Course Content:

Unit-I : Arab Nationalism

• Different Theories of Nationalism & Arab Nationalism
• Import by Christian Arabs
• Evolution since late 19th century onwards
• Notion of nation-state

Unit-II: Arab Nationalism and Pan-Arabism

• Co-relation between Arab Nationalism and Pan Arabism
• Bases of Pan Arabism (religion, language)
• Racial element in the formation of Arab Identity
• The debate over Pan-Arabism in 1960s & 1970s

Unit-III: Regionalism and Local Nationalism

• Lesser appeal and uneven influence
• Some prominent exponents
• Cases of diversity (differences in political economy, nature of leadership etc.)

Unit-IV: Islamism as a Political Trend

• All comprehensiveness as perceived by Islamists
• Political Modernization in Islam
• Recent trends and impact on society

Unit-V: Arab Socialism and Secularism

• An examination of Arab Socialism and Secularism
• Specific feature (e.g. rejection of class struggle, equitable distribution of wealth, no export of revolution to outside world etc.)
• Perception about Islam