This academic year's Economic History Seminar is entitled "Between the Mediterranean and the Silk Road. The Arab-Muslim world from its creation to the present day". This is an optional subject for students in the 3rd and 4th year of the Bachelor's Degree in History. It is taught in the first four-monthly period, every year alternately in Basque and Spanish, so that all students can choose it: in the current academic year it will be taught in Spanish.



The aim of the subject is to analyse the main processes of the Arab-Muslim world's economy and society, from its creation to the present day. We will begin by explaining the causes of the creation of such a world, as well as the institutional and cultural framework that gave it a unique identity. We will continue with its spectacular rural, urban, mercantile and intellectual flowering between the 7th and 13th centuries. We will then examine its tendency towards institutional and productive stagnation between the 14th and 18th centuries, although it maintained an important commercial dynamism with the consolidation of the Silk Road and maritime expansion across the Indian Ocean. Next, we will study Western dominance in the Arab world between the 19th century and the Second World War, reflecting on the influence that the metropolises had on the institutional adaptation and on the integration of the Arab-Muslim world into the global economy. Finally, we will discuss the avenues for development that Arab countries have adopted in recent decades, with specialisation in oil and gas exports being particularly successful, the energy sources on which current international economic growth is based.



The skills acquired in this subject are highly recommended for students majoring in Economic History or in the following periods: Late Antiquity, as formal Arab-Muslim institutions were based on models created in the Late Roman Empire (e.g. the caliphate combined religious and political leadership, similar to the models of government developed from the Late Empire onwards); the Middle Ages, because Arab-Muslim economic and cultural dynamism had a direct influence on the rest of the world and especially on Europe, where areas such as the Iberian Peninsula (al-Andalus) came under its rule; the Modern Age, when the Ottoman Empire was the main opponent of Europe and Spain in the Mediterranean; and the Contemporary Age, because the Arab-Muslim world has become one of the most important geostrategic areas in the world and the main oil producer.

Subject-specific competences (SC):

- SC1: Identify the main periods in the economy of the Arab-Muslim world from its creation to the present day.

- SC2: Explain the links between economic development and transformations in institutions and technology.

- SC3: Know the role that the aforementioned world has played in each historical phase within the international economy.

- SC4: Understand the influence of environmental changes on economic development and, at the same time, the effect of economic activities on the disposition of natural resources. This is in a region with a scarcity of water and an abundance of oil.



Transversal competences of the Bachelor's Degree in History (TC):

- TC1: Acquire and demonstrate interpersonal skills for teamwork, both in the field of one's own discipline and in other interdisciplinary fields.

- TC2: Know the basic methods and techniques of historical research and show the ability to obtain, organise and analyse the different materials and sources of information.

- TC3: Demonstrate sufficient knowledge and adequate understanding of the main processes and events of universal, national and regional history, in a diachronic perspective, in their different aspects (economy, society, politics, culture, etc.) and their relationship with current societies.

- TC4: Be able to present orally and/or in writing, with formal correctness and appropriate terminology, at least one topic or problem of historical research, in such a way as to show their ability to make appropriate use of primary and secondary historical sources.



Learning outcomes (LO):

- LO1: Knowledge of the main processes of Arab-Muslim Economic History and ability to establish interrelationships.

- LO2: Ability to understand the way in which the evolution of the institutional framework and technological diffusion condition economic development.

- LO3: Understanding of the process of the great divergence between the Arab-Muslim world and the West.

- LO4: Knowledge of the relationship between economic development and the management of natural resources in each historical period.

- LO5: Ability to cooperate and work in teams.

- LO6: Assimilation of the basic methods and techniques of research in Arab-Muslim Economic History.

- LO7: Knowledge and appropriate use of historical-economic vocabulary.

- LO8: Oral skills to explain the content of a text (historical or historiographical) or audio-visual, as well as to make observations on a graph or table.

- LO9: Ability to write with appropriate spelling, syntax and structure, as well as coherent argumentation.

Syllabus:

0. INTRODUCTION



1. CULTURAL AND INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK OF THE ARAB-MUSLIM WORLD

A. Muhammad's socio-economic context and ideology

B. A Muslim Society Marked by Arab Heritage: The Status of Slaves and Women

C. The Branches of Islam and the Consolidation of the Arab-Muslim State as a Formal Hegemonic Institution

D. Islam's Legalism and Informal Institutions



2. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE GOLDEN AGE OF ISLAM (622-1258)

A. A tax society. The Fiscal and Monetary Systems

B. Agriculture, the basis of growth. Control of the cradles of civilisation (the Nile, Euphrates and Tigris valleys), irrigation systems and the introduction of new crops

