Revolutions, uprisings, rebellions Books
Boydell & Brewer Ltd The Final Crisis of the Stuart Monarchy: The
Book SynopsisWritten in a lively and engaging style, and designed to be accessible to a broader audience, this collection combines new research with the latest scholarship to provide a fresh and invigorating introduction to the revolutionary period that transformed Britain and its empire. There has been an explosion of interest in the "Glorious" Revolution in recent years. Long regarded as the lesser of Britain's seventeenth-century revolutions, a faint after tremor following the major earthquake of mid-century, itis now coming to be seen as a major transformative episode in its own right, a landmark event which marked a distinctive break in British history. This collection sheds new light on the final crisis of the Stuart monarchy by re-examining the causes and implications of the dynastic shift of 1688-9 from a broad chronological, intellectual and geographical perspective. Comprising eleven essays by specialists in the field, it ranges from the 1660s to the mid-eighteenth century, deals with the history of ideas as well as political and religious history, and covers not just England, Scotland and Ireland but also explores the Atlantic and European contexts. Covering high politics and low politics, Tory and Whig political thought, and the experiences of both Catholics and Protestants, it ranges from protest and resistance to Jacobitism and counter-revolution and even offers an evaluation of British attitudestowards slavery. Written in a lively and engaging style and designed to be accessible to a broader audience, it combines new research with the latest scholarship to provide a fresh and invigorating introduction to the revolutionary period that transformed Britain and its empire. TIM HARRIS is Munro-Goodwin-Wilkinson Professor in European History at Brown University. STEPHEN TAYLOR is Professor in the History of Early Modern England at Durham University. Contributors: Toby Barnard, Tony Claydon, John Gibney, Lionel K.J. Glassey, Gabriel Glickman, Mark Goldie, Tim Harris, John Marshall, Alasdair Raffe, Owen Stanwood, Stephen TaylorTrade ReviewHarris and Taylor have produced an exceptionally fine collection with remarkable cohesion that helps to establish, in no small way, a new paradigm for studying 'the Final Crisis of the Stuart Monarchy. * THE HISTORIAN *The essays in this excellent collection are all written to a uniformly high standard of scholarship and clarity and should be both instructive and entertaining reading to those interested in gaining a perspective on the most recent work being done on the period and events so central to the history of the Huguenot diaspora. * HUGUENOT SOCIETY JOURNAL *[P]romises to provide new insights on the final crisis of the last wholly British ruling dynasty. * CANADIAN JOURNAL OF HISTORY *Table of ContentsIn Search of the Mot Juste: Characterizations of the Revolution of 1688-1689 - Lionel K. J. Glassey The Damning of King Monmouth: Pulpit Toryism in the Reign of James II - Mark A Goldie Whig Thought and the Revolution of 1688-91 - The Restoration, the Revolution and the Failure of Episcopacy in Scotland - Alasdair Raffe Scotland under Charles II and James II and VII: In Search of the British Causes of the Glorious Revolution - Tim Harris Ireland's Restoration Crisis - John Gibney Ireland, 1688-91 - Toby C Barnard Rumours and Rebellions in the English Atlantic World, 1688-89 - Owen Stanwood The Revolution in Foreign Policy, 1688-1713 - Tony Claydon Political Conflict and the Memory of the Revolution 1689-1745 - Gabriel Glickman Afterword: State Formation, Political Stability and the Revolution of 1688 - Stephen Taylor
£80.75
Verso Books Virtue and Terror
Book SynopsisRobespierre's defense of the French Revolution remains one of the most powerful and unnerving justifications for political violence ever written, and has extraordinary resonance in a world obsessed with terrorism and appalled by the language of its proponents. Yet today, the French Revolution is celebrated as the event which gave birth to a nation built on the principles of enlightenment. So how should a contemporary audience approach Robespierre's vindication of revolutionary terror? Zizek takes a helter-skelter route through these contradictions, marshaling all the breadth of analogy for which he is famous.Trade Review"If the spring of popular government in time of peace is virtue, the springs of popular government in revolution are at once virtue and terror: virtue, without which terror is fatal: terror, without which virtue is powerless." - Robespierre"
£18.63
Liverpool University Press Egypt and the Second Palestinian Intifada:
