ARAB-428 Religious Reform and Militancy in the Medieval Islamic world

ARAB-428 Religious Reform and Militancy in the Medieval Islamic world

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This class focuses on the history and development of Islamic reform movements The first part of the semester will center on the life of the Prophet with a particular emphasis on his efforts at socio-ethical reform and his role as the political leader of a nascent religious community. The remainder of the course will examine how subsequent pre-modern movements/groups used this original template to justify their own versions of an ideal "Islamic" community. Topics will include a detailed study of the origins of Kharijism, the early Umayyad civil wars, the Abbasid Revolution, the creation of independent Zaydi states in Yemen and the Caspian, the rise of Ismailism as manifest in the creation of a Fatimid Caliphate and the Nizari "Assassin" order, the emergence of Shi'i political activism with the Safavid state, and the growth of apocalyptic reform movements as exemplified by the Babi movement in Iran.

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: None

Other academic years
There is information about this course number in other academic years:

• 2007-2008
• 2008-2009

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