A still from the film BEAST TYPE SONG (2019) directed by Qatari-American artist Sophia al-Maria. In this scene, Palestinian writer and activist Ghassan Kanafani, who lived in Kuwait (among other places) after his exile from Palestine, appears on the television screen. (Image via Ocula Magazine, courtesy of the artist)
This course is an introduction to the practice of reading and writing history designed for history majors and other students with an interest in history and/or Middle Eastern studies. The class has no prerequisites and presumes no prior knowledge of the content, but students should be prepared for the reading and writing loads typical of a 300-level history class in order to succeed.
In this seminar, we will read and write about the Persian Gulf and the countries and places linked to and through it, with a particular focus on the Gulf’s links with Palestine. We will consider political and economic transformations in these regions through an era of European and American imperialism; histories of racist and ethnicized differentiation; partition, migration, and diaspora; and other topics. Today, the countries bordering the Gulf—including Iran, Qatar, and the Gulf states in the Abraham Accords—play critical roles in Palestinian and Israeli politics. This course will excavate and examine histories that contextualize and challenge common wisdom about these recent events. In the process, we will think through how historical knowledge is produced by closely reading, discussing, and writing about primary and secondary sources in the classroom and in the library.
This class meets in person in an accessible location on the central UW campus. The classroom is not publicly disclosed on MyPlan, MyUW, or the Time Schedule; it will be listed on the front page of the course website just before the beginning of the quarter.
More information on readings and assignments will be available with the full syllabus at the beginning of the quarter. Feel free to contact the instructor (shlimon@uw.edu) with any questions.