Kursinformation

This lecture will discuss different areas of Islamic cultural production, with a regional focus on the Middle East (West Asia and the Mediterranean). Based on theories of intertextuality and hermeneutics, the lecture will show how different actors in this region of the world, from Late Antiquity to the present, have recombined elements of a particular cultural heritage, endowed them with new meanings and introduced certain innovations.

In the context of this lecture, "cultural heritage" is understood as a repertoire of socially constructed references and rules that different actors draw upon and use to construct collective identities. Therefore, there are always multiple efforts to preserve this heritage, but meanwhile it is constantly evolving and some elements of it become the object of critique.

We will start by discussing modern approaches to "culture" as a concept and as an analytical category, as well as pre-modern conditions of cultural production. In the main part of the lecture, we will focus on major literary genres and normative texts (including Qur'anic exegesis, Islamic law and historiography) as well as aspects of material culture (especially urban development and visual arts). Finally, we will discuss how elements of this cultural repertoire have been re-evaluated in modern debates.

Organisation der Lehrveranstaltung:

Die Vorlesung findet grundsätzlich in Präsenz statt, bei Bedarf auch in Form von Online-Sitzungen. Alle Dokumente zur Vorlesung werden in einem Moodle-Kurs bereitgestellt. Ausführliche Handouts, Powerpoint-Präsentationen, Lesetexte und weitere Materialien bieten sowohl grundlegende Informationen als auch Möglichkeiten zur Vertiefung. Der Lernerfolg wird wöchentlich durch kurze schriftliche Aufgaben überprüft.

Prüfung:

Portfolioprüfung bestehend aus Schreibaufgaben in Moodle, einzureichen bis zum Ende der Vorlesungszeit.