CORE C170   Islamic North Africa

Surveys the varied ethno-national and religious identities and communities of Islamic North Africa, or “the Maghreb”: Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, and sometimes Libya, Western Sahara, and Mauritania. Students briefly survey pre-modern Maghreb history from the 7th-century advance of Islam to 19th-century French colonialism. Students focus on the modern Maghreb from the colonial 19th century to the global 21st. Students examine the region from “the natives’ point of view,” i.e., from North Africans’ perspectives on Islam and politics, European and American imperialism, authoritarianism and democracy, technological media, gender, and class. Central to this discussion are the recent Arab revolutions and their continuing aftermath.