Area Studies: Theory and Method, 7.5ECTS Advanced Level, autumn semester 2017

Transcription

1 Area Studies: Theory and Method, 7.5ECTS Advanced Level, autumn semester 2017 Main teachers: Isa Blumi Asli Postaci Course description This course gives an introduction to area studies as scientific practice and gives the student an insight into what the study of regions as distinct from each other entails. This will prove to have theoretical and methodological consequences that require deeper discussions around what it is we hope to discover by studying Areas, that are distinct as well as comparatively. A special focus will be placed on how the social sciences and history can be enriched through these Areaspecific perspectives and how knowledge of language, history, and culture constitutes the basis of Area Within the course various methods will be debated and compared through examples of Area studies that take the student from Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Southeast Asia, Turkey and the Middle East and North Africa. The course is structured around three themes: Area Studies as context, the regions under study in context and comparative Area Studies. Through these themes, we will go from a discussion on descriptive case to comparative cross-regional case Learning outcomes After completing the course, the student is expected to: Demonstrate deeper knowledge of Area Studies as various forms of academic practice. Demonstrate an ability to, independently and critically, relate to methodological differences in the study of regions and comparative regional Demonstrate knowledge of how the most common social scientific methods are applied to area studies, as well as the challenges this can entail. Demonstrate knowledge about the current discussion around the value of knowledge of language, history and culture as the basis of regional Demonstrate an ability to, independently and critically, analyse relevant examples of regional studies and theoretical and methodological standpoints in relation to these, with a special focus on empirical studies that deal with socio-economic developments in Latin America, Africa, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, Turkey and the Middle East and North Africa.

2 Instruction Readings should be done before each class. Each class will consist of a lecture (45 minutes), a break (15 minutes) and general discussion (2 hours with another 15-minute break). The discussion(s) will ideally start with students initiating. The focus will be on the assigned readings and students are expected to offer both a critique of assigned material and compare and contrast each one s merits. The exact way that this will be organized, depends on the participants and their number but it should aim to engage the scholarship covered throughout the seminar and lead the rest of the participants to engage in debate around the quality of analysis around the type of sources discussed in the assigned readings. Students who actively participate can expect stronger final grades. Lessons plan Lesson 1 Introduction to the course and to Area studies: Grand theories vs. Regional specific knowledge & Asli Postaci Reading: Explore various journals available electronically via the university library that have area studies focus. Consider looking at last few issues of International Journal of Middle East Studies, and International Journal of Turkish Studies, Latin American Studies etc. Do we need Area studies? Case-oriented or variable oriented research? The debate on area studies and the disciplines Grand theories vs. Area studies What does area studies mean in practice? Theme I: Regions as Context Lesson 2 Grand theories vs. Regional specific knowledge Reading: Cooper (1994); Rafael (1999); Lockman (2016), selections; Blumi (2017), introduction & chapter 1. Humanities and the social sciences Language, culture and history The importance of deep knowledge: How deep can we go? Universalism vs relativism and the problem of exceptionalism The study of the other, post-colonialism and the debate on orientalism Single case studies

3 Lesson 3 Cases of Past, the Ottoman Empire and the Making of Areas (Balkans, Turkey, Middle East) Reading: Aksan (2014); Göçek (2013); Blumi (2013) introduction, chapter 1; Blumi (2017), Chapters 4-5; Njaradi (2012) A brief overview of the study of the Ottoman Empire as precursor to the Balkans, Turkey and the Middle East Examples of how case studies can upset the Area Studies frame. Lesson 4 Area studies - Turkey Teacher: Asli Postaci Reading: Angrist (2013); Esen & Gumuscu (2016); Heper & Keyman (1998); Heper (2002); Özbudun (2014). Turkey as a distinctive Area - an historical overview Democratization, society and religion at the crossroads Lesson 5 Area Studies Latin America Teacher: Asli Postaci Reading: Ilcheva (2004); Pion-Berlin (2009); Rivarola Puntigliano (2007). Latin America as a distinctive Area - an historical overview Civil-Military Relations in comparative perspective Theme II: Regions in Global Context Lesson 6 Thematic lecture: Regions in Global Context: Diasporas in Latin America Reading: Farhenhold (2014); Karam (2014); Blumi (2013), Chapters 4-5. Role of Migration in shaping Areas in New Ways Do Diasporas upset Area Studies? Lesson 7 Cases from the Americas Reading:. Lockman (2016), selections; Nugent (2010). Regional integration in North America and Empire Identity, security and trade in Western Hemisphere regionalism

