| Description |
Among the most pressing issues of our time is the perceived divide between the Islamic "East" and the European and American "West." As this course explores, the meeting of Islamicate and western civilizations has a long, complicated history. We shall examine the roots of this tension and the ways in which the two perceived one another from the Middle Ages to modernity through classic works of literature and art. Likewise, we shall examine the experience of "eastern" Judaism and Christianity, including how they viewed their western counterparts, and the complex relationship between religion and culture in the formation of identity. |