"This course evolved out of a book project that I have been working on for the past year, tentatively entitled “I only shoot the people I know: Sectarianism and Modernity”. The quote is from a Serbian sniper during the siege of Sarajevo, 1993-95, in response to the question of how he distinguished the people below as to their ethnicity so he could be sure he was killing the “enemy” and not those of his own community. The scenes of the destruction of Sarajevo from that conflict as well as those earlier from Beirut’s civil war were personal for me as I knew both cities from better times. The wanting to know why such cosmopolitan cities could descend into chaos led me to write a book, entitled Christians and Jews in the Ottoman Arab World: The Birth of Sectarianism which appeared in 2001. Continuing violence in Syria, another place I fell in love with in an earlier, more innocent age, has led me to extend my questioning of why sectarianism occurs to a much wider canvas. I have found that in writing a book, it often helps to teach the subject matter to interested students. Their feedback helps me to sharpen my questions and think about my assumptions in new ways. I hope this course will give me new insights and help propel this new project to fruition."

- Bruce Masters

• Course Overview
  Beirut, Belfast, and Sarajevo all witnessed scenes of devastating sectarian conflict in the late 20th century. Sectarian conflicts wrack Syria, Iraq and Yemen today. In each of these conflicts, 'talking-heads' in the media and politicians in the US have solemnly intoned that these are 'centuries-old' conflicts, with the implication that nothing can be done about them. In part, that characterization derives from the Enlightenment view that religious identity is primordial or traditional, with no place in modern nation-states. But is that wisdom correct? This course will examine the historical origins of the 'Troubles' in Ireland (?-1998), the Yugoslav Civil War (1989-1995), the Lebanese Civil War (1974-1990), as well a brief excursion into the contemporary Middle East. The question is: When religious communities have been living side by side for generations in relative harmony what promotes a turn to violence? We will examine how memory and selective history perpetuate the 'culture of victimhood' that helps fuel these conflicts. We will also turn to artists from the zones of conflict and examine how they have represented the culture of sectarianism. With the case of Lebanon, we can examine if women's voices add unique perspectives to the issue. Lastly, we will hopefully arrive at some answer to the question: Is sectarianism a reversion to a primordial past or a product of modernity?
• Course Outline

  Course Outline

  Part I: IRELAND

  Tuesday, June 28- What do we mean when we use the terms “sectarianism” & “modernity”?: The case of Ireland, Sectarianism vs. Nationalisms

              Reading: The Shadow of the Year

  Thursday, June 30 - History and Memory in Ireland

              Readings: The Shadow of the Year and Lyrics of Irish “Rebel” songs

  Friday, July 1- Showing of Film CAL (Time & Place TBA)

  Tuesday, July 5 – Part I: The Good Friday Accords and After Part II, Discussion of Ireland

              Calame & Charlesworth “Belfast”, 1-82

  Part II: THE BALKANS

  Thursday, July 7– Understanding the Balkans: Ottoman Past & Nationalist Present

              Reading: Andrić, The Bridge on the Drina

  1^st Essay due today, July 7^th.

   

  Friday, July 8 - - Showing of Film Before the Rain (Time & Place TBA)

  Tuesday, July 12 – Balkan Wars & World Wars

  Thursday, July 14 – Part I: Disintegration of Yugoslavia; Part II, Discussion

              Calame & Charlesworth, pp.103-120

  2^nd Essay due today, July 14^th .

   

  Part III: LEBANESE CIVIL WARS

  Tuesday, July 19 – Old Wounds: Syria & Lebanon in the 19th Century

              Reading: Bruce Masters, Christians and Jews in the Ottoman Arab World, pp.130-68

  Thursday, July 21 – Lebanese Civil Wars

  Reading: al-Shaykh, Beirut Blues; Calame & Charlesworth, pp.37-60

   

  Friday, July 22 - - Showing of Film Where Do We Go Now? (Time & Place TBA)

   

  Part IV: THE SUNNI-SHIA DIVIDE
  

  Tuesday, July 26 – Part I: Discussion ; Part II, Sunnis & Shia: What’s the difference?

  Reading: Bruce Masters, “Rawafid, taqiyya, and Wahhabiyyun: Sunni Polemics in the Ottoman Period”

  3rd essay due today, July 26^th.

   

  Thursday, July 28 – Part I: Sectarian Crisis in the Contemporary Middle East: Iran vs. Saudi Arabia; Part II, General Review of Course

              Calame & Charlesworth, pp. 143-235

             

  Tuesday, August 2 -Take-Home Final/ Essay Due
• Required Reading and Viewing

  Jon Calame & Esther Charlesworth, Divided Cities   (ISBN: 978-0-8122-2195-4)

  John Gibney, The Shadow of a Year: The 1641 Rebellion in Irish History & Memory (ISBN: 978-029928954-6)

  Ivo Andrić, The Bridge on the Drina (a novel) (ISBN: 0-226-02045-2)

  Hanan al-Shaykh, Beirut Blues (a novel) (ISBN: 0-385-47382-6)

  CAL (a Northern Irish film, based on the novel by Bernard MacLaverty)

  Before the Rain (Macedonian film by Milche Manchevski)

  Where Do We Go Now? (Lebanese film by Nadine Labki))

  There will be additional short pieces and/or articles distributed in class.

              Note: The films will be shown outside of class (TBA)

• Course Requirements

  3 short response papers (2-3 pages) at the end of each of unit.

  Final essay (5-7 pages) on historical memory.

  Participation in Discussions.