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As we approach paper-writing time I hope to use this blog as a clearinghouse for information, further readings, links to learn@uw. I've been gathering articles on the subjects people seem possibly interested in, but over the next few days I'd like to get a general sense of what you intend to write about. These will inevitably cluster around a few issues and a few major writers (though to be sure anything you are interested in writing in is possible) so using a blog for collaboration could be very helpful. I'd like to target specific posts to the issues people are interested in so please let me know as soon as you've decided on a topic. We can then get a discussion thread going.
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Okay, So I'm extremely interested in architecture and urban development. I'm thinking about looking at United Arab Emirates-- I mean, let's be serious, those skyscrapers and resorts look pretty cool.
ReplyDeleteTo me, it's a weird space, and especially int eh development that has taken place in the past 10 or so years in Dubai. This place is run by Muslims. The UAE is said to be 96% Muslim-- I want to know how politics were established here to make Dubai such a secure (?) zone, and how the urban development has historically helped on hurt the country.
Okay, I can't help it,
I am kind of a geographer at heart.
Just noticed your comment, hence the two day wait for a response. Not sure how it fits into the course but could be convinced if you would come up with a list of sources, secondary historical scholarship, that it. I've been there too and agree with you about the place. But I'm concerned about whether there is a large enough body of scholarship about it to make a paper possible.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to be writing on factors that explain the rise of the Egyptian-based Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine, particularly from the end of WWII to the 1987 intifada. I'm particularly interested in how the Brotherhood gained such a following in Palestine, since many of its members in Palestine are actually in villages or refugee camps, and are thus a bit different than the predominantly educated, urban middle class membership of the Brotherhood in Egypt (although in Palestine, universities in the cities and the middle classes are also a backbone of the Brotherhood).
ReplyDeleteWhile I'm still in the rudimentary process of ranking different factors in terms of importance for the Brotherhood's spread, I've identified a number of topics that I'd like to give consideration, particularly Eickelmann-like "objectification," support among students and the under-employed, the importance of symbolism and the 1967 and 1773 wars, the rise of Saudi Arabia as an influencial shari'a-based government, the model of Iran for Islamization, the Brotherhood's ability to point to failed PLO (etc.) militancy and compromising, the role of personal-life upheaval in making Islamic unity so attractive, and particularly the Brotherhood's strong organizational structure and ability to offer social (and economic) assistance that so many Palestinian citizens need. I think that the contrasts between Brotherhood membership in Gaza and the West Bank will allow me to defend why some factors contributing to the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood may be more 'important' than others.
Anyway, that was long and perhaps confusing. What I really wanted to say on this blog is that I'd be very interested in 'teaming-up' (i.e. editing papers, sharing resources and ideas, like Prof. Chamberlain suggested with that Adobe sharing file thing) with anyone else who is interested in the Muslim Brotherhood or Palestinian politics. If others are working on the Muslim Brotherhood, I also think that I've monopolized most of the books in the library (I've got about 20 books checked-out of the MB in Eygpt and MB politics) on this subject, so I want to extend an offer for anyone to borrow some from me if they need them. Just shoot me an email (jkwinters@wisc.edu).
Music to my ears, and not confusing at all. Those of you who are working on the MB might post in the Collaboration section above and get a group going.
ReplyDelete