Democratization in the Middle East Fall 2008

Professor

Berna Turam

Course Number

SS- 0150

Course Description

This course introduces competing approaches to democratization in the Middle East. Compatibility between Islam and democracy has provided an inefficient and misleading focus for the field. On one hand, it has been argued that Islamic culture propels civic and egalitarian values, which makes Islamic tradition democratic. On the other hand, it has been argued that Islam is secularization-resistant, intolerable to individual liberties and thereby incompatible with democracy. Critically assessing the essentializing tendencies of both of these arguments, we will abandon the focus on compatibility. Instead of treating Islamic religion and culture as factors shaping the prospects of democratization, we will study social and political processes. How do the states and societies in the Middle East transform and/or fail to do so? How do ordinary people perceive, experience and contest over political reforms and the terms of democratization? The specific comparative interest in Turkey and Iran will provide rich material for both comparison and contrast. MCP, PRS, WRI

Progress

Completed - Received an Evaluation