79-233 Forced Displacement, Migration, and Statelessness in the Modern Middle East
6 units, Carnegie Mellon University
This mini-course situates displacement, forced migration, and statelessness as distinctly modern processes, stretching from the mid-19th century to the late 20th century in the Middle East and North Africa, linked to the development of imperial and nebulous nation-state administrative formations and theories of population management. Students will gain an understanding of how these processes were undoubtedly fostered by not only colonialism, outside intervention, and conflict, but also by indigenous knowledge production on race and ethno-national identity, national liberation, and new administrative structures and categorizations of people. The format for the course involves first, a consideration of chronological processes and general concepts of migration and displacement, and second, an investigation into weekly thematic case studies to better understand the profound impact of these events and processes to individuals, communities, and states. This will enable students to explore the local and regional manifestations of global processes leading to the creation of refugee and displaced populations in the Middle East. Special emphasis will be placed on critical reflection as to how national/state narratives are constructed in the Middle East as a reaction to migration and displacement. Students' discussions, readings, and writing will be driven by engagement with not only academic sources but also visual and material ones, oral and recorded testimonies, and memoirs.
Prerequisites: none listed
Offered: Fall 2025
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