African history Books

Book SynopsisUsing the life and writings of Cyril III Ibn Laqlaq, 75th patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church, along with a variety of Christian and Muslim chroniclers, this study explores the identity and context of the Christian community of Egypt and its relations with the leadership of the Ayyubid dynasty in the early thirteenth century. Kurt Werthmuller introduces new scholarship that illuminates the varied relationships between medieval Christians of Egypt and their Muslim neighbors. Demonstrating that the Coptic community was neither passive nor static, the author discusses the active role played by the Copts in the formation and evolution of their own identity within the wider political and societal context of this period. In particular, he examines the boundaries between Copts and the wider Egyptian society in the Ayyubid period in three "in-between spaces": patriarchal authority, religious conversion, and monasticism.

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Book SynopsisIn the nineteenth century hundreds of thousands of Africans were forcibly migrated northward to Egypt and other eastern Mediterranean destinations, yet relatively little is known about them. Studies have focused mainly on the mamluk and harem slaves of elite households, who were mostly white, and on abolitionist efforts to end the slave trade, and most have relied heavily on western language sources. In the past forty years new sources have become available, ranging from Egyptian religious and civil court and police records to rediscovered archives and accounts in western archives and libraries. Along with new developments in the study of African slavery these sources provide a perspective on the lives of non-elite trans-Saharan Africans in nineteenth century Egypt and beyond. The nine essays in this volume examine the lives of slaves and freed men and women in Egypt and the region. Contributors: Kenneth M. Cuno, Y. Hakan Erdem, Michael Ferguson, Emad Ahmad Helal Shams al-Din, Liat Kozma, George Michael La Rue, Ahmad A. Sikainga, Eve M. Troutt Powell, and Terence Walz.

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Book SynopsisFew works about the Middle East have exerted such wide and long-lasting influence as Edward William Lane’s An Account of the Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians. First published in 1836, this classic book has never gone out of print, continuously providing material and inspiration for generations of scholars, writers, and travelers, who have praised its comprehensiveness, detail, and perception. Yet the editions in print during most of the twentieth century would not have met Lane’s approval. Lacking parts of Lane’s text and many of his original illustrations (while adding many that were not his), they were based on what should have been ephemeral editions, published long after the author’s death. Meanwhile, the definitive fifth edition of 1860, the result of a quarter century of Lane’s corrections, reconsiderations, and additions, long ago disappeared from bookstore shelves. Now the 1860 edition of Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians is available again, with a useful general introduction by Jason Thompson. Lane’s greatest work enters the twenty-first century in precisely the form that he wanted.

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Book SynopsisGalal Amin once again turns his attention to the shaping of Egyptian society and the Egyptian state in the half-century and more that has elapsed since the Nasserite revolution, this time focusing on the era of President Mubarak. He looks at corruption, poverty, the plight of the middle class, and of course, the economy, and directs his penetrating gaze toward the Mubarak regime's uneasy relationship with the relatively free press it encouraged, the vexing issue of presidential succession, and Egypt's relations with the Arab world and the United States. Addressing such themes from the perspective of an active participant in Egyptian intellectual life throughout the era, Galal Amin portrays the Mubarak regime's stance in the domestic and international arenas as very much a product of history, which, while not exonerating the regime, certainly helps to explain it.Table of ContentsIntroduction1. The Soft State2. Corruption3. The Economy4. The Poor5. The Pashas6. The Middle Class7. The Intellectuals8. The Press9. Religious Discourse10. Alienation11. Mubarak’s Successor12. Egypt and the Arabs13. Egypt and the United States

