Muslim connections across Asia

Discpinary Elective Course

Many introductions to Islam take the Arabian Peninsula as the starting point and origin of historical processes of Muslim community formation. These are, in turn, assembled under one umbrella term and genealogically fixed to territories in the Middle East. In this course we will explore Islam from a different perspective, namely as made up of a complex web of connections which Muslims establish through interaction. By looking at the results of historical and anthropological research we will, departing from Hong Kong, follow these connections across different parts of Central, East, South, Southeast and West Asia. In this regard, we will analyze and critically discuss the local, transnational and transregional anchoring of Muslim connections under the conditions of trade, empire, pilgrimage, and conquest.

SINO2014 Course Guide