Religion and Geopolitics in Central Asia and Africa
| Title | Θρησκεία και Γεωπολιτική στην Κεντρική Ασία και στην Αφρική / Religion and Geopolitics in Central Asia and Africa |
| Code | Γ2 |
| Faculty | Theology |
| School | Theology |
| Cycle / Level | 2nd / Postgraduate |
| Teaching Period | Winter |
| Coordinator | Efthymia Dimitriadou badawy |
| Common | No |
| Status | Active |
| Course ID | 600026620 |
Programme of Study: PMS THrīskeía, Geōpolitikī kai Diethnīs Asfáleia
Registered students: 63
| Orientation | Attendance Type | Semester | Year | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KORMOS | Compulsory Course | 3 | 2 | 7.5 |
| Academic Year | 2025 – 2026 |
| Class Period | Winter |
| Instructors from Other Categories | |
| Weekly Hours | 3 |
| Total Hours | 39 |
| Class ID | 600277194
|
Type Of Offer
- Disciplinary Course
Course Type 2021
Specific Foundation
Mode of Delivery
- Face to face
- Distance learning
Digital Course Content
- e-Study Guide https://qa.auth.gr/en/class/1/600277194
- At the Website of the School:
- eLearning: https://elearning.auth.gr/enrol/index.php?id=20419
Language of Instruction
- Greek (Instruction, Examination)
Learning Outcomes
pon successful completion of the course, students will:
- analyze the historical and cultural background of Central Asia and Africa in relation to religion.
- interpret the role of religion in shaping political identities and geopolitical balances.
- examine the interaction between religion and international actors (major powers, the UN, NGOs).
- evaluate the religious dimensions of conflicts, terrorism, and competition over natural resources.
- understand how religion functions as a factor of soft power in international politics.
- compare developments in Central Asia and Africa, identifying similarities, differences, and future prospects.
- develop research skills through literature review, case study analysis, and academic writing.
General Competences
- Apply knowledge in practice
- Adapt to new situations
- Work autonomously
- Work in an interdisciplinary team
- Appreciate diversity and multiculturality
Course Content (Syllabus)
1. Introduction – Religion and Geopolitics: Theoretical and Methodological Tools
2. Historical Roots of Religions in Central Asia – Islam in Central Asia: From the Middle Ages to the Modern Era
3. Russia and Central Asia – Religion, Security, and Geopolitics from the USSR to the Post-Soviet Era
4.China, Xinjiang, and the Belt and Road Initiative – Religion and Strategy
5. Central Asia and the Geopolitics of Eurasia
6. Religious Pluralism and the Colonial Legacy in Africa
7. Christianity in Africa – From Missionary Work to National Movements
8. Islam in Africa – Sahel, Maghreb, and East Africa
9. Religion and Conflicts in Africa
10. Religion and the International Community – UN, NGOs, and Soft Power
11. Religion, Terrorism, and Security
12. Religion, Natural Resources, and Geopolitical Economy
13. Conclusions – Comparative Analysis and Future Prospects
Keywords
Religion and Geopolitics, Central Asia, Africa, cultural identity
Educational Material Types
- Notes
- Slide presentations
- Multimedia
Use of Information and Communication Technologies
Use of ICT
- Use of ICT in Course Teaching
- Use of ICT in Communication with Students
- Use of ICT in Student Assessment
Course Organization
| Activities | Workload | ECTS | Individual | Teamwork | Erasmus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 39 | ✓ | |||
| Reading Assigment | 95 | ✓ | |||
| Field trips and participation in conferences / seminars / activities | 26 | ✓ | |||
| Written assigments | 20 | ✓ | |||
| Exams | 8 | ✓ | |||
| Total | 188 |
Student Assessment
Description
Students are assessed through:
Classroom presentations on topics analyzed during the semester
Oral or written exams (e.g., open-ended or closed-ended questions or quizzes) at the end of the semester
Assignments at the end of the semester
Student Assessment methods
- Written Exam with Multiple Choice Questions (Summative)
- Written Assignment (Formative)
- Oral Exams (Summative)
- Performance / Staging (Formative)
Bibliography
Additional bibliography for study
- Beckwith, Christopher I. Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present. Reprint edition. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2011.
- De la Vaissière, Étienne. ‘Trans-Asian Trade, or the Silk Road Deconstructed (Antiquity, Middle Ages)’. Στο The Cambridge History of Capitalism, επιμέλεια Larry Neal και Jeffrey G. Williamson, 101–24. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014.
- Elverskog, Johan. Buddhism and Islam on the Silk Road. Encounters with Asia. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010.
