São Paulo – History and politics in the Arab world will be covered in the course A trip to the Middle East in 5 stations, by Salem Nasser, a member of the Institute of Arab Culture (Icarabe), a professor of International Law and the Coordinator of the Global Law and Development Center at Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV). Classes will run from March 14 to May 02 in São Paulo.
“The idea is to give an overview of the Middle East, especially in current days, but we will go back in history because we need to provide some context,” Nasser explains.
The course will comprise five lessons, each on a different country: Lebanon; Syria; Palestine; Iran and Iraq; and Broadening the Range will be the topics covered. “The classes form a spiral. They will begin with Lebanon and then move on to Syria, Palestine, Iran, Iraq and then the rest of the world,” he says, explaining the final topic.
“Lebanon is a mirror that shows a reflection of the region, with its conflicts and quarrels,” the professor says. Connecting with the following classes, Nasser will approach the common histories of neighbors Syria and Palestine, including their shared colonial pasts.
“Syria demands a more current approach due to the war. Palestine has ascendancy over much of what happens in the region. One cannot understand the region without understanding Palestine. It is revealing of the positions of each of the region’s countries,” he claims.
Regarding Iraq, Nasser will deal with the country’s transformation following the United States invasion, in 2003, based on allegations of establishing a region-wide democracy. In the same class, the professor will cover the conflicts between Sunnis and Shia in Iran, the country as a regional power, and its run-ins with Saudi Arabia.
In the final class, Nasser will broaden the scope of debate to cover countries such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey, and he will also formulate conclusions on previously discussed countries.
Course: A trip to the Middle East in 5 stations
Course duration: 10 hours
Dates: March 14 and 28 / April 11 and 18 / May 02 – alternating Mondays (fortnightly frequency)
Hours: 7:30pm to 9:30pm
Cost: 3 x BRL 400 (total BRL 1,200). The first installment is due upon enrolment.
Where: Quintal Amendola, Alto de Pinheiros, São Paulo (the full address will be made available once enrolment has been approved)
To enroll, send an email to quintalamendola@gmail.com or go to www.quintalamendola.com.br
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum