Islam in South Asia
Religious
Studies 140
Office Hours: R
11:15 to 1:15 Phone: 893-3945
Email: jcampo@religion.ucsb.edu Office: HSSB 3054
This course is about Islam and Muslims in South Asia from
the seventh century to the end of the Mughal rule in 1857, with particular
emphasis on the history of Muslim-Hindu interactions and the formation of Muslim
identities in South Asia. Originating in
the Arabo-Persian lands of the Middle East, Islam found a new home for itself
in South Asia, but it did so in a variety of ways, involving multiple processes
of acculturation and differentiation among Muslims and India’s indigenous cultures. Islam’s adaptation to and amalgamation with the
societies and religions of South Asia challenges the “clash of civilizations”
thesis, and is reflected in the richness and complexity of different individual
and collective expressions that have flourished there—among ruling elites,
Sunnis, Shi`is, Sufis and heterogeneous religious groups. Students will develop a critical
understanding of the nature of these fascinating historical developments and
how they have enriched the religious and cultural heritage of South Asia.
MATERIALS
Required:
J.
Campo, Islam in South Asia (reader available at the Grafikart)
A. Embree, Sources of Indian Tradition, vol. 1
Manjhan, Madhumalati
G. Newby, A Concise
Encyclopedia of Islam
1.
Doing assigned
readings before the next class session.
2.
Class
discussion & attendance. General
& small group discussion. Written
response to one Islamic/Middle Eastern Studies or South Asian Studies event
3.
Map Assignment. Due April 15
4. Essay 1.
Due 4/29
5. Midterm Exam. Short answer, essay & map. 5/6
6. Essay 2.
Due 5/27
7. Final Exam.
Short answer & essay. Wednesday,
June 11, 7:30-10:30 PM
Grade Distribution: 2-15%, 3-5%, 4-15%, 5-25%, 6-15%, 7-25%
Discussion
& Attendance:
The discussion grade includes preparing a page of notes relating to one
or more discussion questions assigned by the professor the week prior to the announced
class discussion. Full credit is given
for preparing the discussion notes in advance and participating in the
discussion session.
Because our class
meets only once a week, attendance will be taken at the beginning of each
session. Students are allowed to miss
one class without penalty, after which 5% will be deducted from the total score
for the class for each class missed.
2.5% will be deducted for arriving at the session after role has been
taken.
Middle East
Studies/South Asian Studies Event Response: Gaining familiarity with the broader range of
subjects and issues pertaining to the Middle East and South Asia will
contribute to a better grasp of topics addressed in this course. Each student is required to attend an event
approved by the instructor and writing a 1-2 page response. The response should be typed and
double-spaced.
Map Assignment: The map assignment is given in the course
reader, and outline maps are posted on the library’s Electronic Reserve.
Essays: Guidelines for the essays will be provided in
class and will be posted on the library’s Electronic Reserve.
Electronic Reserve: Several course readings and other materials
can be found on the library’s Electronic Reserve. The password is: caper.
Course Standard of
Academic Honesty and Responsibility:
The Student Code of Conduct clearly sets out the standard of academic
honesty and responsibility in which a student’s work must be his or her own
work. The faculty in Religious Studies
believes that all class assignments and exams enhance a student’s overall intellectual
growth, as well as his or her mastery of a subject. Plagiarism, the unauthorized submission of
someone else’s work as one’s own, completely undermines the learning process,
and is one of the most serious infractions of student conduct and the
intellectual environment of the University.
Any student who commits plagiarism will receive a FAIL for the course
and the instructor will ask the Dean of Students and the Dean of Undergraduate
Studies to suspend them from the university.
Make certain that in your essays, map assignments, examinations, and
other course work you provide complete citations for all sources
(including materials from the web) cited directly or indirectly, verbatim or
paraphrased.
Outline of
Topics & Readings[1]
I. Introduction: Thinking about Islam in India
Readings: *Metcalf,
*Ernst, “India as a Sacred Islamic Land”
II. Geography, Demography & Religions
A. The Land
Readings: *Johnson
B. Indian Religions before Islam
Readings:
*HarperCollins (“Hinduism”)
Embree,
3-6, 203-238, 254-259, 274-280
C. Islam before India
Readings: *HarperCollins (“Islam” and “Shia”)
*Schimmel
III. Islamization
A.
Empires and Ruling Elites
Readings: *Lawrence, “The
Eastward Journey of Muslim Kingship”
Embree,
pp. 381-46, 392-407
*Fyzee
*Thapar
B. Migration, Indigenization & Conversions
Readings: *Assayag, “Introduction”
*Miller;
“Mappila”
*Khan, Conversions
and Shifting Identities
*Eaton, “Approaches to the Study o f
Conversion to Islam in India”
*Eaton, “Who Are the Bengal Muslims?”
IV. Indian Shi`is,
Sufis and Hindu-Muslim Acculturations
A.
Shi`is
Readings: *Pinault, *Asani
B. Sufis, Holy Men, and Their Shrines
*Digby, “Sufis and Travelers in the Early
*Curry, *Assayag, “Cult,” *Dharwadker,
*Baljon
C. Sufi Literature
Readings: *Digby, “Medieval Sufi Tales of Yogis”
Manjhan, Introduction to Madhumalati
Manjhan, Madhumalati
V. Muslim Women
Readings: *Lal, *Ernst, “Lives of Women Saints,”
*Flueckiger
VI. Islam
and the Arts: Architecture, Music,
Indian Culinary Culture
Readings: *Lawrence, “Taj
Mahal; *Ernst, “Listening to Music,” *Saeed, *Achaya
VII. Colonialism and Islamic Revival &
Reform
Readings: *Wolpert
*Dalrymple
*van der Veer
*Embree & Hay
VIII. Course Conclusion: South Asian Islam & Modernity
Final Exam: Wednesday, June 11, 7:30-10:30 PM