Draft Dec. 27, 2007

PLCP 541—Spring 2008

Islam and Democracy in the Middle East

and North Africa

Professor William B. Quandt
Wed. 1:00-3:15, Cabell 234
Office Hours: Wed. 10:00-12:00, Cabell 255
Tel.: 924-7896
e-mail: wbq8f@virginia.edu
Class Home Page: http://toolkit.itc.virginia.edu/2008_Spring_PLCP541-1
WBQ Home Page: www.people.virginia.edu/~wbq8f

This course will examine the relationship between democratization and Islamic political movements in the contemporary Middle East. We will begin with a consideration of democratic political theories and the general problems of transitions to democracy. Turning to Islamic political theory, we will study core concepts of authority, the state, rights and obligations, law, institutions and political processes. Note that we will not be studying Islamic theology, although a good understanding of Islamic religious beliefs is expected. The emphasis here will be on political movements that put forward an Islamic agenda and seek legitimacy by invoking Islamic values.

Each student will be expected to do a set of core readings that will be discussed in class. Students will also be responsible for several in-class presentations on specific additional books or articles. By the end of the course, familiarity with an extensive bibliography on political Islam will be achieved.

For eight of the twelve class sessions from January 23 through April 16, each student will prepare a two-to-three page single-spaced analytical paper on the readings for the week. The paper will be due on the Sunday prior to the class meeting by 5 pm, and should be submitted by e-mail to me at wbq8f@virginia.edu. I will read and grade them before class and will return them to you at the end of each class. For undergraduates, these papers will be all the written work expected of you. For the weeks when you do not write a paper, you will still be expected to do the readings and to participate in class discussions.

For graduates, there will also be a final paper of 15-20 double-spaced pages, due May 9, on a topic to be agreed upon with the instructor. All students will be expected to participate in class each session and the final grade will be influenced by the quality of class participation.

The following books should be purchased:

--M. Allouache, Bab el-Oued

--Reza Aslan, No god but God

--R. Dahl, Polyarchy

--F. Gerges, Journey of the Jihadist

--Marsha Posusney and Michele Angrist, eds., Authoritarianism in the Middle East
--G. O'Donnell, et. al., Transitions from Authoritarian Rule

--S. Qutb, Milestones
--C. Rosefsky Wickham, Mobilizing Islam

PLCP 541 -- Course Outline

January 16: Introduction

January 23: Democratic Theory and Democratization

Read: R. Dahl, Polyarchy

A. Przeworski, Sustainable Democracy, pp. 19-33, e-reserve

D. Rustow, "Transitions to Democracy", e-reserve

S. Huntington, The Third Wave, pp. 3-30, e-reserve

Additional: R. Putnam, Making Democracy Work, esp. chs. 1, 6

January 30: Transitions in Comparative Perspective

Read: G. O'Donnell and P. Schmitter, Transitions from Authoritarian Rule

Posusney, chs. 1 and 3 (articles by Posusney and Brownlee)

Geddes, "What Do We Know about Democratization?", e-reserve
S. Haggard and R. Kaufmann, The Political Economy of Democratic Transitions, Intro. and ch. 1, e-reserve.

Additional: A. Przeworski, Democracy and the Market , esp. chs. 1-2.

February 6: Prospects for Democracy and Civil Society – (Guest lecture, Prof. David Waldner)

Read: J. Waterbury, “Democracy Without Democrats”, e-reserve.

Przeworski, Sustainable Democracy, pp. 53-64, e-reserve

Posusney, ch. 2 (Bellin)

Additional:
J. Linz and A. Stephan, Problems of Democratic Transition and Consolidation, part I.

February 13: Islamic Political Theories

Read: Aslan, chs. 1-5.

