Winter 2019 Course
NMC 277H1S (LEC 0201)
Topics in NMC:
“THE CRUSADES: ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVES”
Instructor: Fadi Ragheb
Dates: January - April 2019
Time: Fridays 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Room: Victoria University, VC215
Course Description: The Crusades have had a lasting impact on Muslims and the Islamic world. Theepoch-forming movement influenced the central Islamic lands in many ways, affecting the regionmilitarily, ideologically and culturally. This course will provide a historical and thematic survey of theCrusades from an Islamic perspective. It will examine the Muslim response to the Crusades from thebeginning of the movement in 1096 to the end of the Crusader presence in the region in 1291. The course will begin with an overview of the Muslims’ politico-military reactions to the Crusader expeditions and the development of the Muslim jihad policies during the 12th and 13th century underdifferent Muslim rulers such as Zengi, Nur al-Din, and Saladin. It will then explore major themes such as the Arabic sources on the Crusades, the Muslim views of the Franks, and the systematic efforts of major Muslim polities, such as the Seljuqs, Zengids, Ayyubids and Mamluks, in forming cultural unity among the Muslims through the establishment of madrasas, Sufi shrines, and advancing the Sunni revival movement. Attention will also be given to the role of Shi‘i minorities during this period, aspects of Frankish Muslim coexistence and cooperation, and cultural and economic exchanges. The course will conclude by examining the legacy of the Crusades in the modern Middle East and its depiction in modern politics, modern Arabic history writing, and in Arabic art and film.
NMC277H1S-Winter 2019 - Course Advertisement Flyer - Crusades Islamic Perspectives - F Ragheb.pdf (234.9 KB)