Author: Kimberley Browne

Kimberley Klinker Browne is the Director of the Spatial Analysis Lab at the University of Richmond.

Tradition! … tradition?

In his recent text, “The Modern Middle East”, Mehran Kamrava states:

“It is often suggested in the Western press that Middle Easterners either must side with the forces of growth and progress (rashly equated with westernization) or remain in the clutches of the dead hand of tradition.  This view is based on a notion of non-Western cultures as static and unreflective, stifled by authoritarian doctrines and unchanging consensus on social, moral, and intellectual issues.  The hand of tradition, however, turns out to be more animated (and more manipulated) than one might suppose.  Even in the most stable societies, cultural consensus is partially offset by ambiguities within the traditions and by diverse strategies of interpretation.”

What examples can you think of (from readings, film, or class discussions) that break down notions of tradition?

Persepolis

Thanks to many of you who attended our Movie of the Week yesterday. Anyone interested can borrow my copy (it’s 90 + mins) or rent it from the MRC or Blockbusters. This film (based on the Graphic Novel by the same name) follows the life of young Marjane Satrapi from about 1978-1990. It presents the overthrow of the Shah as a Nationalist struggle, one that was fought by Marxists and Islamic Fundamentalists against the Western-leaning Shah. In the end the Theocrats won out … fought a long difficult war against Iraq and suppressed human rights in the process. There are many other themes to consider in this film including: the portrayal of the liberal grandmother, Marjane’s identity crises (growing up in Austria & not fitting in there or in Iran), and more. Please share your thoughts or post questions about the film here. THANKS!

Pre-existing Conditions and other things not covered by insurance.

Page 208 of the Ebook states:  "The possibility that countries which are riven internally by religion, sect and tribe will descend into anarchy and civil war, as in Lebanon, generates the kinds of circumstances in which dictatorship can also flourish, as in Syria and Iraq." This statement makes several assumptions about the causes of political conflict in the Middle East.  What are some of the assumptions made?  What is another viewpoint?  What do you think?

Ahmad

Burke/Yaghoubian Chapter 5

Ahmad’s story helps us to understand the challenges RAPID economic and social transformations create for the people living there.  Can you think of a time or place in history that underwent a similar transformation?  What do you believe will happen to the relative importance of kinship and familial relationships in the Kuwait of the future?  What strategic or other reasons can you think of to explain why Kuwait (a former province of Ottoman Iraq) has been given autonomy (and why do some believe it ought to be reunited with Iraq)?

Expectations … etc.

As we enter Week 4 of class, it might be good to restate some of the goals here, and give you a chance to give constructive feedback.  We are traveling down SEVERAL paths simultaneously.  On one, we are reading historical narratives, and as the semester progresses we will approach modern times.  On another, we are reading standard ‘geography’ from the E-book.  This text is organized regionally and we are starting with the ‘Arab’ Middle East.  On still another we are beginning to discuss current events in class.  These discussions should/will get more interesting as the semester progresses.  On yet another we are beginning to add maps to our Google Maps.  My hope is that the pieces to this puzzle will begin to come together for all of you in the coming weeks.  Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you understand the structure or content of this course.  Thanks for your feedback!