This conference course takes the history of Syria over the longue duree as its object of study. Spanning Syria?s political history from the genesis of Islam to the foundation of Syria as a modern nation state, the course additionally focuses on four broader themes: 1) Umayyad Syria at the genesis of Islamic and Arabic historical memory 2) Medieval Syria?s role in the formulation of paradigmatic forms of Muslim traditionalism 3) Syria as influential site of Arab nationalism and Islamic reformism under Ottoman and French Mandate rule 4) The political ascent of the Assad regime in light of the complex layers of political and cultural history which characterize Syrian society.
