INSTITUTIONAL HISTORY OF ISLAMIC SOCIETIES

The History of Institutions in Muslim Societies course is part of the related and integrative training activities of the Bachelor's Degree in Languages, Cultures and Societies of Asia and Mediterranean Africa (LICSAAM). The course contributes to achieving the training objectives of the degree program in the area of historical-cultural and humanistic competencies. The course aims to define and analyze the historical development of the main institutions that characterize Muslim societies, with a particular but not exclusive focus on those of environmental relevance, discussing some key moments in the environmental history of the Middle East.

Students will acquire a basic knowledge of the history of institutions in Muslim societies, with an emphasis on the relationship between humans and the environment and the role played by some characteristic institutions (such as waqf and hima) or those that are also found in other contexts (such as pastoral nomadism). In addition, the course aims to provide the necessary skills to understand secondary literature on the subject, so that students are able to conduct independent research on their topics of interest.

No specific skills are required

After an introduction to basic geographic and environmental concepts related to the areas of interest, the course will present the institutions of the Islamic world and their historical development up to the present day, following the categorizations of the reference text. The course will deviate from the reference text for a second part of the course, which will focus on the main themes of Islamic thought on nature and the environment. Finally, the third part will address the study of institutions related to particular types of environments: deserts and steppes (pastoral nomadism, hima...), agricultural environment (irrigation landscape institutions, the mir-āb system...), built space (city institutions, oasis cities, water supply...) and finally the sea (maritime law, trade...).

Giorgio Vercellin, Institutions of the Muslim World. Einaudi (2002). Also available in Spanish. In addition to the reference text, additional materials will be provided via Moodle for each topic. Each participant can choose an additional reading from the materials provided as the topic of their exam. The materials provided will be discussed with the class at the beginning of the lesson.

The final exam will consist of an oral discussion on the topics covered in the course and the reference text. The discussion will be based on two questions: one on the reading chosen from the additional readings, and the other on one of the institutions presented in the reference text. Non-attending students are invited to contact the teacher in advance to agree on an alternative program.

Lectures, class discussions

Italian

oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Natural capital and environmental quality" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development