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Book SynopsisOne night in the year 411/1021, the powerful ruler of the Fatimid empire, al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, rode out of the southern gates of Cairo and was never seen again. Was the caliph murdered, or could he have decided to abandon his royal life, wandering off to live alone and anonymous? Whatever the truth, the fact was that al-Hakim had literally vanished into the desert. Yet al-Hakim, though shrouded in mystery, has never been forgotten. To the Druze, he was (and is) God, and his disappearance merely indicated his reversion to non-human form. For Ismailis, al-Hakim was the sixteenth imam, descended from the Prophet, and infallible. Jews and Christians, by contrast, long remembered him as their persecutor, who ordered the destruction of many of their synagogues and churches. Using all the tools of modern scholarship, Paul Walker offers the most balanced and engaging biography yet to be published of this endlessly fascinating individual.To some, al-Hakim was God incarnate, to others an infallible imam, to still others he was a capricious tyrant. This book examines myth and fact, document and opinion, to present the most complete and detailed history yet written of the life and times of one of the medieval Islamic world’s most controversial figures.Table of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgementsPart OneWriting the Biography of an EnigmaThe Father, the Dynasty, Childhood, and RegencyPart Twoal-Maqrizi’s Chronicle of the Middle YearsPart ThreeThe Institutions of His RuleFriends and RebelsSocial Reform and LegislationForeign AffairsPart FourThe Final Seven YearsAfterlife and EpilogueNotesBibliographyIndexMaps Mediterranean and Near East at the Time of al-HakimEgyptCairo--Fustat and Vicinity

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Book SynopsisNo chapter in Egypt's contemporary history has been more turbulent and unpredictable than the past three years. In a very short period of time, the Arab world's most populous country has seen a transition from rule by an iron-fisted dictatorship to a populist uprising to military omnipotence to Islamist electoral victory to constitutional turmoil to societal polarization. Egypt's iconic revolution has been neither victorious nor defeated. Egypt in Flux is a collection of essays on the political, social, economic, and cultural dimensions of change in the country's ongoing revolutionary current. While written over a span of several years, the essays are timeless in the historical context they provide and their ability to chart the country's trajectory in the period ahead. From the conditions that precipitated the uprising and the eruption of national dissent to the derailing of the revolution, the author reflects on the pressing topics of the day while being mindful of the counterrevolutionary movements and the continuation of the unending uprising. From discussions about the illusion of fair and free elections, social inequities, and labor disparities to examinations of religion, sports, literature, and sexuality, the essays in this valuable and intellectually stimulating volume chart both the broad lines and the nuances of an unfinished revolution.Table of ContentsIntroduction Section 1: The End DaysGeddo and Messianic Football On Marina and ChavezThe Simulacra of Religious IntoleranceNever Say No to the PandaLearning to Mourn with the PolesBest in ShowThe Hegemony of SharksThe End of IllegitimacySection 2: Ablaze the Body PoliticReclaiming Silence in EgyptCoptic Exodus from DisneylandAblaze the Body PoliticThe Gravity of PharaohsDared to DefySection 3: Revolution Interrupted On Constitutional ReformLiberating the MediaThe Axe-BearersRevolutionary FatiguesThe Three-Horned BullYear of the OstrichMorsy’s DebtsTragedy and FarceLemons and RaisinsSection 4: Ad Infinitum The Lost TribeWho’s Your Daddy?After MasperoThe Conscientious ObjectorsMorsy’s DebtsA Seven AMedia FormsPatron SaintsNew FaceOf Men and HymenThe State of AnarchyEpilogue

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Book SynopsisThis ground-breaking view of the navigational landscape of the Nile in medieval Egypt draws on a broad range of sources: medieval Arabic geographies; traveler accounts; archaeology; and meteorological, hydrological, and geological studies. John Cooper first charts the changing geography of the Nile waterways, particularly in the Delta, from the eve of Islam to the early modern period, and logs the "rise and fall" of these waterways for natural and/or anthropogenic reasons. He then presents a new perspective on the Nile, drawing on traveler accounts and environmental data to portray the river as a uniquely challenging and sometimes dangerous navigational environment requiring extensive local knowledge by skilled and hard-working Nile navigators. Finally, he looks at how the main Delta and Red Sea ports of medieval Egypt fitted into the navigational landscape described, explaining how these ports were affected by changes occurring to the navigational landscape, and how they reflected the navigational conditions of the Nile and surrounding seas.