4 Theme III: Comparative Area Studies Lesson 8 Thematic Lecture: Comparative Area Studies Teacher: Asli Postaci Reading: Demirel (2005); Kaleagasi-Blind, P. (2004); Lijphart (1971); O Donnell (2001). Why compare? How (& how not) to compare? Some comparative approaches Comparing across regions Lesson 9 Democratization in comparison Teacher: Asli Postaci Reading: Schiff (1995) 3 rd Wave and Beyond Civil-Military Relations in Argentina, Brazil and Turkey Lesson 10 Cases Drawn from the Caribbean Reading: Sidaway (2016); Scott (2013); Giovannetti (2013). What constitutes Area Studies in the Caribbean? Social, Racial, Economic, Cultural heterogeneity; meaning and implications. Seminar 1 Concluding seminar & Asli Postaci How do different area studies/centres view their tasks? What can area studies contribute to society and to academia? Challenges to area studies in the Swedish context? What future for area studies in Sweden? Seminar instructions: Students are expected for the seminar to prepare presentations discussing the themes listed above regarding the usefulness of Area Studies to the Swedish University / Academia. Students may make a presentation in class or submit a one page written statement to help initiate the debate. Deadline for final submission of written assignments is on Jan. 8. Examination The course is examined by submission of two written assignments and one prepared presentation or submitted written alternative on Area Studies and its relevance to Swedish context. The grading on the course will be based on the aggregated result of the three assignments. The assignments will be weighted as follows:

5 Assignment 1 (submission January 8) = 45% of the grade Assignment 2 (submission January 8) = 45% of the grade Seminar Submission, due on date of seminar (December 21). Students who actively participate can expect stronger final grades. Full details of the assignments will be presented in the first and second sessions. Please note, all assignments must be submitted through Mondo, no exceptions. For those who submit their assignments late, they will be penalized. For Assignment 1, students will be asked to write a comparative paper including two cases that are covered during the course. The topic for each student will be elaborated in lesson 5. Formalia: At least 5 pages, double-spaced. For Assignment 2, students will be asked to read, compare and contrast one of the following books, integrating lessons learned from the course readings to account for why our critical reading of Area Studies is helpful in the manner which these scholars present their cases. To do this more effectively, students MUST integrate Lockman (2016) into their discussion with references (citing specific pages) that help account for how Area Studies in the United States distorts or illuminates the topics under study in the books below. Further details are provided by the second session. Formalia: At least 5 pages, double-spaced. Please choose ONE book to Review Hall, Bruce S. A history of race in Muslim West Africa, (Cambridge University Press, 2011). or Lockman, Zachary. Field Notes: The Making of Middle East Studies in the United States (Stanford University Press, 2016). Late Submissions are possible February 25 via Mondo, but will be penalized one full grade for the failure to submit on time. In other words, for instance, your paper is worth a B grade, I will give you a C, if a D, you receive and E etc. Course literature Books: Blumi, Isa. Reinstating the Ottomans: Alternative Balkan Modernities, (Palgrave, 2017). Blumi, Isa. Ottoman Refugees, : Migration in a Post-Imperial World (Bloomsbury Academic, 2013). Hall, Bruce S. A history of race in Muslim West Africa, Vol (Cambridge University Press, 2011). Lockman, Zachary. Field Notes: The Making of Middle East Studies in the United States (Stanford University Press, 2016).

6 Articles: (If nothing else is stated, articles can be downloaded through Aksan, V. H. What s up in Ottoman Studies? Journal of the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association. Vol. 1. No Pp Cooper, Frederick. Conflict and connection: rethinking colonial African history. The American Historical Review, Vol. 99. No. 5, (1994): Demirel, T. Lessons of Military Regimes and Democracy: The Turkish Case in a Comparative Perspective. Armed Forces & Society, Vol. 31. No. 2, (2005): Esen, Berk & Gumuscu, Sebnem Rising competitive authoritarianism in Turkey. Third World Quarterly, (2016): Fahrenthold, Stacy. Sound Minds in Sound Bodies: Transnational Philanthropy and Patriotic Masculinity in Al-Nadi Al-Homsi and Syrian Brazil, International Journal of Middle East Studies Vol. 46. No. 2 (2014): Giovannetti, Jorge L. Caribbean studies as practice: Insights from border-crossing histories and research. Small Axe Vol. 17. No. 2 (2013): Göçek, Fatma Müge. Parameters of a Postcolonial Sociology of the Ottoman Empire. Decentering Social Theory Vol. 25 (2013): Heper, Metin. Conclusion - The Consolidation of Democracy versus Democratization in Turkey. Turkish Studies, Vol. 3. No. 1(2002): Heper, Metin & Keyman, E. F. Double-faced state: political patronage and the consolidation of democracy in Turkey. Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 34. No. 4, (1998): Ilcheva, M. (2004) The Third Wave of Democracy: The Latin American and the Eastern European Experience. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the The Midwest Political Science Association, Palmer House Hilton, Chicago, Illinois. Kaleagasi-Blind, P. (2004) Privatization and Democratization: A Comparative Perspective on Argentina and Turkey of the 1980s. Conference Paper. Karam, John Tofik. Philip Hitti, Brazil, and the Diasporic Histories of Area Studies. International Journal of Middle East Studies Vol. 46. No. 3 (2014): Lijphart, A. Comparative Politics and the Comparative Method. The American Political Science Review, Vol. 65. No. 3, (1971): Njaradi, Dunja. The Balkan studies: History, post-colonialism and critical regionalism. Debatte: Journal of Contemporary Central and Eastern Europe Vol. 20. No. 2-3 (2012):

