DHIS 25A32 - Religions in Transnational Perspective. Evangelism, Islamism and Religious Zionism,19th-21st C
DHIS 25A32 · Fall semester 2026-2027
- Language of tuition
- English
- Course type
- Cours séminaire
- Number of hours
- 24
- Credits
- 5
Information
Description
This course examines the interrelationship between religion and politics on a transnational scale during the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. While these centuries are often characterized as an age of secularization, the course challenges this narrative by demonstrating the persistent and profound influence of religious dynamics on political developments. Beginning with the Evangelical revival of the late 18th century and the global expansion of Protestant missions, the course traces the transformations of religious movements up to the Islamic awakening and the rise of Islamism and religious Zionism in the second half of 20th century: two currents that continue to shape world politics today in the first decades of 21st century.
Prerequisites
The course prerequisites include a sound knowledge of nineteenth- to twenty-first-century history and global geography. No specific prior knowledge of the religious movements addressed in the course is required, as all necessary background information will be provided throughout the course itself.
Teaching format
With the exception of the first session, which will consist entirely of a lecture-based introduction and course presentation, all subsequent sessions will be divided into two parts: a first hour devoted to formal lecturing, and a second hour dedicated to student presentations and discussion based on the historiographical readings and primary sources indicated in the syllabus for each session.
Assessment
The Final Grade will be based upon:
Class participation 30%
One mid-term and one final exam, each counting for 35% of the final grade.
Students will have 1hour to respond to one of the three questions with an essay of ca 5/600 words.
Readings
Main readings 5
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Andrew Porter, Missions and empire, c.1873-1914, in Sheridan Gilley and Brian Stanley (eds.), World Christianities c. 1815-c. 1914, vol. 8 of The Cambridge History of Christianity, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2006, pp. 560-575.
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Jurgen Osterhammel, The Transformation of the World. A Global History of the Nineteenth Century, Princeton-Oxford, Princeton university Press, 2014, chapter 18 Religion, pp. 873-901.
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Mauritius H. van den Boogert, Millets: Past and Present, in Anh Nga Longva and Anne Sofie Roald (eds.), Religious Minorities in the Middle East. Domination, Self-Empowerment, Accommodation, Leiden-Boston, Brill, 2012, pp. 27-45.
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Said Amir Arjomand, Islamic resurgence and its aftermath, in Robert W. Hefner (ed.), Muslims and Modernity. Culture and Society since 1800, vol. 6 of The New Cambridge History of Islam, Cambridge University Press, 2010, pp. 173-197.
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Samuel Goldman, God’s Country, Christian Zionism in America, Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2018, Introduction, pp. 1-12.
Further readings 5
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Avizer Ravitzky, Religious Radicalism and Political Messianism in Israel, in Emmanuel Sivan and Menachem Friedman (eds.), Religious Radicalism and Politics in the Middle East, Albany, State University of New York Press, 1990, pp. 11-37.
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Brian Stanley, Christian missions, antislavery and the claims of humanity, c.1813-1873, in Sheridan Gilley and Brian Stanley (eds.), World Christianities c. 1815-c. 1914, vol. 8 of The Cambridge History of Christianity, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2006, pp. 443-457.
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Christopher Alan Bayly, The Birth of the Modern World 1780-1914. Global Connections and Comparisons, Oxford, Blackwell publishing, 2004, chapter 9 Empires of Religions, pp. 325-365.
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Doron Bar and Kobi Cohen-Hattab, A New Kind of Pilgrimage: The Modern Tourist Pilgrim of Nineteenth-Century and Early Twentieth-Century Palestine, “Middle Eastern Studies”, 2, 2003, pp. 131-148.
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Nikki R. Keddie, Iranian Revolutions in Comparative Perspective, in Albert Hourani, Philip S. Khoury and Mary C. Wilson (eds.), The Modern Middle East: A Reader, London-New York, I.B. Tauris, 1993, pp. 601-623.
Teaching units
| Unit no. | Unit type | Teaching units | Teachers | Number of hours | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20097 | Cours séminaire | Religions in Transnational Perspective. Evangelism, Islamism and Religious Zionism,19th-21st C | Paolo ZANINI | 24 | 5 |
Teachers
- Paolo ZANINI
In the curricula
- Bachelor Exchange Programme, Seminars / Bachelor, Programme d'échange, séminaires - 26/27COLLÈGE UNIVERSITAIRE - CAMPUS PARIS
- Bachelor, semestre 3 : cours séminaires - 26/27COLLÈGE UNIVERSITAIRE - CAMPUS PARIS
Contacts and resources
- Contact
- SYMPHOR Benoît