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Book SynopsisMost scholarship has attributed Sudanese independence in 1956 to British dominance of the Condominium, historical animosity toward Egypt, or the emergence of Sudanese nationalism. Dividing the Nile counters that Egyptian entrepreneurs failed to develop a united economy or shared economic interests, guaranteeing Egypt's 'loss' of the Sudan. It argues that British dominance of the Condominium may have stymied initial Egyptian efforts, but that after the First World War Egypt became increasingly interested in and capable of economic ventures in the Sudan. However, early Egyptian financial assistance and the seemingly successful resolution of Nile waters disputes actually divided the regions, while later concerted efforts to promote commerce and acquire Sudanese lands failed dismally. Egyptian nationalists simply missed opportunities of aligning their economic future with that of their Sudanese brethren, resulting in a divided Nile valley.Dividing the Nile will appeal to historians, social scientists, and international relations theorists, among those interested in Nile valley developments, but its focused economic analysis will also contribute to broader scholarship on nationalism and nationalist theory.Trade Review"A work of seminal and extraordinary scholarship, Dividing the Nile: Egypt's Economic Nationalists in the Sudan 1918-56 is enhanced with the inclusion of fifty-nine pages of notes; an eighteen page bibliography; and a six page index. Informed and informative, Dividing the Nile: Egypt's Economic Nationalists in the Sudan 1918-56 is a strongly recommended addition to academic library 20th Century Egyptian and International Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists." - Midwest Book Review;

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Book SynopsisBased on the Hamilton A.R. Gibb Lectures given by Nelly Hanna at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies of Harvard University, this groundbreaking book will be of interest to all those looking for a different perspective on the history of south-north relations. Aiming to place Egypt clearly in the context of some of the major worldwide transformations of the three centuries from 1500 to 1800, Professor Hanna questions the mainstream view that has identified the main sources of modern world history as the Reformation, the expansion of Europe into America and Asia, the formation of trading companies, and scientific discoveries. She adds to the debate by showing that there were worldwide trends that touched Egypt, India, southeast Asia, and Europe: in all these areas, for example, there were linguistic shifts that brought the written language closer to the spoken word. She also demonstrates that technology and know-how, far from being centered only in Europe, flowed in different directions: for instance, in the eighteenth century, French entrepreneurs were trying to imitate the techniques of bleaching and dyeing of cloth that they found in Egypt and other Ottoman localities.

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Book SynopsisAlthough the Horn of Africa was historically one of the earliest destinations for Yemeni migrants, it has been overlooked by scholars, who have otherwise meticulously documented the Yemeni presence in the Indian Ocean region. Subjects of Empires/Citizens of States draws on rich ethnographic and historical research to examine the interaction of the Yemeni diaspora with states and empires in Djibouti and Ethiopia from the early twentieth century, when European powers began to colonize the region. In doing so, it aims to counter a dominant perspective in Indian Ocean studies that regards migrants across the region as by-products of personal networks and local oceanic systems, which according to most scholarship led to cosmopolitan spaces and hybrid cultures. Samson Bezabeh argues that far from being free from the restrictions of state and empire, these migrant communities were constrained, and their agency structured, by their interactions with the institutions and relations of states and empires in the region. Elegantly combining theoretical readings with extensive empirical findings, this study documents a largely forgotten period in the history of Yemeni migration as well as contributing to the wider debates on class, citizenship, and ethnicity in relation to diaspora groups. It will appeal to specialists in Middle East studies and to those who study the Indian Ocean and Horn of Africa regions, as well as to migration and diaspora studies scholars, nongovernmental organizations, and policy makers concerned with the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden region.Trade Review"Samson Bezabeh builds on Aihwa Ong and others to show how migrant networks and 'cosmopolitanism' in the space of flows of the Indian Ocean, are deeply structured by territorial powers of empire and state. His case of Yemeni traders in Djibouti is fascinating in its own right and wonderfully executed. In Bezabeh's hands it is turned into an eloquent and important argument of taking state formations seriously and refuse the facile opposition of flows versus hierarchies that has marked much of migration studies, and of Indian Ocean studies as well."--Don Kalb, Central European University, Budapest"This fine study of Yemeni migration in the Horn of Africa by a brilliant Ethiopian scholar should be a wake-up call for the entire field of Indian Ocean studies. In a powerful critique of tired and overused concepts like 'hybridity, ' 'transnational flows, ' and 'cosmopolitanism, ' which have been routinely used to convey a sense of unity of the Indian Ocean world, Samson Bezabeh brings the state back in--and politics."--Andre Wink, University of Wisconsin-Madison"This rich and diverse work is a major step in the creation of a body of social science work on Djibouti that is now in process. It shows why Djibouti should be included in current studies of the Near East and East Africa. It opens new trails and helps us understand aspects of the social history of Djibouti that go well beyond the Yemenis."--Simon Imbert-Vier, Universite de Provence, Aix Marseille"