7 Nugent, David. Knowledge and empire: the social sciences and United States imperial expansion. Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power Vol. 17. No. 1 (2010): Nunn, F. Latin American Military-Civilian Relations between World War II and the New World Order: Thoughts on Tradition and Change in Comparative Perspective. UNISA Latin American Report Vol. 13. No. 1, (1996). O Donnell G. Democracy, Law, and Comparative Politics. Studies in Comparative International Development, Vol. 36. No. 1, (2001): Özbudun, Ergun. AKP at the Crossroads: Erdogan's Majoritarian Drift. South European Society and Politics. Vol. 19 (2014): Pion-Berlin, D. S. (2009) Democratization, Social Crisis and the Impact of Military Domestic Roles in Latin America. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, Marriott, (Philadelphia: Loews Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Convention Center). Rafael, V. L. Regionalism, Area studies, and the Accidents of Agency. The American Historical Review. Vol No. 4 (1999): Rivarola Puntigliano, Andrés Global Shift: The U.N. System and the New Regionalism in Latin America. Latin American Politics and Society, Vol. 49. No. 1, (2007): Schiff, Rebecca. Civil-Military Relations Reconsidered: A Theory of Concordance. Armed Forces and Society. Vol. 22. No. 1, (1995): 7-24 Scott, David. On the Question of Caribbean Studies. Small Axe. Vol. 17. No. 2 (2013): 1-7. Sidaway, James D., Elaine LE Ho, Jonathan D. Rigg, and Chih Yuan Woon. Area studies and geography: Trajectories and manifesto. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space. Vol. 34. No. 5 (2016): Todorova, Maria. The Balkans: from discovery to invention. Slavic Review Vol. 53. No. 2 (1994): Grading Criteria This course uses a seven-point, goal-related grading scale: A-F. The grading will be based on the following grading criteria. A: The student has shown a very good ability to, independently and in a critical way, analyse relevant examples of regional studies and theoretical and methodological standpoints in relation to these, with a special focus on empirical studies that deal with societal developments in Latin America, Turkey and the Middle East and North Africa

8 The student has shown a very good knowledge on regional studies as scientific practice and has demonstrated a very good ability to, independently and critically, relate to scientific and methodological standpoints relevant for the study of regions and comparative regional The student has demonstrated a very good knowledge of how the most common social scientific methods are applied in area studies, as well as the challenges this can entail and about the current B: The student has shown a good ability to, independently and in a critical way, analyse relevant examples of regional studies and theoretical and methodological standpoints in relation to these, with a special focus on empirical studies that deal with societal developments in Latin America, Turkey and the Middle East and North Africa The student has shown a good knowledge on regional studies as scientific practice and has demonstrated a good ability to, independently and critically, relate to scientific and methodological standpoints relevant for the study of regions and comparative regional The student has demonstrated a good knowledge of how the most common social scientific methods are applied in area studies, as well as the challenges this can entail and about the current C: The student has shown an ability to, independently and in a critical way, analyse relevant examples of regional studies and theoretical and methodological standpoints in relation to these, with a special focus on empirical studies that deal with societal developments in Latin America, Turkey and the Middle East and North Africa The student has shown knowledge on regional studies as scientific practice and has demonstrated an ability to, independently and critically, relate to scientific and methodological standpoints relevant for the study of regions and comparative regional The student has demonstrated knowledge of how the most common social scientific methods are applied in area studies, as well as the challenges this can entail and about the current D: The student has shown an ability to, independently and in a critical way, analyse relevant examples of regional studies and theoretical and methodological standpoints in relation to these, with a special focus on empirical studies that deal with societal developments in Latin America, Turkey and the Middle East and North Africa The student has shown knowledge on regional studies as scientific practice and has demonstrated an ability to, independently and critically, relate to scientific and methodological standpoints relevant for the study of regions and comparative regional

9 The student has demonstrated knowledge of how the most common social scientific methods are applied in area studies, as well as the challenges this can entail and about the current The students fulfils the criteria above, but in a somewhat superficial way and/or with some minor flaws as to his or her ability to work independently and/or in a critical way E: The student has shown an ability to, independently and in a critical way, analyse relevant examples of regional studies and theoretical and methodological standpoints in relation to these, with a special focus on empirical studies that deal with societal developments in Latin America, Turkey and the Middle East and North Africa The student has shown knowledge on regional studies as scientific practice and has demonstrated an ability to, independently and critically, relate to scientific and methodological standpoints relevant for the study of regions and comparative regional The student has demonstrated knowledge of how the most common social scientific methods are applied in area studies, as well as the challenges this can entail and about the current The student has fulfilled the criteria above, but in a somewhat superficial way and/or with some minor flaws as to his or her ability to work independently and/or in a critical way. The student has fulfilled the criteria with some smaller misconceptions. Fx: The student has not fulfilled some of the criteria for a passed grade. F: The student has not fulfilled the criteria for a passed grade.