EDWARD'S LECTURE NOTES:
More notes at http://tanguay.info/learntracker
C O U R S E 
The Emergence of the Modern Middle East
Asher Susser, Tel Aviv University
https://www.coursera.org/course/modernmiddleeast
C O U R S E   L E C T U R E 
The Popuation Mosaic of 19th Century Middle East
Notes taken on May 26, 2014 by Edward Tanguay
groups as the components of societies rather than individuals
Malcom Yapp, 1923: "Middle Eastern society is composed of various groups whose relationship to each other is like that of pieces in a mosaic. Government recognized the existence of these groups and dealt with them in different ways. There was no assumption that society was composed of individuals who should be treated in a uniform fashion, rather different groups had different rights and interests and required to be governed in different ways."
different groups were based on:
family
extended family
tribe
religious division
people in the Middle East have always identified themselves first and foremost by their religious association
19th century: Ottoman Empire
great majority of Middle East population were Muslim
"compact minorities"
minorities located in one particular territory
Maronite Christians in Mount Lebanon
Alawis in northwestern Syria
the Druze in Jabal Druze in southern Syria
developed a strong, communal identity
tended to not support Arab Nationalism as did, say, the Orthodox Christians who were more spread out
Millet system
the subjects of the Ottoman Empire were organized into well-defined categories on the basis of their religion, each forming a millet
millets were allowed to rule themselves according to their own legal systems
Jizyah
in Muslim countries a tax which non-Muslims formerly paid that Muslims did not pay, only about one third actually paid the tax
non-Muslim communities also provided courts of law, schools of education
the Muslim world was not uniform either
Sunni-Shi'i division
goes back to the 7th century
not about religious dogma, but politics
result of political struggle who was to become the caliph after the Prophet
the fourth caliph was supposed to be Ali, this became the Ali faction, or Shi'at Ali, or Shiites
the Alawis and the Druze are break-away sects from the Shiites
in the world, approximately 75% of Muslims are Sunni, 25% Shia (Iran, some Iraq, Bahrain, and Azerbaijan)
official establishment of Islam represented by Sheikh al-Islam
but also Sufism
a branch of Islam, defined by adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam; others contend that it is a perennial philosophy of existence that pre-dates religion, the expression of which flowered within Islam
hierarchy
government (military and bureaucracy)
not common for Jews or Christians to be part of this outside translators
religious establishment
judges, interpreted religious law
outside government
merchants, peasants, tribesmen, townsmen, guildsmen, notables
tensions between land-owners and peasantry, this tension became important in revolutionary politics in 20th century
transformations during 19th century
government more centralized
land-owners grew stronger
education system
European influence
educated, secular class
weakened the status of the religious establishment
religion, however, reminded most important factor in peoples' lives