The Material Culture of the Caliphate (winter term 2019/2020)

The caliphate emerged in the seventh century as a form of political succession to the Prophet Muhammad.

The early caliphs aimed to lead the spiritual community that had united under the Prophet's authority. Within decades, the institution was contested by rival parties with radically different understandings of its parameters. Should the caliph be the arbiter of righteous spiritual activity, or a political ruler on the model of pre-Islamic kings and emperors? Should the caliph inherit his position, or be elected by his peers based on his piety?

These arguments played out differently across the growing territories under Islamic rule and have recently reemerged with the so-called Islamic State, whose minting of Islamic coins echo earlier strategies of caliphal legitimation even as their destruction of Iraq and Syria's cultural heritage departs radically from historical attitudes.

This course examines the visual and material culture of the many groups that have claimed the caliphate, from the first caliphs until the present. We will focus on objects associated with the Prophet Muhammad and the early caliphs (many of which had long afterlives), as well as coins, manuscripts, luxury objects, inscribed textiles, palaces, and mosques made by or for later caliphs. Close examination of these objects and spaces reveals the intersection of religion, political power, and material culture, and sheds light on the emergence of a conception of "Islamic art."

1) Wednesday, Oct. 02, 2019 - 4.00 to 5.30 pm CET*

2) Wednesday, Oct. 09, 2019 - 4.00 to 5.30 pm CET

3) Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019 - 4.00 to 5.30 pm CET

4) Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019 - 4.00 to 5.30 pm CET

5) Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019 - 3.00 to 4.30 pm CET  (In Europe, winter time starts earlier than in the US)

6) Wednesday, Nov. 06, 2019 - 4.00 to 5.30 pm CET

7) Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019 - 4.00 to 5.30 pm CET

Regular attendance and participation are required. Please email abigail.balbale"AT"nyu.edu in advance if you anticipate missing class.

The readings will be available on the course website, and students are expected to have completed the readings before each class. We will be joined by guest lecturers for several classes.

* The classes take place from 10.00 to 11.30 am EST.

Fluency in spoken and written English. Otherwise, there are no prerequisites. The course is open to all advanced students in B.A., M.A., and PhD programs, and to historians, art historians, and archaeologists working on the Islamic world or related topics.

Participants joining via the web should have a computer, reliable internet access and a headset. Students from Hamburg should sign up in the campus system 'Stine' and contact Abigail Balbale or Stefan Heidemann as early as possible to register and get the necessary introduction into the technology.

Students from outside of New York University and Universität Hamburg are welcome. All students should apply with a short CV and a motivation letter in English by September 20, 2019. These should be emailed to Abigail Balbale (abigail.balbale@nyu.edu) or Stefan Heidemann (stefan.heidemann@uni-hamburg.de). Preference is given to students from universities within the network "Islamic Material Culture:" New York University, Universität Hamburg, Ludwig Maximilian-Universität München and Universität Bonn.

The course is limited to 12 students total, in order to ensure a lively and interactive discussion.