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This course provides an introduction to contemporary politics of the Middle East. It covers central economic, social and political changes that have affected the Middle East in the 20th and 21st century. The seminar begins with conceptual debates, key economic and cultural dynamics, as well as the region's colonial legacies. It then turns to various transformation processes that have affected the entire region, including the fight for independence, processes of economic liberalization, politics from below, and counter-revolution. It also addresses underlying structural dynamics such as fossil capitalism, climate catastrophe, and US imperialism in the region.