Why are there rulers and what may be rightly expected of them? This course examines answers to this question from major works written in the first six hundred years of Islamic thought. Authors to be consulted include al-Farabi, Ibn Muqaffa, Ibn Muskawayh, al-Jahiz, Kai Kaus Ibn Iskandar, Firdausi, and Sa’adi.

The prerequisites for this course are two upper division classes completed in one of the departments of the Division of History and Social Sciences.  This means, in simpler terms, that the course is aimed for juniors and advanced sophomores. Skills especially important are close readings and interrogations of the text and the ability to reconstruct arguments analytically.

Approaching materials so unfamiliar will require some substantive as well as formal preparation, and there is nothing at Reed that has prepared you in this respect. So the course will have two phases. In the first phase, students will examine frameworks within which the classic texts are normally read. The focus will be on knowing central concepts, recognizing specific genres, and clarifying certain foundations of interpretation of texts. There will be homework and exercises to complete, some short (like quizzes) and some longer (like short assigned papers). Students will also be expected to take turns leading class discussions and giving discussion points for us to reflect on.  In the second phase of the course, we will take on the famous texts and see how well we do. 

This course is not a history of Muslim kingship in the Middle East. And though we will be reading books from philosophy or literature, it is not a humanities course either. Rather, this course about the genealogy of the foundational political texts to which many inhabitants of the Middle East turn, knowingly or unknowingly, when they reflect on politics. It sets out to see how this cluster of political wisdom and advice was constructed over time and how it developed and also what it suppressed along the way. It examines its inner tensions and possibly also what it can contribute to our understanding of modern problems in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Requirements

Conference participation in good faith. Occasional writing in class or for the following conference, i.e. quiz or homework. There will be an assigned mid-term paper and either an exam with inclass and take home components.   You must check your email regularly as this will be the principle way in which I will communicate the readings for the following class. I can be contacted at extension 7346 or by email at rejali@reed.edu.

Readings and Reserves

The texts for this course are not easy to find. Treat your reserve privileges with care so that other students may also have the opportunity to prepare for class in a timely way.

Reading List

Conferences, by their nature, are discussions that can run in many directions. Sometimes a particular text is not exhausted in one conference, and sometimes we can run through several articles at once.  I have no interest in constraining your thoughts and reflections, but rather pushing them to their logical conclusions. I also do not know what your skill levels are and how easily you will master the preparation.

In light of these facts about conferences, it would be premature for me to insist on a rigid timetable of readings for the course. What I offer instead is a reading list. All books listed below are either on reserve or on sale at the bookstore.

Part I: Preparation

Asfurridin, “The Islamic State: Genealogy, Facts and Myths”
Bulliet, The Case for Islamo-Christian Civilization
Crone, God’s Rule
Ibn Isfandiyar, The Letter of Tansar
Unknown, Karnamak-I Ardashir-I Babakan (available at here)
Locke, A Letter Concerning Toleration
Machiavelli, The Prince
Mernissi, The Forgotten Queens of Islam
Rejali, “Friend or Enemy, East and West”

Part II: Main Texts

Al Jahiz, Life and Works of Al Jahiz
Alfarabi, The Political Writings
Firdausi, Shahnamah (The Epic of Kings)
Ibn Miskawayh, Al-Hikmat al-Khalida or Javidan-I Khirad (Perennial Philosophy (or Wisdom)).
Ibn Muqaffa, Kalila wa Dimna (Kalila and Dimna)
Kai Kaus ibn Iskandar, Qabusnamah (The Book of Qabus)
Sa’adi, Gulestan (Rose Garden)