O. Roy, The Failure of Political Islam, e-reserve

Sachedina, The Islamic Roots of Democratic Pluralism, pp. 22-62, e-reserve

Boston Review articles, Islam and the Challenge of Democracy, related links

February 20: Political Islam

Read: Aslan, ch. 6

S. Qutb, Milestones

Wickham, Mobilizing Islam, pp. 1-92

Additional: A. Mayer, Islam and Human Rights
L. Ahmed, Women and Gender in Islam
C. Geertz, Islam Observed
E. Gellner, Muslim Society

L. Binder, Islamic Liberalism

L. C. Brown, Religion and State

February 27: Islam and Revolution: Shi'ism and the Case of Iran

Read: Aslan, ch. 7

Posusney, ch. 4 (Keshavarzian)

E. Abrahamian, Khomeinism, e-reserve

N. Keddie, “Can Revolutions be Predicted?”, e-reserve

Additional: S. Arjomand, The Turban for the Crown
R. Mottahedeh, The Mantle of the Prophet
R. Bulliet, Islam: The View from the Edge
A. R. Norton, Amal and the Shi'a of Lebanon

D. Brumberg, Reinventing Khomeini

B. Moin, Khomeini

A. M. Ansari, Iran, Islam and Democracy

March 12: Egypt

Read: Wickham, Mobilizing Islam, pp. 93-226

Posusney, ch. 9 (Langhor).
Additional: Geneive Abdo, No God but God: Egypt and the Triumph of Islam

G. Kepel, Muslim Extremism in Egypt

E. Sivan, Radical Islam

R. Mitchell, The Society of Muslim Brethren

March 19: Algeria and the Maghreb

Read: M. Allouache, Bab el-Oued. We will see the film in class.

Posusney, chs. 5 and 7 (Posusney and Lust-Okar)

e-reserve: Parks, "Algeria—An Unexpected Mandate?"

Quandt, "Algeria's Transition to What?

Additional: W. Quandt, Between Ballots and Bullets
R. Malley, The Call From Algeria
R. Leveau, Le Sabre et le Turban
M. Arkoun, Critique de la raison islamique
L Addi, L’Algérie et la démocratie
S. Labat, Les islamistes algériennes
L. Martinez, La guerre civile en Algérie (published in English as The Algerian Civil War)

March 26: Turkey

Read: Aslan, ch. 8.

Posusney, ch. 6 (Angrist)

E. Ozbudun, Contemporary Turkish Politics, pp. 105-155, e-reserve

Additional: N. Berkes, The Development of Secularism in Turkey

M. Howe, Turkey Today: A Nation Divided over Islam’s Revival

S. Kinzer, Crescent and Star: Turkey Between Two Worlds

S. Cook, Ruling But Not Governing

April 2: Can Democracy Be Imposed?: The Cases of Iraq and Palestine

Read: Aslan, chs. 9-10

Eva Bellin, “The Iraqi Intervention and Democracy in Comparative Perspective”, PSQ, Winter 2004-05, e-reserve.

Y. Sadowski, “The New Orientalism and the Democracy Debate, e-reserve

M. Ottaway, "Back from the Brink: a Strategy for Iraq", related links.

Additional: N. Pratt, Democracy and Authoritarianism in the Arab World

April 9: Militant Islamic Movements

Read: Gerges, Journey of the Jihadist

Additional:

A.R. Norton, Hezbollah

L. Wright, The Looming Towers

“Shiite Politics in Iraq”, related links

April 16: Theoretical and Policy Debates

Read: M. Olson, "Dictatorship, Democracy, and Development", e-reserve.
F. Zakaria, "Illiberal Democracy" and “The Islamic Exception”, e-reserve.
A. Przeworski and F. Limongi, "Modernization..." e-reserve

Fred Halliday, “Orientalism…” e-reserve.

Posusney, chs. 8, 10 (Herb and Angrist)

Additional: B. Lewis, What Went Wrong?
N. Ayubi, Political Islam: Religion and Politics in the Arab World
S. Huntington, "The Clash of Civilizations", Foreign Affairs, summer 1993,and response by Ajami in Foreign Affairs, fall 1993. e-reserve

April 23: Last day of class