Messianic Movements in Islamic History
- Course Code:
- 158000149
- Status:
- Course Not Running 2013/2014
- Unit value:
- 0.5
- Year of study:
- Year 2 or Year 3
- Taught in:
- Term 1
The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of the place of messianism in the Islamic tradition. The course will explore the Shii and Sunni understanding of the Islamic messiah, the Mahdi, discuss its origins in Judaism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism and analyse first manifestations of messianic authority in early Islamic history. Several historical case studies will be investigated to analyse the religious, social and political origins of messianic movements and their relationship towards religious orthodoxy and political authority. The case studies will be used to investigate the dynamics of Islamic messianism and particularly the strategies employed to routinize charismatic authority as embodied by the messianic figure.
This course is intended to allow for progression in the study of Islam within the Department of the Study of Religions in year two and three. Furthermore, the course will provide tuition in non-mainstream expressions of Islamic religiosity. Therefore, the course is designed for students interested in the study of Islamic movements outside Sunni orthodoxy and also for students with a general interest in messianism and its expression in different religious traditions.
Objectives and learning outcomes of the course
At the end of the course, a student should be able to:
- evaluate the role of messianism in specific relation to the Islamic tradition and in general identify the Sunni and Shii understanding of the Mahadi and his soteriological role and its non-Islamic origins
- assess the relationship of messianism with religious orthodoxy in the Islamic tradition
- assess the interdependence of religious and political authority both in general and in specific to the Islamic tradition
- discuss the dynamics of messianic movements in Islam by looking at historical case studies
- apply general sociological categories used for the explanation of religious millenarianism in general to its specific manifestation in an Islamic context
- write essay that utilize and integrate both historical and religious studies sources
Scope and syllabus
The course will look at the rise of three dynasties and the millenarian undertones of their ascendance to power. The rise of the Abbasids to the caliphate in the 8th century, the conquest of North Africa by the Fatimids in the 10th century, and the establishment of the Safavid dynasty in Iran in the 16th century will serve as examples to investigate the relationship between messianic and political authority in Islam.
Finally, the course will examine three modern messianic movements in the 19th and 20th centuries. It will look at continuities between them and messianic movements in the pre-modern era and identify discontinuities determined by the modern context in which these movements emerged. The Mahdi uprisings in Sudan will be discussed as a response to European colonialism. The Babi and Baha'i movements in Iran will give an example of how a messianic movement within the matrix of Shii Islam has been transformed into a new religious movement. The Ahmadi movement from Pakistan will give an example of how messianic authority is connected with religious renewal and claims to prophethood
Method of assessment
1 essay (3,000 words) (50%), 2-hour exam (50%).Suggested reading
- Blichefeldt, J-O. (1985) Early Mahdism: politics and religion in the formative period of Islam, Leiden.
- Sachedina, A. A. (1981) Islamic Messianism: The Idea of the Mahdi in Twelver Shiism, Albany.
- Halm, H. (1996) The Empire of the Mahdi: the Rise of the Fatimids, Leiden.
