JNE 405 - Diaspora in Jewish and Islamic Experience

Institution:

Washington University in St Louis

Subject:

Description:

The polarities of diaspora and home-periphery and center, wandering and rest, exile and return-have played important roles in the historical experience and religious culture of both Jews and Muslims. For long stretches of time, Jewish culture has been marked by the historical condition of statelessness combined with a theology of redemptive return. Paradoxically, it was the significant political and military success of Islam in its first millennium that helped to create a far-flung diaspora well removed from its center in Arabia. The institution of pilgrimage to Mecca counterbalanced a sense of distance and remove. More recently, modern nationalisms, war, and post-colonial politics-including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict-have done much to underscore the continuing dilemmas of diaspora and home in both Jewish and Islamic identity. The goal of the seminar is to offer a comparative, historical perspective on this theme and to encourage students to examine an aspect of the diaspora experience in depth. Note: This course fulfills the capstone requirement for Jewish, Islamic, and Near Eastern Studies. It also qualifies as a History department advanced seminar.

Credits:

4.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.wustl.edu

Phone Number:

(314) 935-5000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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