Pirates, Bandits, Terrorists: Outlaws in the Middle East

Catalog description

What can we learn about society from those that break its laws? How do states try to deal with widespread lawbreaking and why do some lawbreakers become popular heroes or legends? Do outlaws rebel against an oppressive system or do they prey on the weak and vulnerable? This class examines cases of lawbreaking in the Middle East from the Ottoman period to the present to consider relationships between law, justice, violence, power, technology, culture, social and economic structures, and geopolitics. At the same time, we will ask whether there is something particular about outlaws of the Middle East, examining underlying anxieties or concerns about particular kinds of outlaws. No prior knowledge of the Middle East (or experience with lawbreaking) is required.