AMES3833: Jinn, Ghosts, and Demons in Arabic Literature

Jinn, also known as genies, are supernatural beings intrinsic to Islamic cosmology and culture: neither human nor divine, of our world but (usually) invisible to us. This course traces the trope of the jinni in Arabic literature: from the place of jinn in the Quran and Islamic tradition, through their role in the composition of the greatest poetry, to their reincarnation in modern works of literature. Following a survey of classic texts and contexts, we will ask why modern authors summon demons and resurrect ghosts, and what political and cultural work these unruly beings are called to perform. More specifically, we will explore the manner in which jinn are latched onto modern debates on personal and collective trauma, memory, madness, relations between East and West (or North and South), political and state violence, gender relations and hierarchies, and virtual realities.

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