Islam in South Asia

Fulfills the L&S breadth requirements in Historical Studies and Social and Behavioral Sciences.

This is an introductory level course on the history of Muslim communities and institutions in South Asia.  Its aim is to introduce students to the broad historical currents of the expansion of Islam in the Indian subcontinent, the nature of pre-modern Muslim political authority, the interaction between religious communities, Islamic aesthetics and contributions to material culture, the varied engagements and reactions of Muslims to colonial rule, and the contemporary concerns of South Asia’s Muslims. This course assumes no prior knowledge of South Asian or Islamic history.