Book SynopsisWith the outbreak of the Palestinian Intifadat al-Aqsa in September 2000 that followed the failure of the Camp David II summit, the chain of belligerent events took Egypt by surprise. Facing a dilemma in its search for an appropriate policy towards the Palestinian-Israeli escalation, this study argues that Egypt's policy towards the second Intifada may best be understood by scrutinising several circles of reference that directly affected its policymaking process throughout the long years of the bloody Israeli-Palestinian conflict. These circles of reference comprise interests and calculations derived from Egyptian internal issues; regional factors -- Egypt's role and position in the Arab world in general, and its relations with the Palestinians in particular; Egypt's relations with Israel; and its strategic ties with the United States. The growing strength and the expansion of the global Islamic terrorist network that challenges the stability of the present Arab regimes constitutes a lynchpin at every layer. Egypt's foreign policy is based on Realpolitik, that is, on pragmatic and material factors rather than on ideological or moral considerations. Safeguarding its national interests is Egypt's prime goal. In this regard, Egypt considers the peace with Israel as a strategic national asset. For Mubarak's regime, the abrogation of the peace treaty with Israel has never been an option, even during the worst days of the Intifada. Mubarak has shown exemplary restraint throughout the conflict. Despite occasional harsh anti-Israeli statements aimed mainly at easing internal and external pressures, Mubarak's regime can, on the whole, be seen as a responsible and stabilising factor vehemently striving to prevent regional escalation. This study is based primarily on Egyptian sources as well as interviews and conversations with senior members of the Al-Ahram Center for Strategic Studies. It also draws on other primary and secondary sources in Arabic, Hebrew and English. The book is essential reading for all scholars involved and engaged with the Israel-Arab conflict.
£100.00
Liverpool University Press The French Revolution: A Tale of Terror and Hope
Book SynopsisThis is the story of the French Revolution told from a psychological and group dynamic perspective. The aim is to throw light on the workings of the revolutionary mind and the emotions at work in society which pave the way towards revolution and war. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette are presented as a couple trapped by the symbolism invested in them, a circumstance that turned them into scapegoats. The contrasting personalities of the two most controversial leaders of the Revolution Robespierre and Danton provide psychologically informed explanations of their success and failure as leaders. The group perspective the nature of crowd behaviour and mob violence links to the complex relationship between leaders and groups. In the Parisian case of 1789 group emotions fear, rage, euphoria and fervour influenced the course of the Revolution. The assassination of Marat and the struggle to the death between the extremists of the Left and the Moderates is a classic study in group paranoia culminating in a Reign of Terror destined to end in self-destructive violence. The conflict between the Revolution and the Church as an expression of belief in an ideal society led to a battle for the minds of a people facing two incompatible ideologies. The French Revolution was an important milestone in western social and political development. It carried within itself the seeds of a humane society, but turned into murder and execution. The dichotomies arising echo down the generations. The same split in our thinking applies to how we view today's social upheavals and conflicts conflicts of opposing mythologies with their psychological overtones interpreted as political doctrines as evinced currently in Russia's territorial claims to Eastern Ukraine, Islamic fundamentalist wars, and the IsraeliPalestinian conflict. Hope lies in the application of therapeutic principles garnered from the field of group dynamics.Trade ReviewThis is a great book, the result of many years of concentrated research on the psychodynamics of the French Revolution.Behr writes about the paranoid group dynamic as one in which those inside the group battle to protect themselves from those outside who were perceived as enemies. Such groups are endemic in human relationships. They impinge on our lives, the diversity which ranges from family jealousies, to petty business rivalries, to large-scale social conflict and global warfare. The paranoid dynamic reflects a state of mind in which there is a clear belief that good is located within the group self and bad within the other group. A notable phrase, taken from p 125, is: one mans martyr is another mans demon..This book is a major achievement and conveys to us the deep advances in our understanding of socio-political convulsions..This remarkably timely and well-crafted book is essential reading for us to understand the convulsions of the French Revolution which eventually underlay the constitution of European societies as laid down by Bonaparte whose bicentenary we are now celebrating- Malcolm Pines in Group Analysis September 2015Regarding these carefully chiselled portraits [of Louis XVI, Danton and Robespierre] one is reminded that psychiatry as a descriptive science has become a kind of lost art which Behr brings to life againIf it were only for these few lines of elegant prose, and even if one would set aside all of its (weighty) arguments, Harold Behrs book on the French Revolution would be a pleasure to readIt is to be hoped that Behrs book on the French Revolution is met with the same enthusiasm anong group analysts that Kant observed among his contemporaries with regard to this great historical event. - Dieter Nitzgen in Group Analysis September 