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Book SynopsisMore ink has probably been spilled on Akhenaten and his times (`the Amarna Period') than any other figure from ancient Egypt, with a vast range of interpretations and theories that can leave the uninitiated utterly bewildered. Against this background, Akhenaten: A Historian's View examines what scholars have said over the years regarding key aspects of the period, to produce a `history of histories,' exploring exactly how various chains of arguments were arrived at-and how houses of cards thus erected have subsequently come tumbling down. In particular, it teases out ideas based on solid documentation from those based on theory and fancy, and tracks ways in which new evidence became available, how it was interpreted, and how it fed-or didn't-into the big picture. This book thus fills a major gap in the literature of the Amarna Period and also contributes to the wider, and much neglected, field of the historiography of ancient Egypt.Table of ContentsPreface Abbreviations Maps 1. Akhenaten: Fashion, Fantasy, and Fact 2. The Theban Years 3. Akhet-Aten: "The Horizon of the Aten" 4. The Cult of the Aten 5. Two Queens 6. An Empire Lost? 7. Smenkhkare, Neferneferuaten, and the End of Akhenaten's Reign 8. Two Royal Tombs Afterword Notes Bibliography Sources of Figures Index

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Book SynopsisGrowing up in Egypt's Nile Delta, Wafaa El Saddik was fascinated by the magnificent pharaonic monuments from an early age, and as a student she dreamed of conducting excavations herself and working in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. At a time when Egyptology was dominated by men, especially those with close connections to the regime, she was determined to succeed, and secured grants to study in Boston, London, and Vienna, eventually becoming the first female general director of the country's most prestigious museum. She launched the first general inventory of the museum's cellars in its more than hundred-year history, in the process discovering long-forgotten treasures, as well as confronting corruption and nepotism in the antiquities administration.In this very personal memoir, she looks back at the history of her country and asks, What happened to Egypt? Where did Nasser's bright new beginning go wrong? Why did Sadat fail to bring peace? Why did the Egyptians allow themselves to be so corrupted by Mubarak? And why was the Muslim Brotherhood able to achieve power? But her first concern remains: How can the ancient legacy of her country truly be protected?

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Book SynopsisThe map of a city is a palimpsest of its history. In Cairo, people, places, events, and even dates have lent their names to streets, squares, and bridges, only for those names often to be replaced, and then replaced again, and even again, as the city and the country imagine and reimagine their past. The resident, wandering boulevards and cul-de-sacs, finds signs; the reader, perusing novels and histories, finds references. Who were ?Abd el-Khaleq Sarwat Basha or Yusef el-Gindi that they should have streets named after them? Who was Nubar Basha and why did his street move from the north of the city to its center in 1933? Why do older maps show two squares called Bab el-Luq, while modern maps show none? Focusing on the part of the city created in the wake of Khedive Ismail’s command, given in 1867, to create a “Paris on the Nile” on the muddy lands between medieval Cairo and the river, A Field Guide to the Street Names of Cairo lists more than five hundred current and three hundred former appellations. Current street names are listed in alphabetical order, with an explanation of what each commemorates and when it was first recorded, followed by the same for its predecessors. An index allows the reader to trace streets whose names have disappeared or that have never achieved more than popular status. This is a book that will satisfy the curiosity of all, be they citizens, long-term residents, or visitors, who are fascinated by this most multi-layered of cities and wish to understand it better.Trade ReviewThis guidebook is anything but ordinary . . . rekindles memories and brings to life the forgotten streets, lanes, alleys, and passageways of Central Cairo. -- Lisa Kaaki * Arab News *Table of ContentsIntroduction Glossary of Terms List of street names Index of Former and Alternative Names Sources

