The Modern Mediterranean World

Europe, Africa, and the Middle East: Contact,

Coexistence, Conflict
Arcadia University
HS/IS130
Spring 2016
Instructor: Dr. Geoff Haywood
Office: Easton 239
Phone: 2111
Email: haywood@arcadia.edu
Office Hours: M 3:00-4:00; TR 4:00-4:30; Friday by appointment
Course Description:
The Mediterranean region is one of the most complex and diverse in the
world. Different ethnicities, cultures, religions, empires and states have
jostled with each other during its long history. Migrants and invaders have
burst into the region. Mediterranean states have surged out into the world in
historic expeditions of exploration and conquest. It is a place of unparalleled
dynamism and ferment.
We will be studying the region through five case studies. Each will focus on a
different set of issues in different locations that take us all over the
Mediterranean world.
-France and the Maghreb: issues of immigration, assimilation, and
multiculturalism, especially relating to the sudden, substantial
presence of Muslims in France of North African heritage;
-Israel and its neighbors: the rise and nature of the Arab-PalestinianIsraeli problem;
-Italy and organized crime: how and why Southern Italy/Sicily has
produced such powerful organized crime groups, especially the Mafia,
Camorra and Ndrangheta;
-Yugoslavia and its violent disintegration: how and why Yugoslavia fell
apart into ethnic-religious wars in the 1990s the worst violence to hit
Europe since World War II

-North Africa, the Middle East and Europe: the explosion of unrest,
uprisings, civil wars, military-based dictatorships, transnational
terrorism and massive refugee migrations that have plagued the region
since 2011
As we go through the course, key themes will emerge: the negative impact
of European nations takeover of the region, starting in the 19th century; the
sudden transformation of some leading Mediterranean countries after WWII
through mass immigration, both legal and illegal, and the accompanying
tensions among various ethnic and religious groups; the increasingly
intractable nature of the conflicts among Israel, the Palestinians, and Israels
Arab neighbors; the powerful rise of organized crime, most notoriously in
Southern Italy/Sicily; the shockingly rapid descent of the Balkans into ethnicreligious warfare, especially in (what used to be) Yugoslavia; and the
explosion of unrest in North Africa and the Middle East since 2011, and its
intensifying impact on Europe in the form of mass migrations and terrorism.
By the end of the course, we will be in a position to think seriously about
whether the Mediterranean world is simply becoming more diverse or if it is
entering an era of serious instability and ethnic-cultural-religious conflict.
Course Objectives:
The main objectives of the course are to explain, through case studies:
1. The regions main events and processes in the modern era
2. The nature of the interactions among the regions various peoples and
states
Student Competencies and Skills:
Students will
1. Grapple with the issues of diversity and power relations in the modern
Mediterranean context
2. Analyze and comparatively evaluate competing arguments and
explanations put forth by scholars
3. Ask questions, research answers, and defend their conclusions, in a
spirit of intellectual open-mindedness
Fulfillment of Curricular Requirements:
Note that this course fulfills both Global Connections and Cultural Legacies
curricular requirements.
Student Conduct:

Plagiarism: this is a serious offence. If youre not sure what it is, ask me.
Papers are due in hard copy. Do not send them to me by email.
Cell phones must be turned off during class time.
Late work will be downgraded, according to circumstances.
Readings:
Most of the readings will be posted on Black Board. You can read them on
your computer or print them up. I might have you buy one or more books. If
so, Ill give you enough notice to purchase and read them.
Each class will have a set of questions posted on Black Board, the answers to
which will be found in the readings. You should write up your answers and
bring them to class for reference, discussion, and also because the questions
will form the pool of questions from which the midterm and final (noncumulative) exams will be drawn.
Course Work:
Attendance and Participation

20%

Paper #1 (1500 words)

20%

Midterm Exam

20%

Paper #2 (2000 words)

20%

Final Exam

20%

Schedule of Classes and Readings

Class 1: Introduction; Overview

Part I: Immigration, Assimilation and Multiculturalism

The Legacy of Empire-building France and the Maghreb
Class 2: Immigration, Diversity and Multiculturalism in France today; French
public schools and laicite
Class 3: The Controversy over the Muslim Veil in French public schools; Islam
in France
Class 4: The 2005 Riots Problems of Integration and Assimilation in France

Class 5: The Historical Roots of the immigrant problem in France Western

colonialism and the takeover of Algeria; Algerias battle for Independence
Class 6: Immigration, Europe, Islam, Multiculturalism A Disaster? The
conservative critique
***Paper #1 Due Monday after class 6 at 2 pm (hard copy, Easton
239)***

Part II: Mediterranean Nationalisms

Explaining the Arab-Israel Problem
Class 7: Origins of Jewish-Arab tensions in Palestine, to World War I/1914
Class 8: From WWI to the UN Partition Plan/1947
Class 9: Israeli Victory, Arab Humiliation, Palestinian Disaster, 1947-1948
Class 10: Fundamental Consolidation of the Arab-Palestinian-Israeli Problem
From 1949 to the 1967 War
Class 11: The Emergence of the Current Situation
***Class 12: Midterm Examination***

Part III: Organized Crime

Italy/Sicily: The Mafia
Class 13: Origins; Key Features; Template: The Woes of Gaspare Galati
Class 14: Overview Video: Organized Crime Sicily (to be viewed before
class)
Class 15: History of the Mafia Key Events and Turning Points
Class 16: Men-Only Society? Traditions, Images, Realities
Class 17: Women and the Mafia: Dissolving the Myths; Video: The Sicilian Girl
(to be viewed before class)

Part IV: How Things Fall Apart

Yugoslavia in the 1990s: Ethnic-Religious Wars

Class 18: Movie The Hunting Party (to be viewed before class): Yugoslavias
Wars The Hollywood Version
Class 19: Yugoslavias Tensions Long Term Factors
Class 20: Yugoslavias Slide Into Conflict How Tensions become Conflicts
Class 21: Movie Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo (to be viewed before class)
The Realities of the Conflict
Class 22: Yugoslavias Fall from Multicultural/religious/ethnic Coexistence to
Violent Conflict How to Explain?

Part V: The Arab World in Turmoil

The Arab Spring Turns to Winter
Class 23: An Onslaught of Uprisings Explaining the Arab Spring
Class 24: An Onslaught of Uprisings, contd
Class 25: The Arab Spring Freezes Over Explaining the Current Crisis in
North Africa and the Middle East
Class 26: The Migrant/Refugee Crisis; Syria as Ground Zero
Class 27: The Migrant/Refugee Crisis, contd
Class 28: Final Reflections
***Paper #2 Due Friday before exam week, at 2 pm (hard copy,
Easton 239)***