Quarantine: Bubonic Plague and the Invention of the

Middle East
O beloved, the cup of separation is a
thousand times more bitter than death.
-Bursal Lamii elebi
(1!"-1#$1%
Harvard College , History of Science 110, Fall 2010
TTh 12-1, Science Center Room 46
!r" #aron Sha$o%
Email: adshakow@fas.harvard.edu
Ofice: 17 Sumner Rm. 205
hone: !"57# "$1%"&'&
Ofice (ours: ) 1:'0%2:'0 or *+ a,,oin-men-
C&'RS( !(SCR)*T)&+
.ike -errorism -oda+/ -he fear of *u*onic ,la0ue from -he 1iddle Eas- once
loomed lar0e over in-erna-ional rela-ions. 2u- wha- &as -he ,la0ue3 (ow
did economic/ ,oli-ical and reli0ious rivalries afec- i-s dia0nosis and
re0ula-ion3 4ha- is -he his-orical connec-ion *e-ween s-a-is-ics/ human
ri0h-s/ and ,la0ue 5uaran-ine3 (ow can 1iddle Eas-ern ,ers,ec-ives on
disease hel, us unders-and -he modern world3 )his course will e6,lore
,la0ue con-rol and i-s con-ri*u-ion -o divisions *e-ween Eas- and 4es-. 4e
Quarantine: Bubonic Plague and the Invention of the
Middle East
O beloved, the cup of separation is a
thousand times more bitter than death.
-Bursal Lamii elebi
(1!"-1#$1%
will a,,roach -he his-orical record from a varie-+ of ,ers,ec-ives/ from
molecular *iolo0+/ -o -he sociolo0+ of knowled0e/ -o co0ni-ive social science/
-o Scri,-ural e6e0esis. S-uden-s will *e encoura0ed -o see -he
7e,idemiolo0+8 -ha- links crea-ive -e6-s wi-h le0al ins-i-u-ions/ and -he
si0ni9cance of -hose ins-i-u-ions for medicine/ socie-+/ and scholarshi,. :n
-he ,rocess/ -he+ will 0ain insi0h- in-o -he com,le6 in-erac-ion *e-ween
words on ,a,er and -he na-ural world.
R(,')R(! T(-TS
One -e6-*ook/ 1ark (arrison/ 'isease and the (odern )orld* 1#++ to the
,resent 'a-/ will *e availa*le for ,urchase a- -he ;oo,. <ll o-her readin0s
will *e ,laced on -he course we*si-e for elec-ronic download/ and also on
reserve a- .amon- .i*rar+.
C&'RS( R(,')R(.(+TS
=iscussion a,ers: >0? E6am or Research a,er: >0? ar-ici,a-ion
!incl. 5ui@@es#: 20?
)he -wo 5%,a0e discussion ,a,ers will anal+@e and res,ond -o course
readin0s. )hese ,a,ers will *e due in class on T/esday, &cto0er 1A
and Th/rsday, +ovem0er 2.
)he 9nal e6am will *e -ake%home/ consis-in0 of 9ve essa+ 5ues-ions
and 20 iden-i9ca-ion 5ues-ions . )he e6am will *e due *+ 5 ,m on
T/esday, !ecem0er 14"
< 12%15 ,a0e research ,a,er ma+ *e su*s-i-u-ed for -he 9nal e6am. :-
mus- descri*e and anal+@e some as,ec- of -he ma-erial discussed in
class. )o -he 0rea-es- e6-en- ,ossi*le/ i- mus- *e *ased on ,rimar+
sources. < -o,ic ,ro,osal is due in class on T/esday, +ovem0er .
)he ,ro,osal should consis- of -he s-a-emen- of -he -o,ic +ou in-end -o
inves-i0a-e/ a ,reliminar+ ou-line/ a lis- of -he maBor sources +ou will
use. :- does no- need -o *e lon0er -han a ,a0e and mus- *e a,,roved
*+ me in advance. < rou0h draf- is due in class on Th/rsday,
+ovem0er 22. )he rou0h draf- should *e nearl+ com,le-e in i-s
ar0umen- *u- does no- have -o include -he no-es or *i*lio0ra,h+. Oral
,resen-a-ions of -he research ,a,ers will *e 0iven in class in -he 9nal
week of Covem*er/ and will accoun- for 1D5 of -he 0rade on -his
assi0nmen- !i.e. "? of -he overall 9nal 0rade#. )he 9nal draf- i s due
on Th/rsday, !ecem0er 16 0y midnight" :- mus- *e wri--en in
correc- En0lish and should follow ;hica0o s-+le for foo-no-es/
*i*lio0ra,h+/ e-c.
