HISTORY OF CAUCASUS AND MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY CENTRAL ASIA

This is one of the mandatory courses within the "Near and Middle East" curriculum of the Corso di Laurea in "Lingue, Culture e Società dell'Asia e dell'Africa Mediterranea".The course contributes to the attainment of the teaching goals of the Corso di Laurea in "Lingue, Culture e Società dell'Asia e dell'Africa Mediterranea" in the cultural and humanities areas.
The course aims to give the students a general introduction to the whole history of the Caucasus and to the history of Central Asia from the Russian conquest to present days.

Knowledge and understanding::
- to develop a good understanding of the the general lines of the history of Caucasus and Central Asia with particular reference to modern and contemporary times

Applying knowledge and understanding:
- to understand the specificity of a very large geographical and historical-cultural area in which different cultural systems (Zoroastrianism, Eastern Christianity, Islam, Buddhism) and political ones (Roman, Persian, Mongol, Ottoman Empires, Russia, China) have met over the centuries.
- to develop an appropriate approach to this particularly complex area, insisting above all on its geographical, economic and cultural importance.

Making judgements:
- to produce critical judgments on the historical and cultural phenomena of the course
- to analyze various types of sources according to a critical approach

Communication:
- to express and re-elaborate the contents of the programme in written form.

Lifelong learning skills:
- to know how to take notes in an effective way
- to know how to critically integrate the study of different materials (notes, slides, manuals, creative texts, academic articles)
- to be able to independently study materials and topics not covered during the lectures
- to refine one's ability to study materials in English

No previous knowledge in the field is required.

1) Basic ethno-linguistic and cultural features of the Caucasus- Central Asia area (lessons 1-2);
2) main issues of Caucasian history (lessons 1-9);
3) modern and contemporary issues of Central Asia (lessons 10-15).

Two volumes of your choice among the followings (three for non-attendant students):

- P. Sartori, Altro che seta. Corano e progresso in Turkestan, Campanotto, Udine 2003.
- M. Buttino, La rivoluzione capovolta. L’Asia centrale tra il crollo dell’impero zarista e la formazione dell’Urss, L’ancora del Mediterraneo, Napoli 2003.
- O. Roy, The New Central Asia: The Creation of Nations, I. B. Tauris, London 2007.
- A. Ferrari, Breve storia del Caucaso, Carocci, Roma 2007.
- A. Ferrari, Quando il Caucaso incontrò la Russia. Cinque storie esemplari, Guerini e Associati, Milano 2015.
- A. Ferrari, G. Traina, Storia degli armeni, Il Mulino, Bologna 2020.
- A. Kappeler, La Russia. Storia di un impero multietnico, Edizioni Lavoro, Roma 2006.
- Ch. King, The Ghost of Freedom. A History of the Caucasus, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2008.
- P. Chuvin, R. Létolle, S. Peyrouse, Histoire de l’Asie centrale contemporaine, Fayard, Paris 2008.

The exam consists of an oral examination concerning the topics of the programme

Conventional, with powerpoint presentations

Italian

oral