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This course will survey the historical background and contemporary status of Islam and ethnic communities of Islamic heritage in countries and territories that until recently were part of the USSR. While emphasis will be upon the Soviet and post-Soviet periods, the early weeks of the course will treat a broader range of issues including the basic tenets of Islam as a religion; Islam’s attention to politics, social relations, education, and intellectual endeavor; and the expansion of the Russian Empire into Islamic territories, the resulting interaction between competing cultural practices and interests, and the impact upon indigenous peoples and their identities under emerging modern conditions. For the Soviet period, we will focus upon understanding the distinctive pressures experienced and exerted by Islam, as a religion and as a social and cultural system, with attention to patterns of religious life and their adaptations in the Soviet context.
Days and Time: Wednesday, 2:30-4:45.
Goodbody Hall 157 | 1011 East 3rd St. | Bloomington, IN 47405-7005 | Phone: (812) 855-2233 | Fax: (812) 855-7500 | ceus@indiana.edu