- Kordosis, Stefanos. Oι Tούρκοι Ανάμεσα στην Κίνα και το Βυζάντιο (552-659 μ.χ.) Ο Ρόλος τους στην Ευρασιατική Πολιτική, Διπλωματία και Στρατηγική. Athens, 2012.
- Newby, L. J. ‘The Begs of Xinjiang: Between Two Worlds’. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London 61, τχ. 2 (1998): 278–97.
- Zarcone, Thierry. ‘The Sufi Orders in Northern Central Asia’. Στο History of Civilizations of Central Asia. Development in Contrast: from the Sixteenth to the mid-Nineteenth Century, επιμέλεια Adle Chahryar, Irfan Habib, και Baipakov, 5:771–80. Paris: UNESCO Publishing, 2003.
-Zhang, Xushan. ‘Η Κίνα και το Βυζάντιο. Σχέσεις - εμπόριο - αμοιβαίες γνώσεις από τις αρχές του 6ου ώς τα μέσα του 7ου αι.’ Ιστορικογεωγραφικά 6 (1998): 159–343.
- Θωμαΐς Παπαθανασίου-Φωτοπούλου. Ελληνικά ίχνη στην Κεντρική Ασία: Ουζμπεκιστάν το σταυροδρόμι των πολιτισμών : Μέγας Αλέξανδρος Ελληνιστικά Βασίλεια Ταμερλάνος. Αθήνα: Κάκτος, 2023.
- Κορδώσης Μ. ‘Οι Έλληνες Βασιλείς της Βακτρίας και Ινδίας ως το θάνατο του Μενάνδρου (περ. 250-135 π.Χ.)’. Δωδώνη 20, τχ. 1 (1991): 217-224.
- Κορδώσης Μ. Το Βυζάντιο και ο δρόμος προς την Ανατολή. Πρωτοβυζαντινή Περίοδος (324 – 610 μ.Χ.). Αθήνα: Καραβίας, 2002.
- Παπαπαύλου, Κ., και Κ. Πρεσβέλου, επιμ. Ο δρόμος του μεταξιού. Πλευρές επικοινωνίας. Πρακτικά επιστημονικής ημερίδας Αθήναι, 6 Φεβρουαρίου 2002. Εταιρία των φίλων του λαού, Λαϊκόν Πανεπιστήμιον, 2002.
- Crile, George. Charlie Wilson’s War the Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2007.
- Crosston, Matthew. Fostering fundamentalism: terrorism, democracy and American engagement in Central Asia. US foreign policy and conflict in the Islamic world. Aldershot, England ; Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2006.
- Devonshire-Ellis, Chris. China’s New Economic Silk Road: The Great Eurasian Game & The String of Pearls. Hongkong: Asia Briefing Ltd, 2015.
- Fletcher, J. F., και Boris Sergeyev. ‘Islam and Intolerance in Central Asia: The Case of Kyrgyzstan’. Europe-Asia Studies 54, τχ. 2 (2002): 251–75.
- Khalid, Adeeb. Islam after Communism: Religion and Politics in Central Asia. Berkeley, Calif.: Univ. of California Press, 2014.
- Olcott, M. B. ‘Soviet Islam and World Revolution’. World Politics 34, τχ. 04 (Ιούλιος 1982): 487–504.
- Rashid, Ahmed. Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia, Second Edition. 2 edition. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2010.
- Yemelianova, Galina M. Russia and Islam: a historical survey. Studies in Russian and East European history and society. Houndmills ; New York: Palgrave, 2002.
- Zenkovsky, Serge A. ‘Islam in Russia Today’. Russian Review 27, τχ. 3 (Ιούλιος 1968): 344.
- Zenkovsky, Serge A. Pan-Turkism and Islam in Russia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1960.
- Ανδριανόπουλος, Ανδρέας. Στην καρδιά του Ισλάμ. Από τις στέπες της Κεντρικής Ασίας ως το Αφγανιστάν. Αθήνα: Terzo-Books, 1998.
- Δρακόπουλος, Λευτέρης. Κεντρική Ασία. Από τα σοβιέτ στο μαχαλά. Αθήνα, 2009.
- Κορδώσης, Σ. Οι Τούρκοι ανάμεσα στην Κίνα και το Βυζάντιο. Ο Ρόλος τους στην ευρασιατική πολιτική, διπλωματία και στρατηγική. Αθήνα, 2012 (κυρίως το 1ο κεφάλαιο).
- Bluth, Christoph. US Foreign Policy in the Caucasus and Central Asia: Politics, Energy and Security. London: I.B. Tauris, 2013.