2015"Victor Hugo meets Sigmund Freud (or rather, S.H. Foulkes) in this engaging group analytic account of the French Revolution. Psychiatrist Harold Behr describes a lifelong interest in this period of history, beginning in his South African childhood and developed by devouring biographies of Maximilien Robespierre, the idealist turned monster. He experienced a growing awareness of controversies and contradictions at the heart of the history and decided that the only way to unmuddle myself was to pull a few clinical tricks out of the psychiatrists bag and examine some of the dramatis personae of the Revolution as if they were patients. This would force me into empathic mode by investigating their backgrounds, rooting around in their childhoods and doing my level best to see the Revolution as they might have seen it... This interesting book has stimulated me to think more about groups and leaders, which can only be a good thing but who knows if we will ever fully understand the significance of the times in which we live?"Tom C. Russ in The British Journal of Psychiatry (November 2015)
£24.95
Four Courts Press Ltd Tyrone: The Irish Revolution, 1912-23
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£59.31
Four Courts Press Ltd Waterford: The Irish Revolution, 1912-23
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£33.77
Four Courts Press Ltd Mayo: The Irish Revolution, 1912 - 23
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£21.38
Four Courts Press Ltd Monaghan: The Irish Revolution, 1912-23
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£21.38
Four Courts Press Ltd Derry: The Irish revolution, 1912-1923
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£34.05
Four Courts Press Ltd Louth: The Irish Revolution, 1912-23
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£34.00
Four Courts Press Ltd Roscommon: The Irish Revolution, 1912-23
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£34.13
Four Courts Press Ltd Kildare: The Irish Revolution 1912- 1923
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£30.93
Four Courts Press Ltd The Rise and Fall of the Orange Order during the
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£55.78
Four Courts Press Ltd Fermanagh
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£21.38
O'Brien Press Ltd Thomas Clarke: 16Lives
Book SynopsisA fascinating examination of the life of Thomas Clarke, a member of the Fenians and was a key leader of the Irish Republican Brotherhood in 1916.
£15.19
O'Brien Press Ltd Michael O'Hanrahan: 16Lives
Book SynopsisFrom a staunchly Republican family, Michael O’Hanrahan’s outwardly quiet and serious demeanour concealed a burning desire to see an independent Ireland. He was instrumental in setting up the first branch of the Gaelic League in Carlow. Michael also helped found the workingman’s club in Carlow, which he left when they decided to admit a British soldier. After moving to Dublin, he played important roles in both Sinn Fein and the Irish Volunteers. As quartermaster of the Volunteers, he was responsible for the procurement of many of the arms used in the Easter Rising. Michael O’Hanrahan was also a talented journalist and novelist whose development was cut short by his execution in 1916. In this new biography Conor Kostick brings to life a man who helped launch the 1916 Rising.
£15.19
O'Brien Press Ltd Thomas MacDonagh: 16Lives
Book SynopsisBorn in Cloughjordan in Co. Tipperary, MacDonagh was a poet and playwright, an educator and political activist. Appointed to the IRB Military Council he became a member of the Provisional Government of the Irish Republic and was a signatory of the 1916 Easter proclamation. During the Rising MacDonagh was commandant of the 2nd Battalion of the Dublin Brigade of the Irish Volunteers and occupied the Jacobs Biscuit factory garrison. Following an inspiring speech at his Court Marshal he was executed on 3 May 1916 at Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin. In this meticulously researched biography Shane Kenna places this remarkable man within the great pantheon of Irish Republican heroes. He provides a riveting reconstruction of the life of a man whose death played such a key part in the shaping of modern Ireland. 'an epic new series of books' - RTE Guide on 16LivesTrade ReviewKenna has a gift for finding the right quotation to make his point -- tintean.orgThis series of sympathetic biographies attempts to show the day-to-day lives of the rebel leaders and the Ireland in which they lived … These two biographies are valuable additions to the historiography of the Rising and revolution, especially in highlight the diverging ambitions, desires and visions of the men who organised it -- Dublin Review of Books
£15.19
O'Brien Press Ltd Inside the GPO 1916: A First-hand Account