)he ,ar-ici,a-ion 0rade is made u, of a--endance and class
,ar-ici,a-ion/ ,erformance on 5ui@@es/ and of shor- study questions
to 0e s/0mitted 0y each st/dent 0efore each class. )he s-ud+
5ues-ions ma+ *e a ,oin- of informa-ion or a *roader issue raised *+
-he readin0s. ;lass a--endance is manda-or+ and will *e recorded
each week. =o no- *e la-e for class/ as i- is disres,ec-ful and
disru,-ive -o me and -o +our fellow s-uden-s. Re,ea-ed la-eness will
resul- in -he reduc-ion of +our 0rade. Eou are e6,ec-ed -o
com,le-e all readin0s ,rior -o comin0 -o class/ and mus- *e ,re,ared
-o *o-h answer and ,ose 5ues-ions a*ou- -hem. S-uden-s will *e asked
-o facili-a-e discussion.
C3#SSR&&. C&+!'CT
< lar0e ,ar- of -he course will *e dedica-ed -o discussionA -herefore i- is
im,or-an- -ha- we main-ain a cour-eous a-mos,here in class. <--endance is
crucial. +o com4/ter or cell 4hone /se allo%ed in class !no -e6-in0/
:1in0 e-c#.
#C#!(.)C )+T(5R)T6
S-uden-s are e6,ec-ed -o *e familiar wi-h (arvardFs ,olicies on ,la0iarism
and academic in-e0ri-+ !h--,:DDacademicin-e0ri-+.fas.harvard.eduDic*Dic*.do#.
la0iarism will no- *e -olera-ed. :f +ou su*mi- an+ work wi-h +our name
afi6ed -o i-/ : assume -ha- work is +our own and -ha- all sources are
indica-ed and documen-ed in -he -e6- !wi-h 5uo-a-ions andDor ci-a-ions#. :f
+ou have an+ 5ues-ions or concerns/ ,lease -alk -o me.
7R)T)+5 C(+T(R
)he (arvard 4ri-in0 ;en-er !2arker ;en-er/ 0round Goor# ofers free
one%on%one advice on academic/ crea-ive/ and ,rofessional wri-in0 and
a*ou- all as,ec-s of oral ,resen-a-ions. Ho -o
h--,:DDwri-in0cen-er.fas.harvard.eduD and click on ISchedule an
a,,oin-men-.J
3)8R#R6 S(R9)C(S
(arvardFs li*raries have a wide arra+ of services desi0ned -o aid +our
research/ includin0 ,ersonal research consul-a-ions. Kor an a,,oin-men-
see: h--,:DDli*rar+.harvard.eduDre5ues-%research%a,,oin-men-
ST'!(+TS 7)TH !)S#8)3)T)(S
: will make ever+ efor- -o su,,or- and accommoda-e s-uden-s wi-h
disa*ili-ies. :f +ou have a facul-+ le--er from Lniversi-+ =isa*ili-+ Services
!L=S# indica-in0 -ha- +ou have a disa*ili-+ -ha- re5uires academic
accommoda-ions/ ,lease ,resen- -he le--er -o me durin0 m+ ofice hours. <-
-ha- -ime/ we can s,eak a*ou- -he accommoda-ions +ou mi0h- need in
-his class. :f +ou need academic accommoda-ions due -o a disa*ili-+
and have no- re0is-ered wi-h L=S/ ,lease con-ac- -he (avard ;olle0e
<ccessi*le Educa-ion Ofice a- &17%>$&%"707. : also encoura0e +ou -o
familiari@e +ourself wi-h (arvardFs resources a-
h--,:DDaccessi*ili-+.harvard.eduD.
