Advanced study in sociology, with specific topics to be announced at the beginning of each semester.

This is a comparative and historical study of Mediterranean societies where people defined by difference have found negotiated solutions to living together. Taking the Mediterranean as a fulcrum of civilizational unity as well as upheaval, we will read about religious pluralism at different analytical levels and at different historical and contemporary moments. Three analytic and comparative levels invite study across societies and histories. Empires are macro-historical political formations that left an important imprint on the Mediterranean and have shown both intolerance and tolerance with deep pockets of religious pluralism. Historically, urban centers as hubs of trade and exchange have been more open to positive coexistence and institutional openness. Even today, in the context of nation-states, cities have been far more diverse than the nation-state as a whole. And in the interstices of urban and rural space, shared sacred sites continue to foster joint prayer and worship despite differences in religious belief. We will explore examples of each of these analytic sites through cases such as “Convivencia” in Medieval Spain, to the urban dynamics of the city of Marseille and the local entanglements of shrines and sacred spaces such as the Synagogue of the Ghriba in Tunisia or the Bektashi Shrines in Greece and Macedonia. We will use documentaries, short novels and historical archival materials to add to sociological texts.

Repeat Rules

Requirements class fulfills