Book SynopsisA first-hand account of the 1916 Rising and its aftermath brings alive the historic events that ushered in the beginnings of an independent Irish state. A Londoner and a member of the Irish Volunteers, Joe Good guarded the approach across O'Connell Bridge as the rebels took the centre of Dublin. He joined the garrison in the GPO, and describes at first hand the events of insurrection: the confusion, the heroism, and the tragedy of Easter Week. After the Rising, Joe Good worked as an organiser for the Volunteers. He was a close associate of Michael Collins and his portrait of Collins provides fresh insight into his character, his competitiveness, and how he related to his men. In 1918 Good was one of a handpicked team sent to London to assassinate members of the British cabinet, and here he gives the first full account to be published of this extraordinary expedition. Joe Good, born in London in 1895, died in Dublin in 1962. He wrote his journal in 1946 for his son Maurice, who has now edited it for publication.Trade Reviewparticularly interesting -- Irish Independentremarkably vivid -- The Irish Catholicgripping … captivating -- The Finesteveryone should own a copy … the definitive account of the Easter Rising … exceptionally well-written … a heartfelt work … an invaluable historical record … there are many books being produced for the centenary of 1916 – this one should be top of the list -- An Phoblachtthe value of this book is that … it is the narrative of a young soldier, rather than that of a leader. And in particular, the story of an English-born Volunteer who, perhaps because of his English background, has a more detached view of events unfolding around him … this book is to be greatly welcomed and fills in the little details -- irishtimes.comall the engrossing power of a novel -- Evening Echobrilliant ... so much has been written about the Easter Rising, and subsequent War of Independence, that you’d imagine little more can be added to the tale at this stage. Joe Good’s 1996 memoir, however – republished ahead of next year’s centenary of the Rising – certainly does that, both in terms of factual detail and adding texture and colour to this seismic event in our history … the book’s centrepiece, and finest part, is a vivid, almost ‘camera verité’ account of the Rising itself … Joe brings us through the whole thing, with a clarity and immediacy that can be almost physically felt … a remarkable man and an unusually engrossing, thoughtful memoir -- Irish Independent
£15.19
Canongate Books My Friend The Mercenary
Book SynopsisHe wanted a war. And, for his sins, he got one. James Brabazon was an ambitious young war reporter when he entered the chaos of the Liberian Civil War in 2002. Running with the infamous LURD rebels, he survived numerous deadly ambushes and a dramatic two-hundred-mile escape from Government troops through dense equatorial jungle. He even had a bounty put on his head. Surrounded by child soldiers, cannibals and ruthless rebels, Brabazon was accompanied by Nick du Toit, a South African mercenary with a dark past. Before long, Nick promised James the scoop of his life: a front seat, beside Simon Mann, in an audacious coup attempt in Equatorial Guinea. And the offer was too good to refuse.Trade Review'An outstanding memoir about the power of friendship in the morally complex theatre of war. James Brabazon is a fearless reporter and a brutally honest narrator. I couldn't put this book down. -- ANDY MCNABJames Brabazon has written a fully-adrenalized book about civil war, mercenaries and the tiny margins by which fate determines the course of one's life. He is not only a beautiful writer but an incredibly brave reporter, and this book reflects both brilliantly. I was also in the Liberian civil war in 2003 - on the other side - and I remember hearing that there was this crazy Brit who was running with the rebels as they advanced on the capital. Brabazon's account of an attempted coup by friends of his in Equatorial Guinea is a classic story of intrigue, greed and violence in one of the most dysfunctional countries in the world. -- SEBASTIAN JUNGERCompelling. * * Sunday Times * *Intriguing. * * Spectator * *Brabazon's book is alarmingly frank...it is a compelling insight into a devastated region that is the playground of rapacious warlords, western intelligence agents and opportunistic businessmen. * * Sunday Business Post * *intriguing * * Spectator * *
£11.69
Vintage Publishing A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution –
Book SynopsisUnrivalled in scope and brimming with human drama, A People's Tragedy is the most vivid, moving and comprehensive history of the Russian Revolution available today.'A modern masterpiece' Andrew MarrOpening with a panorama of Russian society, from the cloistered world of the Tsar to the brutal life of the peasants, A People's Tragedy follows workers, soldiers, intellectuals and villagers as their world is consumed by revolution and then degenerates into violence and dictatorship. Drawing on vast original research, Figes conveys above all the shocking experience of the revolution for those who lived it, while providing the clearest and most cogent account of how and why it unfolded.Illustrated with over 100 photographs and now including a new introduction that reflects on the revolution's centennial legacy, A People's Tragedy is a masterful and definitive record of one of the most important events in modern history.'The most moving account of the Russian Revolution since Doctor Zhivago' IndependentTrade ReviewA modern masterpiece -- Andrew MarrCombines dramatic power, absorbing narrative and magisterial scholarship – a magnificent tour de force -- Christopher Andrew * Sunday Telegraph *The most moving account of the Russian Revolution since Doctor Zhivago -- Lucasta Miller * Independent *This book is not just a history; it is an item of history -- Neal Ascherson * Independent on Sunday *A People’s Tragedy will do more to help us understand the Russian Revolution than any other book I know -- Eric Hobsbawm * London Review of Books *Orlando Figes’s chronicle of the final days of Tsarism and the violent Bolshevism that arose from its ruins is an epic in size, scope and insight, and a classic in its genre… A People’s Tragedy succeeds most in capturing the sheer popular immensity of the upheavals in 1917-18, with all of Russia rising up first against the Tsar and then, with the onset of civil war, against itself. With its perfect balance of analysis and anecdote, A People’s Tragedy is surely among the most readable books on the Russian Revolution and the decades of tumult that made it possible – or inevitable -- Brad Davies * Independent *
£23.75
Vintage Publishing Now We Have Your Attention The New Politics of
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£21.66
BGU Limited The German Woman
£17.30
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Russian Revolution: World War to Civil War 1917-1921
Book SynopsisOften the drama of the October Revolution and the Bolshevik seizure of power overshadow the disastrous Russian-German war that preceded it and the extended, confusing, many-sided civil war between the Reds and the Whites that followed. But Nik Cornish's vivid photographic history gives equal coverage to each of these momentous events and shows how the Russian empire of the Romanovs was transformed into the Soviet dictatorship. Contemporary photographs show the leading characters in the drama - Tsar Nicholas II, Kerensky, Lenin and Trotsky and other Bosheviks, and the White commanders Denikin, Kolchak, Wrangel and the rest. But they also record, in an unforgettable way, the ordinary people who were caught up in the surge of events - civilian crowds on the city streets, peasant groups in the villages, the faces of common soldiers on all sides who fought on multiple fronts across Russia from Poland, the Baltic states and the White Sea to the Black Sea and Siberia. The scale of the conflict was remarkable, as was the intensity of the experience of those who took part and witnessed it, and this collection of historic photographs gives a poignant insight into the conditions of their time. It is a fascinating introduction to a period that saw a seachange in Russian history.
£17.44
Gill The Easter Rebellion 1916
Book SynopsisThe Easter Rebellion of 1916 was one of the first comprehensively documented political rebellions in the twentieth century. A generation of extraordinary revolutionaries left behind iconic photographs, manuscripts, personal notebooks, letters of insurgents and civilians, and political cartoons. Now, for the first time, this material is gathered together in a riveting exploration of this violent and tragic event. By exploring some of the lesser-known dimensions, such as the role of Ireland's revolutionary women, the experience of the civilian population, and personal papers of ordinary volunteers, this sympathetic study does not obscure the grim realities of political violence.The indelible imprint of the events of Easter Week 1916 on Irish people across the world is authoritatively portrayed.Trade Review"A treasure trove of great visual primary sources." * Come Here To Me! blog *"It is not only replete with wonderful illustrations but is a meaty read." * The Irish Times *
£18.99
Gill Those of Us Who Must Die: Execution, Exile and
Book SynopsisThe 1916 Rising is one of the most documented and analysed episodes in Ireland's turbulent history. Often overlooked, however, is its immediate aftermath. This significant window in the narrative of Irish revolutionary history, which saw the rebirth of the Volunteers and laid the foundations for the War of Independence, is usually covered as a footnote, or from the biographical standpoints of the leaders.Picking up where the authors' acclaimed account of the Rising, When the Clock Struck in 1916, left off, we join the men and women of the Rising in the dark abyss of defeat. The leaders' poignant final hours and violent ends are laid bare, but the perspective of those with the unpalatable task of carrying out the executions is also revealed, rectifying a historic disservice to those who reluctantly formed the firing squads. While the prisoners in Dublin awaited their grisly fates, others were deported in stinking cattle boats to camps in England and Wales. When they returned, it was to a jubilant welcome in a radically changed country. The gruesome death of Thomas Ashe in September 1917, after being force-fed in Mountjoy Prison, became a marshalling point for the republican movement, as his funeral saw Volunteers once again assembled in uniform on Dublin's streets. The next phase of the struggle was born, under new leaders who had 'graduated' from the internment camps known as 'Republican Universities', ready and eager to fill the void left by the executed visionaries.The authors sifted through thousands of first-hand accounts of the suffering endured when ordinary people set out to change history. Their stirring account will transport readers into life as it looked, sounded and even smelt to those taking part in this crucial juncture of our history.