SCH(!'3(
=a-es and ,a0es are a,,ro6ima-eA class announcemen-s override s+lla*us.
Readings listed sho/ld 0e done 0y the class for %hich they are listed"
#ll the readings are 4osted on o/r co/rse %e0site"
7ee$ 1 )ntrod/ction and overvie%
.o& can &e tr- to /0ure out causes of sic1ness and death, in the past and
in the present2 )hat are the sources and limits of our understandin0, and
&h- mi0ht an-one bother to ma1e the attempt2 .o& has the historical
relationship bet&een ma3orit--4hristian and ma3orit--(uslim communities
been a5ected b- di5erent &a-s of classif-in0 and e6plainin0 epidemic
disease2 )hat role did pla0ue control pla- in establishin0 the boundaries of
the modern (iddle 7ast2 )hat &as the broader conte6t of that pro3ect8the
bac1 stor- of the bubonic pla0ue2
Se,-. 2 !)h# S-e,hanie (aensch e- al./ I=is-inc- ;lones of
Eersinia ,es-is ;aused -he 2lack =ea-h/J ,LO9 ,atho0ens/ 2010
Oc-o*erA &!10#: 1%".
<ndrew ;unnin0ham/ I)ransformin0 la0ue: )he
.a*ora-or+ and -he :den-i9ca-ion of :nfec-ious
=iseaseJ in :he Laborator- ;evolution in (edicine/
eds. <. ;unnin0ham and . 4illiams/ ;am*rid0e
1$$2/ ,,. 20$%>>.
7ee$ 2 The .iddle (ast and :5lo0al */0lic Health;
.o& does the (iddle 7ast /0ure toda- in discussions of health and
development2 .o& has that pro/le evolved over the last centur-2 )hat is
the relationship bet&een health and 0eopolitics as it relates to the (iddle
7ast2
Se,-. 7 !)# M Se,-. $ !)h# <*raham 1arcus/ :he (iddle 7ast On the 7ve
of (odernit-* <leppo in the 1=th 4entur-/ Cew Eork: ;olum*ia Lniversi-+
ress/ 1$$2/ ;ha,-er 7.
N1< OL:P
7ee$ 2 &rigins of .editerranean ,/arantine
.o& has bubonic pla0ue contributed to our picture of the past2 )hat &as
the re0ional settin0 of late medieval and earl- modern pla0ue control
institutions, and &hat si0ni/cance mi0ht this economic, political and social
conte6t have for the &a- &e tal1 about the histor- of bubonic pla0ue2
Se,-. 1> !)# M Se,-. 1& !)h# 4illiam 1cCeill/ ,la0ues and ,eoples/ 20"%
2$&.
7ee$ 4 *lag/e, S4ice, and (m4ire
)hat &as the relationship bet&een pla0ue control and the rise of nation-
states2 .o& did commerce and politics a5ect ideas about and de/nitions of
pla0ue in the earl- modern (editerranean littoral2
Se,-. 21 !)# M Se,-. 2' !)h# (arrison/ ;ha,-er 2.
N;OC;E)S OL:P
7ee$ 1 Sic$nesses, States, and Salesmen in the
Seventeenth Cent/ry
.o& did rulers and their o5icials identif- the sic1 and dead in the
seventeenth centur-2 .o& did (private% commerce and (public% economics
a5ect the development of (editerranean >uarantines2 )hat &as the
relationship bet&een state policies to&ard pla0ue and e6planations of mass
sic1ness and mortalit-2
Se,-. 2" !)# M Se,-. '0 !)h# (arrison/ ;ha,-er '.
NC<1ES OL:P
7ee$ 6 (cclesiastical e4idemics
)hat did earl- 4atholic literature mean b- ?pestilence? and ?conta0ion?2
.o& did this literature contribute to institutions of pla0ue control2 .o& did
the- compare, contrast, and interact &ith the &a- (uslim theolo0ians &rote
about the causes of mass mortalit- and the policies of (uslim rulers2
Oc-. 5 !)# M Oc-. 7 !)h# R.:. 1oore/ I(eres+ as =iseaseJ in :he 4oncept of
.eres- in the (iddle <0es (11th-1$th 4%/ ed. 4. .ourdau6
and =. Qerhels-/ .ouven/ 1$"'/ ,,. 1%11.
