GOVT 40.30 Language, Politics and Power in the Middle East
This course explores the sociopolitical dimensions of language at the macro level in the Middle East, past and present. How have political, ideological and social forces affected the fate of Arabic, Hebrew, Persian,Turkish, Ancient Greek, and other major regional languages such as Kurdish and Berber? How does language affect and reflect heritage, ethnicity, religion and nationhood, with their linguistic ideologies? What, objectively and subjectively, are "languages" and "dialects" What are the causes of language conflict or repression? Is 'one state one language' an economically or politically rational policy? How and why might language and literacy be planned and managed? No prior knowledge of a particular language or culture is assumed.
Instructor
Glinert
Cross Listed Courses
MES 16.12