Università Roma Tre

The objective of the course is to provide students with the basic information to understand Middle East history from the advent of Islam to the contemporary era. Particular attention will be dedicated to Ottoman Palestine and the roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. At the end of the course, students will have acquired the necessary knowledge to understand contemporary political processes and will be able to discuss historiographical concepts and debates.
The course is dived in three modules:
1. Mohammada and the spread of Islam; Europe and the Ottoman Empire (1500-1700).
2. 1800: Colonialism and Imperialism; The development of Sionism; WWI. The British mandate in Palestine and its consequences.
3. The birth of Middle Eastern States; The establishment of the State of Israel; the Nakba.
4. Arab-Israel wars (1948-73); Nasser and Arab nationalism; Decolonization: the case of Algeria; The revolution in Iran (1978).

1. Massimo Campanini, Storia del Medio Oriente contemporaneo, il Mulino, 2020 or James Gelvin, Storia del Medio Oriente moderno, Einaudi (any edition).

2.Albert Hourani, Storia dei popoli arabi. Da Maometto ai nostri giorni, Mondadori. Selected chapters (available on Moodle).

3. Carole Hillenbrand, Islam. Una nuova introduzione storica, Einaudi, 2016. Selected chapters (available on Moodle).