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Book SynopsisMut was an important deity perhaps best known as the consort of Amun-Re and the mother of Khonsu, but her earlier and far more independent role was as the daughter of the sun god, much akin to Hathor. Like Nekhbet and Wadjet and the other lioness goddesses (referred to as Sekhmet) she was the 'Eye of Re', who could be both benign and dangerous. In human form, Mut protected the king and his office; as Sekhmet she could destroy Egypt if not pacified. The Mut precinct was a major religious center from the Eighteenth Dynasty to the Roman Period, but evidence suggests the existence of an even earlier temple. It expanded during the reign of the Kushite king, Taharqa and attained its present size during the fourth century BCE, sheltering three major temples, several small chapels, and eventually, a village within the protection of its massive enclosure walls. One of its most striking features is the hundreds of Sekhmet statues. In 1976, the Brooklyn Museum began the first systematic exploration of the precinct as a whole. Since 2001, Brooklyn has shared the site with an expedition from the Johns Hopkins University, both teams working cooperatively toward the same goal. This richly illustrated guide seeks to bring the goddess and her temple precinct the attention they deserve.

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Book SynopsisA new history of Ottoman TunisThe first Ottoman conquest of Tunis took place in 1534 under the command of Kheireddine Barbarossa. However, it was not until 1574 that the Ottomans finally wrested control of the former Hafsid Ifriqiya (modern-day Tunisia), retaining it until the French occupation of Tunisia in 1881. The Regency of Tunis was thus born as an imperial province, and individuals originating from throughout the vast territory of the Ottoman Empire settled there, rapidly creating a new elite via marriage with women from local notable families. This book studies the former Hafsid territory’s position within the Ottoman world and the social developments that accompanied the genesis of the united Regency of Tunis until the death of Hamouda Pasha.On the social plane, who were these Turko-Ottomans who were able to drive the Hafsid kings from their throne? Were they noble officers, as is so often remembered? The sources paint a different picture: one of rogues from distant Anatolia, and captives of corsairs from across the Mediterranean. These men expanded privateering for their own profit, seizing the country’s riches for themselves and monopolizing exports to Europe.Leïla Blili revisits the conventional historiography of Ottoman Tunisia, widely considered by historians to be an autonomous province ruled by a dominant class of Turko-Ottomans cut off from local society. She shows that the Regency of Tunis was much less autonomous than secondary scholarship has alleged and, through her analysis of the marriages of these Turko-Ottomans, that they were in fact well-integrated into the local population. In doing so, she also illuminates the place of kinship ties in the establishing of inheritances, access to spheres of power, and the very acquisition of titles of nobility.Trade Review"Leïla Blili’s work on Ottoman Tunisia is a scholarly tour de force. Her thoughtful reconsideration of relationships between Istanbul, local elites, and traditional notables transforms the narrative of these critical centuries. Her meticulous research and original arguments make a significant contribution, not only to the history of Tunisia, the Maghreb, and the Ottoman Empire, but also to Mediterranean history writ large."—Julia Clancy-Smith, The University of Arizona"Blili has excavated many details about the political contestations of the late Hafsid and early Ottoman eras, bringing to life the men holding positions of authority in Tunis. Along the way, she indicates the recurrence of marriage alliances between political contenders and local families, painstaking work that also is presented in eight genealogical charts featuring some of the most prominent men of the ruling class. The fast-paced narration and short chapters make the text accessible and full of insights for scholars interested in the political elite of Tunis in the 16th and 17th centuries."