C. The city, the protagonist of growth. Dynamic urban development adapted to economic needs

D. Luxury crafts, the consolidation of growth. From state encouragement to market diversification

E. The circulation of goods in the Muslim legal framework. Ownership, transfer, immobilisation and lending

F. A contractual economy based on individuals. The flourishing of trading partnerships and the connection between Asia, Africa and Europe

G. An intellectual flowering that drove innovation



3. THE PATH OF STAGNATION. FROM NOMADIC INVASIONS TO OTTOMAN RULE (1258-18TH CENTURY)

A. Little institutional change in non-Arab-led tributary states

B. Peak expansion and ebb of Muslim trade in the Indian Ocean. A network comprising China, India, the Middle East and Africa

C. The Silk Road and the primacy of overland trade

D. Europe's Institutional Developments and its Hegemony in Mediterranean Trade



4. TOWARDS INSTITUTIONAL WESTERNISATION. THE DOMINANCE OF EUROPE (19TH CENTURY-1945)

A. The economic rise of the Dimmi

B. The failed attempt to reform Muslim states. The creation of the Suez Canal and increasing dependence on Europe

C. Franco-British hegemony. From French rule over the Maghreb and British rule over Egypt to the consequences of the Sykes-Picot Agreement

D. Economic westernisation in the colonial period. The emergence of Western-inspired legislative codes and the creation of the first companies



5. PATHWAYS TO DEVELOPMENT AND CONFLICT (1945-PRESENT)

A. Decolonisation, between the British negotiating stance and French opposition

B. Arab nationalism's attempt at industrialisation and its decline

C. The growing development of oil-exporting countries. The creation and consolidation of OPEC

D. The struggle for control of scarce water resources

E. Economic conflicts? Israel-Arab world, 1973 crisis and Gulf wars

F. Islamic economics and finance

The subject will be taught using a variety of methods:

- Master classes will be as short as possible.

- Practical classes will play a fundamental role in the understanding of the content of the syllabus. For this purpose, discussions and exercises will be carried out on readings (historical and historiographical texts) and audio-visuals (documentaries, films and lectures).

- Writing and oral presentation of group work.

• Continuous Assessment System
• Final Assessment System
• Tools and qualification percentages:
  • Written test to be taken (%): 30
  • Realization of Practical Work (exercises, cases or problems) (%): 20
  • Team projects (problem solving, project design)) (%): 30
  • Exhibition of works, readings ... (%): 20

Students have two ways to pass the course:



1) Continuous assessment: the final grade will be made up of the following components:

A) Regular classroom attendance and active participation: 20%

B) Classroom practice: 20%

C) Quizzes on readings and/or audiovisuals: 30%

D) Writing and oral presentation of group work: 30%



2) Final assessment: If one wishes to waive continuous assessment, one must submit a written request to the lecturer within nine weeks of the start of the subject. In this case, the student will be assessed with a final exam of the syllabus (100%).



Students are reminded that they must know and follow the protocol on academic ethics and prevention of dishonest or fraudulent practices in assessment tests and academic work at the UPV/EHU.

In the extraordinary call, 100% of the student's mark will be assessed with an exam on the syllabus.



Students are reminded that they must know and follow the protocol on academic ethics and prevention of dishonest or fraudulent practices in assessment tests and academic work at the UPV/EHU.

Selection of readings (historical and historiographical texts) and audiovisuals (documentaries, films and lectures) essential for a proper understanding of the content of the syllabus.

Basic bibliography

AYEB, H. (2000): Agua y poder. Geopolítica de los recursos hidráulicos en Oriente Próximo, Bellaterra.

BARQUÍN GIL, R. (2012): El Islam (622-1800). Un ensayo desde la Historia Económica, UNED.

BLOOM, J.; BLAIR, S. (2003): El islam. Mil años de ciencia y poder, Paidós.

CAHEN, C. (1984): El Islam. Desde los orígenes hasta el comienzo del Imperio Otomano, Siglo XXI.

CHALMETA GENDRÓN, P. (2021): Historia socioeconómica de Alandalús, Fundación Ibn Tufayl.

CONSTABLE, O. (1996): Comercio y comerciantes en la España musulmana, Omega.

COULSON, N. (1998): Historia del Derecho Islámico, Bellaterra.

GARCÍA SANJUÁN, A. (2021): Las sociedades islámicas clásicas (siglos VII-XV), Síntesis.

GRUNEBAUM, G. (1981): El Islam. Desde la caída de Constantinopla hasta nuestros días, Siglo XXI.

HOODBHOY, P. (1998): El islam y la ciencia, Bellaterra.

HOURANI, A. (1992), Historia de los pueblos árabes, Ariel.

IMBER, C. (2004): El imperio otomano 1300-1650, Vergara.

