RLST023 PO - Islam and Capitalism

When Offered: Each spring
Instructor(s): S. Khan
Credit: 1

This course offers an in-depth study of the historical, cultural, and political entanglements between Islam and capitalism. Students will read ethnographies of commercial life and learn the economic history of Muslim societies from Southeast Asia to West Africa. We will examine how the co-formation of Islamic law and commerce shaped Muslim societies through watershed moments in the history of capitalism: the emergence of trade networks in the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean; the birth of the joint-stock company and corporations; colonialism and industrialization; the global ascendancy of right-wing populism and neoliberal finance; and climate change and the movement for ecological justice.

Satisfies the following General Education Requirement(s), subject to conditions explained in the Degree Requirements section of this Catalog:
Area 3;