Cultural Pluralism in Modern Middle East
This MIT seminar examines how difference and sameness have been defined, lived, and regulated across the Middle East from the nineteenth century onward. The first half studies the Ottoman Empire as a multiethnic, multilingual state, tracing how it held together for centuries and what broke down when mono-ethnic nationalism challenged its structure. The second half turns to the states that followed: Turkey, Egypt, and the Western-mandated territories of Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Iraq, before closing with a case study of Israel. Materials include readings on Ottoman administration, nationalism, and state formation, along with discussion questions for seminar sessions. The course is offered through MIT OpenCourseWare, so lecture notes, syllabus, and assignments are freely available, with no certificate attached. It suits students interested in how empires manage diversity and what happens when nation-states replace them.