1ichael =ols/ :he Blac1 'eath in the (iddle 7ast/
,,. ">%121.
N=:S;LSS:OC <ER R1 =LE Oc-. 5
7ee$ < =.oslem Fatalism=
.o& &as the ancient reli0ious analo0- of spiritual and ph-sical death
adopted b- secular institutions and authors2
Oc-. 12 !)# M Oc-. 1> !)h# H.4. .ei*ni@/ :heodic- !1710#
Richard 1ead/ I1edica SacraJ !17>$#
4illiam 1cCeill/ ,la0ues and ,eoples/ ,,. 1'5%57
Sam 4hi-e/ IRe-hinkin0 =isease :n O--oman
(is-or+/J @nternational Aournal of (iddle 7ast
9tudies 2010A >2: 5>$%5&7.
7ee$ > =Clinical (4idemiology= and &verseas .edicine
)hat did people thin1 epidemic mortalit- &as caused b-, and &h-2 .o&
have these 1=c. stru00les a5ected modern understandin0 of the bubonic
pla0ue2 4an &e tell the di5erence bet&een normative and actual
disa0reements about &hat &as (sometimes% called ?bubonic pla0ue?2 .o&
did conBict bet&een 4hristian-ruled and (uslim-ruled countries in the
(editerranean /0ure in2
Oc-. 1$ !)# M Oc-. 21 !)h# (arrison/ ;ha,-er >.
1arcus/ :he (iddle 7ast on the 7ve of (odernit-/
cha,-er 7.
7ee$ *estilence and *o4lin
)hat &as the earl--modern >uarantine s-stem in the (editerranean and
ho& did it evolve2 .o& can &e understand the intersection of commercial
interests &ith state dia0nostic and re0ulator- institutions2 )hat &ere the
pressure points2
Oc-. 2& !)# M Oc-. 2" !)h# .awrence 2rockliss and ;olin Sones/ :he
(edical )orld of 7arl- (odern Crance, O6ford: O6ford Lniversi-+ ress/
1$$7/ ,,. '5%7&.
1ark (arrison/ I=isease/ di,lomac+ and
in-erna-ional commerce: -he ori0ins of in-erna-ional sani-ar+
re0ula-ion in -he nine-een-h cen-ur+/J Aournal of Dlobal .istor-
200&A 1: 1$7%217.
7ee$ 10 ,/arantine and Statecraft
)hat did shuttin0 up and isolation, the t&in policies of >uarantine,
mean in practice2 .o& did the debate amon0 medical &riters over
?conta0ionism? and ?localism? echo the competition of le0al paradi0ms in the
emer0in0 international s-stem2
N=:S;LSS:OC <ER R2 =LE Cov. 2
Cov. 2 !)# M Cov. > !)h# Rifaa- <*ou%El%(aB/ IKormal ;losure of -he O--oman
Kron-ier in Euro,e: 1&$$T170'/J Aournal of the <merican
Oriental 9ociet- 1$&$A "$:>&7T75.
Hun-her E. Ro-hen*er0/ U)he <us-rian sani-ar+
cordon and con-rol of -he *u*onic ,la0ue: 1710%1"71/J Aournal of the
.istor- of (edicine and <llied 9ciences 1$7'A 2": 15%2'.
7ee$ 11 The 8allad of +a4oleon and the &riental
*lag/e
,la0ue and >uarantine in the (iddle 7ast /0ured in the colonial pro3ect
both practicall- and s-mbolicall-. .o& &ere old theolo0ical motifs8in
particular, the rulerEs healin0 touch8 reinterpreted throu0h the lens of
militar- and soverei0n penetration2 .o& did the tension bet&een
soverei0nt- and e6pansionism a5ect ideals of human ri0hts on the one hand,
and institutions of infection control, on the other2 .o& did local elites
levera0e ne&l- po&erful concepts to serve their o&n ends2
NK:C<. <ER )O:; ROOS<. =LE Cov. $
Cov. $ !)# M Cov. 11 !)h# .aQerne Vuhnke/ Lives at ris1* public health in
nineteenth-centur- 70-pt/ 2erkele+ and .os <n0eles: Lniversi-+ of
;alifornia ress/ 1$$0: 12"% &7.