—International Journal of Middle East Studies"[P]rovides innovative and provocative insights into the more than century-long process of Tunisia's attachment to the Ottoman Empire, as well as a valuable contextualization, ranging far beyond Tunisia itself, of the environment and circumstances in which this process played out."—Journal of Islamic StudiesTable of ContentsContentsIntroductionPart 1: At the Margins of the Empire1. The Mediterranean Scene2. Back to a Medieval Time3. The Barbarossa Brothers in the Maghreb4. Kheireddine Barbarossa and the Project of a Maghrebi State5. Kheireddine, Grand Admiral of the Ottoman Navy6. The Dismantling of the Hafsid Territory Among the Spanish, Turks, and Marabouts: 1535–15577. Dargouth and the Ottoman Breakthrough in the Mediterranean8. Mediterranean NetworksPart 2: In the Fold of the Empire9. The Battle of Tunis, 1569–1574, and the End of the Hafsids10. The Age of Uncertainty: 1574–158711. Instruments of Ottoman Occupation: The Army of the Janissaries12. Land and Men: Patterns of Land Appropriation13. Algiers, Tripoli, and Tunis, 1587–1599: A Decade of Turbulence14. Between Myth and History: Othman Dey and Saint Abou Al Gaith15. Othman and the World of the Renegades16. The Pachas of Tunis, Caught Between Diplomatic and Local Interests: 1596-163117. The First Turkish Houses of Tunis: Matrimonial Strategies and Transmissions of Power18. Deys, Beys, Alliances, and Successions, 1611–164019. The Mouradite HouseConclusionNotes BibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisAn indispensable study of the Egyptian economy from 1952 to the present day, new in paperback What are the long-term structural features of the Egyptian economy? What are the factors that have facilitated or inhibited its performance? This crucial and timely work answers these questions and more by examining the most important economic decisions to have impacted the Egyptian economy since 1952 and the political factors behind them. Drawing on Khalid Ikram’s extensive knowledge of economic policymaking at the highest levels, The Political Economy of Reforms in Egypt lays out the enduring features of the Egyptian economy and its performance since 1952 before presenting an account of policymaking, growth and structural change under the country’s successive presidents to the present day. Topics covered include agrarian reforms; the Aswan High Dam; the move towards Arab socialism and a planned economy; the reversal of strategy and the infi

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Book SynopsisBased on both academic research and the author’s own personal experiences and impressions, this delightful and informative book examines the underlying causes of some of the more disturbing social, political, economic, and cultural phenomena that characterize Egyptian society in modern times.Through a fascinating and often highly entertaining examination of issues ranging from the middle class, religious fanaticism, and attitudes to the West and Western culture, to the Egyptian institution of the summer holiday by the sea and the performing arts and entertainment, Amin posits that social mobility after the 1952 Revolution changed the customs and habits, moral and material values, and patterns of consumption and investment of the aspiring classes.This insightful book will prove a thought-provoking read for those concerned with emerging economies, international development, and privatization, and will intrigue anyone with an interest in the social history of Egypt.

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Book SynopsisThis is a highly readable and generously illustrated history of piracy and privateering in the Indian Ocean. At the beginning of the 17th century, pirates infested the Caribbean waters, harassing the major European powers, but they were eventually driven from the region. Some pirates took refuge in Madagascar, where they attempted to capture the lucrative cargo carried by vessels on the shipping route of the European East India Companies. At the end of the 18th century, in order to weaken British influence in the Indian Ocean, France hired privateers to attack commercial ships of the British East India Company. This was an alternative to open warfare, and heralded the privateers' era. Author Denis Piat recounts the history of the pirates and privateers in the Indian Ocean, especially in Mauritius, from the pirates' arrival in the region to the wrecked ships still to be found today in deep water, and provides portraits of the most famous privateers among them.

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