years of Change,.  New York: Doubleday, pp. 470-528 (Baghdad and Al-Nahra, 1996).

9/8 Background: Religion – Eickelman, Dale F.  1981. Islam in Practice.  In The Middle East: An Anthropological Approach,  pp.201-260. 

9/10 Background—Geography and  Culture—Barakat, Halim  1993.  The Arab world: Society, Culture, and State.  Berkeley: University of California Press.  Read Chs. 2 -4 (pp. 12-69).

9/12  Orientalism: Combating Western Stereotypes Read Fernea, Elizabeth Warnock and Robert A. Fernea  1997. The Arab World: Forty Years of Change.  New York: Doubleday, pp. 88-95 (Colonialism East and West).

THE FAMILY AND NEIGHBORHOOD

9/15  Considering the ethnographic approach in Infertility and Patriarch; Inhorn, Ch. 1.  Read this chapter carefully and pick one issue that you will be particularly alert to as you read and on which you plan to do a reaction paper.

9/17   “Mother” as a Central Icon—Inhorn, Ch. 2. Marital Relations—Inhorn, Ch. 3

9/19  Marriage Contracts-- Read pp. 108‑120; Chs 6 (Husband and Wife) and  7 (The mother-in-law)) in Mernissi, Fatima. 1987. Husband and Wife. Beyond the Veil: Male‑Female Dynamics in Modern  Muslim Society. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.  ALSO Read 49-63 (Temporary Marriage: Mut’a) in Haeri, Shahla. 1989. Law of Desire: Temporary Marriage in Shi'i Iran.. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press

Special Film-Showing Session TBA--Film: Layla (feature film by Iranian director/producer Dariush Mehrjoui)

9/22  The Role of Extended Family and Neighbors—Inhorn, Ch 4 and 5.

9/24  Conclusions—Inhorn, Ch. 6. Reaction Paper Due at 8 a.m. in class.

9/26  A Comparison with Elites—Read Ch. 3 (Roles and role conflicts) in Altorki, Soraya. 1986. Chapter 3: Roles and Role Conflict. Women in Saudi Arabia. Columbia University Press

9/29  Middle Eastern Values--Read Ch. 4 (Sociability) in Eickelman, Christine. 1984. Chapter 4: Sociability. Women and Community in Oman. New York University AND ALSO  Read (Self-realization in a poor environment) in Wikan, Unni. 1980. Chapter 8: Self‑realization in a poor environment. Life Among the Poor in Cairo. Tavistock Publications.

10/1  Honor and Independence-- Read Ch. 3 (Honor and the Virtues of Autonomy) in Abu‑Lughod, Lila. 1986. Veiled Sentiments: Honor and Poetry in a Bedouin Society. University of California Press.

10/3 An Economic Approach to Marriage and Family among the Urban Poor--Hoodfar, Homa 1997. Between Marriage and Market.  Berkeley: University of California Press.  Intro. and Chs. 1 (The research).

10/6  Marital Relations—Hoodfar, Ch. 2 (Marriage, family, and household). Film: Selections from Some Women of Marrakech.

Special film Showing—“On Boys, Girls, and the Veil” 

10/8  Household Economics--Hoodfar, Chs 3 (In search of cash: Men in the labor market), 4 (Women and employment) and 5 (Money management and patterns of household budgeting).

10/10  Household Economics Continued-- Hoodfar, Chs 6 (Nonmonetary contributions to the household pool), 7 (Expenditure and consumption patterns),  Ch. 8 (Social networks and informal associations), and Ch. 10 (Conclusion).   NOTE: We are leaving Ch 9 for later.

THE BROADER SOCIETY:GENDER, HONOR, SHAME, and the VEIL

10/13 Veiling, a Western Preoccupation--READING

10/15 Sexuality—Read Ch. 6, pp. 116-140 (Honor and shame) in Nieuwkerk, Karin van. 1995. A Trade Like Any Other: Female Singers and Dancers in Egypt. University of Texas Press; AND Read Chapter 9, pp. 168-186 (The Xanith: A Third Gender Role?) in Wikan, Unni. 1982. Behind the Veil in Arabia.  The Johns Hopkins University Press

10/17 Honor Killings—Watch “Our Honor and His Glory”  outside of class and be prepared to discuss and critique in class.  Second Reaction Paper Due.

Fall Break

10/27 Female Circumcision-- Film: Hidden Faces (52 minutes)

10/29 Female Circumcision--Hoodfar, Ch. 9 (Fertility and sexual politics),  AND Read pp. 7-11, 25-31, 33-43 in Saadawi, Nawal El. 1980. The Hidden Face of Eve: Women in the Arab World. Zed Press AND Read  Kassamali, Noor J. 1998. When Modernity Confronts Traditional Practices: Female Genital Cutting in Northeast Africa.  In Women in Muslim Societies: Diversity within Unity, edited by Herbert L. Bodman and Hayereh Rohidi, pp. 39‑61.  Boulder, Colorado: Lynne Rienner Publishers

POLITICS, GENDER, AND THE WIDER WORLD

10/31 Background on the History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.  Read hipler, David K. 1986.  Arab and Jew: wounded spirits in a Promised Land, chs. 1 and 2.  Lynd et al, pp. 3-72 (and continue on with individual stories as indicated in the text.).

11/3  Memory and Problems of Bias—Slyomovics, Susan  1998, The Object of Memory: Arab and Jew Narrate the Palestinian Village.  Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.  Read Ch. 1 , Memory of Place: Recreating the Pre-1948 Palestinian Village, pp. 1–28.

11/5 Film: “500 Dunams on the Moon”.  Continue reading Lynd et al.

11/7  Finish Lynd et al.

11/10 Gender and Politics  Sharoni, Chs 1-3.

11/12 Palestinian Women Sharoni, Chs 4-5.

11/14 Israeli Women Sharoni, Chs. 6-7.

11/17 Palestinian and Israeli Women Working Together.  Sharoni, Chs. 8-9.

NO CLASS.  Gone to AAA meetings.  Finish work on your final papers.

11/24  The State and the Baby--Kanaaneh, Introduction and Ch. 1 Final Papers Due at 8 a.m. in class.  LATE PAPERS WILL BE PENALIZED!! 

11/26  Modernization and Procreation Choices--Kanaaneh, Chs. 2-4.

11/28 The Preference for Sons--Kanaaneh, Chs 5 and 6.

12/1  The State and the Male Body—Peteet, Julie  1994.  Male Gender and Rituals of Resistance in the Palestinian Intifada: A Cultural Politics of Violence.  American Ethnologist 21(1):31-49.

12/3   The Development Plan--Chatty, Chs. 1-4.

12/5 Results--Chatty, Chs. 5-8.  Third Reaction Paper Due.

12/8  Student Presentations

12/10  Student Presentations

12/12  Overview/Wrap-up