This class will begin by surveying socio-economic inequality in the Middle East, focusing on the existence of privileged military classes in Turkey and Egypt (http://foreignpolicy.com/2012/05/08/the-egyptian-republic-of-retired-generals/) and on links between class and religion as these connections are absent in the United States and are very important for understanding recent events.
The class will then move to analyzing how socio-economic inequality intersects with both the connection between religion and politics (http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/12/understanding-syria-from-pre-civil-war-to-post-assad/281989/) and the economic future of the modern Middle East (http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/03/07/the-tyrant-tax & http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jul/21/falling-oil-prices-fracking-us-iran-saudi-arabia-opec).
We will explore the matrix of causes linking inequality, religion, politics, and the environment in the modern Middle East.