.+nn (un-/ @nventin0 .uman ;i0hts* < .istor-,
Cew Eork: 4.4. Cor-on/ 2007: 2'5%&7.
7ee$ 12 ,/arantine and &ttoman Reform
)h- and ho& did the Ottoman 7mpire ultimatel- adopt the polic- of
>uarantine a0ainst epidemic disease2 )hat &as the political and ecolo0ical
conte6t2 )hat impact did the emer0ence of health polic- in the Ottoman
domain have on its internal and e6ternal relations2 .o& can &e understand
the li1el- implications for public health throu0h the e-es of modern science2
Cov. 1& !)# M Cov. 1" !)h# <.1. 1oulin/ I)he ;ons-ruc-ion of =isease
)ransmission in Cine-een-h ;en-ur+ E0+,- and -he =ialec-ics of
1oderni-+/J in :he 'evelopment of (odern (edicine in Fon-)estern
4ountries* .istorical ,erspectives/ ed. (ormo@ E*rahimneBad/ .ondon:
Rou-led0e/ 200$: >2%5".
O+a =aWlar/ 4ar/ 7pidemics and (edicine in the
Late Ottoman 7mpire(1G1"-1G1=%/ (aarlem: SO)</ 200"/ ,,. 75%
10'.
S. 2aldr+/ I)he O--oman 5uaran-ine s-a-ion on
Vamaran island 1""2%1$1>J 9tudies in the .istor- of (edicine/ 1
!=elhi/ 1$7"#.
7ee$ 12 (nter 8acteriology
)hat &as the understandin0 of bubonic pla0ue on the eve of the
bacteriolo0ical revolution2 .o& &as it naturaliHed as a feature of the
(iddle 7astern landscape2 .o& &as its identit- as a scienti/c research
ob3ect fra0mented b- uncertain soverei0n borders2 )hat &as the
0eopolitical settin0 of the bacteriolo0ical h-pothesis of bubonic pla0ue2
NK:C<. <ER ROLH( =R<K)S =LE Cov. 2'
Cov. 2' !)# <u0us- (irsch/ IRe,or- on -he la0ue E,idemic in
-he 4in-er of 1"7"%1"7$ in -he Russian rovince of <s-rakhan/J
1""0/ -r. S. .awrence%(amil-on/ :ransactions of the
7pidemiolo0ical 9ociet- of London/ 1""0A >: '7&% '$0.
<rri@a*ala0a/ Iro*lema-i@in0 Re-ros,ec-ive
=ia0nosis in -he his-or+ of disease/J <sclepio. 2002A5>!1#:51%70.
Cov. 25 !)h# TH#+?S5)9)+5 8R(#? @+& C3#SS
7ee$ 14 The )ncor4oration of the .iddle (ast into the
)nternational */0lic Health System
)hat &as the place of public health in the broader political, economic and
ecolo0ical phenomenon of 0lobaliHation2 .o& can &e understand recent
events in the li0ht of that natural and political ecolo0-2 )hat does the
histor- of >uarantine have to teach us about the invention8and the future8
of the (iddle 7ast2
Cov. '0 !)# M =ec. 2 !)h# Kiroo@eh Vashani%Sa*e-/ I)he fron-ier
,olemics of 5uaran-ines in -he O--oman Em,ire and :ran/J 4omparative
9tudies of 9outh <sia, <frica and the (iddle 7ast 1$$"A 1"!2#:51%5".
Sandra Su9an/ .ealin0 the Land and the Fation*
(alaria and the Iionist ,ro3ect in ,alestine, 1G"+-1G!/ ;hica0o
and .ondon: Lniversi-+ of ;hica0o ress/ 2007/ ;ha,-er 2.
NK:C<. EX<1 =LE )uesda+/ =ecem*er 1> *+ 5:00,m
NK:C<. <ER =LE )hursda+/ =ecem*er 1& *+ 11:5$,m