- Crews, Robert D. For prophet and tsar: Islam and empire in Russia and Central Asia. Cambrigdge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 2006.
- Monaghan, Andrew C. ‘The Russo-Georgian Conflict’. NATO Defense College, 2008.
- Smith, Jeremy. Red Nations: The Nationalities Experience in and after the USSR. New edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013.
- Δρακόπουλος, Λευτέρης. Καύκασος και Κεντρική Ασία. Αθήνα: Εκδόσεις Παπαζήση, 1998.
Κορδώσης, Στέφανος. Διασχίζοντας την Κεντρική Ασία : οι περιηγήσεις των Νικολάου Σπαθάρη, Βασιλείου Βατάτζη, Παναγιώτη Ποταγού και το ‘Μεγάλο Παιχνίδι’ των αυτοκρατορικών ανταγωνισμών στην Ανατολή (17ος-19ος αι.). Ιωάννινα: Ινστιτούτο Ελληνο-Απωανατολικών Σπουδών, 2020.
- Κορδώσης, Στέφανος. Ευρασιατικά: Ρωσία (Μοσχοβία – Σιβηρία), Κεντρική και Ανατολική Ασία μέσα από τα κείμενα του Νικολάου Σπαθάρη (τέλη 17ου αιώνα) [Eurasiatica: Russia (Muscovy-Siberia), Central and East Asia through the texts of Nikolaos Spatharis (end of 17th century)]. Βιβλιοθήκη Ιστορικών Μελετών 310. Αθήνα: Βιβλιοπωλείο Διονυσίου N. Καραβία, 2025.
- Μαρκέτος, Θρασύβουλος Ν. Η γεωπολιτική πρακτική της Ρωσίας στη μετασοβιετική Κεντρική Ασία. Αθήνα: Σύλλογος προς Διάδοσιν Ωφελίμων Βιβλίων, 2008.
- Μούδουρος, Νίκος, και Ζήνωνας Τζιάρρας. Η Τουρκία ως τρίτος πόλος στη νέα διεθνή τάξη. Αθήνα: Εκδόσεις Παπαζήση, 2023.
- Χασιώτης, Ιωάννης Κ. Οι Έλληνες της Ρωσίας και της Σοβιετικής Ένωσης : Μετοικεσίες και εκτοπισμοί, οργάνωση και ιδεολογία. University Studio Press, 1997.
- Israeli, Raphael. Islam in China: Religion, Ethnicity, Culture, and Politics. Lanham, Md.: Lexington Books, 2007.
- Kerr, David. ‘Central Asian and Russian Perspectives on China’s Strategie Emergence’. International Affairs (Royal Institute of International Affairs 1944-) 86, τχ. 1 (2010): 127–52.
- Kordosis, Stefanos. ‘The Black Sea and Eastern Mediterranean (BSEM) Region and BRI: Macro-Historical Tendencies and Geopolitical Models of Analysis’. Στο The Geography of Greece: Managing Crises and Building Resilience, επιμέλεια Régis Darques, George Sidiropoulos, και Kostas Kalabokidis, 129–42. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2024.
- Mayer, Maximilian, επιμ. Rethinking the Silk Road: China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Emerging Eurasian Relations. Singapore, 2018.
- Αξιώτης, Ευστράτιος. ‘Δρόμος του μεταξιού χτές και σήμερα: γεωπολιτικά διακυβεύματα’. Πανεπιστήμιο Αιγαίου, Τμήμα Γεωγραφίας, 2019.
- Robinson D. Muslim Societies in African History. Cambridge University Press; 2004.
- John O. Hunwick (ed.), Religion and National Integration in Africa: Islam, Christianity and politics in the Sudan and Nigeria. Evanston, Ill.: Northwestern University Press, 1992
- Roman Loimeier, Muslim Societies in Africa: A Historical Anthropology. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2013.
- Alex de Waal, The Real Politics of the Horn of Africa. Money, War and the Business of Power . Londres, Polity Press, 2015
- Hansen, Stig Jarle. Horn, Sahel, and Rift: Fault-lines of the African Jihad. Ηνωμένο Βασίλειο: Hurst, 2019
- Kitissou, Marcel. Sahel. Ηνωμένο Βασίλειο: Adonis & Abbey, 2014
- Döring, Katharina P. W.. African Military Politics in the Sahel: Regional Organizations and International Politics. Ινδία: Cambridge University Press, 2023
- The Oxford Handbook of the African Sahel. Ηνωμένο Βασίλειο: OUP Oxford, 2021
Last Update
13-10-2025