KURAN, T. (2017): La larga divergencia. La influencia de la ley islámica en el atraso de Oriente Medio, Granada.

LANDES, D. (1999): La riqueza y la pobreza de las naciones: por qué algunas son tan ricas y otras son tan pobres, Crítica.

LORCA CORRÓNS, A.; OROZCO DE LA TORRE, O. (1999): La banca islámica sin intereses, AECI.

MAÍLLO SALGADO, F. (1996): Vocabulario de historia árabe e islámica, Akal.

MANZANO MORENO, E. (1992): Historia de las sociedades musulmanas en la Edad Media, Síntesis.

MARTÍN MUÑOZ, G. (1999): El Estado Árabe. Crisis de legitimidad y contestación islamista, Bellaterra.

MARTÍN MUÑOZ, G.; VALLE SIMÓN, B.; LÓPEZ PLAZA, M.Á. (2010): El islam y el mundo árabe. Guía didáctica para profesores y formadores, AECID.

VERCELLIN, G. (2003): Instituciones del mundo musulmán, Bellaterra.

WATSON, A. (1998): Innovaciones en la agricultura en los tiempos del mundo islámico, Granada.

WILLIAMSON, J. (2013): Comercio y pobreza. Cuándo y cómo comenzó el atraso del Tercer Mundo, Planeta.

In-depth bibliography

AL-HASSAN, A.; HILL, D. (1986): Islamic Technology, Cambridge.
ALLOUCHE, A. (1994): Mamluk Economics, Utah.
BENNISON, A.; GASCOINE, A. (2007): Cities in the pre-modern Islamic Word, Routledge.
CHAFFEE, J. (2018): The Muslim Merchants of Pre-Modern China, Cambridge.
CASALE, G. (2010): The Ottoman age of exploration, Oxford.
CHAUDURI, K. (1985): Trade and Civilization in the Indian Ocean, Cambridge.
GOITEIN, S. (1967), A Mediterranean Society, California.
GOLDBERG, J. (2016): Trade and Institutions in the Medieval Mediterranean, Cambridge.
GREIF, A. (2006): Institutions and the Path to the Modern Economy, Cambridge.
HANNA, N. (2002): Money, Land and Trade. An Economic History of the Muslim Mediterranean, Tauris.
HERSHLAG, Z. (1997): Introduction to the Modern Economic History of the Middle East, Brill.
HOURANI, G. (1951): Arab Seafaring: In the Indian Ocean in Ancient and Early Medieval Times, Princeton.
INALCIK, H.; QUATAERT, D. (1994): An Economic and Social History of the Ottoman Empire 1300-1914, Cambridge.
ISSAWI, C. (1982): An Economic History of the Middle East and North Africa, Columbia.
LÓPEZ MARTÍNEZ DE MARIGORTA, E. (2020): Mercaderes, Artesanos y Ulemas, Jaén.
MASALHA, N. (2002): Israel, Bellaterra.
MENÓRET, P. (2004): Arabia Saudí, Bellaterra.
OWEN, R. (2009): The Middle East in the World Economy 1800-1914, Tauris.
PAMUK, S. (2018): Uneven Centuries. Economic Development of Turkey since 1820, Princeton.
POMMIER, S. (2009): Egipto, Bellaterra.
ROBINSON, C. et alii (2011), The New Cambridge History of Islam, Cambridge.
SAYIGH, Y. (2018): The Economies of the Arab World: Development since 1945, Routledge.
STREUSAND, D. (2011): Islamic gunpowder empires, Westview.
TSUGITAKA, S. (1997): State and rural society in medieval Islam, Brill.
UDOVITCH, A. (1970): Partnership and Profit in Medieval Islam, Princeton.
VASSILIOU, M. (2009): Historical Dictionary to the Petroleum Industry, Scarecrow.

Journals

- Al-Masaq. Journal of the Medieval Mediterranean
- Al-Qantara
- Awraq. Revista de análisis y pensamiento sobre el mundo árabe e islámico contemporáneo
- Economic History Review
- International Journal of Middle East Studies
- Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations
- Journal of African History
- Journal of Economic History
- Journal of Islamic Archaeology
- Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient
- Mediterranean Historical Review
- Studia Islamica

Web addresses

- Casa Árabe: https://www.casaarabe.es/
- Fundación Euroárabe de Altos Estudios: https://www.fundea.org/es
- Middle East Economic Association: https://meeaweb.org/
- Middle East Studies Association: https://mesana.org/
- Qantara. Patrimonio Mediterráneo: https://www.qantara-med.org/?&lang=es
- School of Oriental and African Studies: https://www.soas.ac.uk/
- The Mediterranean Seminar: http://www.mediterraneanseminar.org/