Reading Politics & Law in Classical Arab

This seminar is conducted mainly in Arabic sources. The purpose is to explore legal and political theory and (when possible) practices of Islamic cultures prior to the 19th century with a view to mapping political structures and constitutional organization in Islamic history, and their relationship to the Shari`a. Among the themes of interest are: structure and rationalization of theories of governance; ethics of rule; use of history as authorizing discourse in the culture of political administration; the nature of “branches of power” and separation thereof; siyasa shar`iyya in “law” and “politics” (or the relationship between “law” and “politics”); and the very meaning of politics and sovereignty in Islam; the possibility of a state of exception; enemy-friend distinction; and related themes. Proficiency in Arabic is required.