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C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd From Perestroika to Rainbow Revolutions: Reform
Book SynopsisTwenty-five years after Gorbachev came to power and two decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the questions that were behind the reform efforts at the start of Perestroika are still relevant: how to modernise the economy, and how to recreate a basis for political legitimacy? The wave of 'Colour Revolutions' that precipitated regime change in Eastern Europe, starting in Serbia, and later in Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan, were carried out in the name of democratic legitimacy, and in order to fight corruption. The current debate in Moscow under the presidency of Dmitry Medvedev revolves around the same idea: what is the way forward for Russia's modernisation, economically and politically? This volume brings together six experts on East Europe and the former Soviet Union to compare and evaluate the evolution of ideas behind Gorbachev's reforms, Yeltsin's transition, and the more recent wave of the Colour Revolutions. It does not propose a coherent regard to these historic events, but rather dispersed discussion from various perspectives tracing the contradictory development of ideas of reform, the transformation of the notion of revolution, on the role of civil society, and individual chapters from the four cases of Colour Revolutions. Contributors: Catherine Samary, Jean-Arnault Derens, Ghia Nodia, Dominique Arel, Anara Tabyshalieva.Trade Review'In this engaging volume, an international team of experts skillfully dissects the achievements and failures of the coloured revolutions - a series of popular uprisings that swept through post-socialist societies from 2000 to 2005. In doing so, they raise deeper questions about the conditions under which revolutionary change translates into revolutionary results.' -- Mark R. Beissinger, Professor of Politics, Princeton University, and author of Nationalist Mobilization and the Collapse of the Soviet State'This is not the first book about the 'coloured revolutions', but this sets a new standard. The analysis is considered, the country chapters are by acknowledged experts, the focus is on the actors themselves and the process of change in which they engaged. I will be bringing this study to the attention of my students and all specialists on the contemporary politics of the post-Soviet world would do well to read it.' -- Stephen White, Professor of Politics, Glasgow University and author of Understanding Russian Politics
£40.50
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd Lebanon: After the Cedar Revolution
Book SynopsisLebanon is the prisoner of its geography and its history, a prize for invaders since ancient times, a small multi-denominational state still recovering from a bloody civil war in its search for political autonomy and stability. This book examines the country's recent past since 2005, when a mass movement agitated against Syrian dominance in the wake of the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri. Also detailed are the role of Hezbollah and other political groups. The authors examine the changes that these events brought to Lebanon, be they lasting or ephemeral, and the challenges they represent for a state which, despite the resilience of its power-sharing system of government, remains hotly contested and unconsolidated. Sectarian tensions have escalated, predominantly between the Sunni and Shia communities, causing outbursts of street-based violence and paralysis in government. This two-bloc system has left Lebanon ungovernable, not simply due to deep-seated political differences, but because of the external linkages which ties the two blocs to their foreign patrons, namely the USA and Iran. As the Arab Spring develops, it also increases Hezbollah's significance to Iran as the embattled Assad regime struggles to quash the Syrian insurgency.Trade Review'Begins with concise and informative summary by the co-editor Michael Kerr ...overall there is a deft balance between scholarly discourse and the personal observation of an insider.' * Times Literary Supplement *'Clear-eyed and often shrewd analysis of the huge political and social changes in Lebanon wrought by the Hariri assassination in 2005. Indispensable even for those who think they know the country well.' * Roger Owen, A. J. Meyer Professor of Middle East History, Harvard University *'They say that if you think you understand Lebanon you haven't been studying it long enough. This book provides a shortcut. It is a must-read if you wish to understand today's reality in this complex, fascinating and ever-attractive country. From community power-sharing to corporate consociationalism, from the state of the army to the image-making around the late Rafiq Hariri, a wide range of topics are covered in great depth.' * Frances Guy, British Ambassador to Beirut, 2006 - 2011 *'This book presents astute critical readings of post-"Cedar Revolution" Lebanon. Its interdisciplinary analysis of contemporary Lebanese history and politics offers an excellent overview of the on-going struggle over powersharing, state security, economic revitalisation and the post-war recovery.' * Craig Larkin, University of Exeter *'Compiled and edited with care, this timely volume is essential for anyone wishing to understand the complex eddies of contemporary Lebanon, showcasing true regional expertise without ever abandoning objectivity or critical independence. As a work that explains the intricacies of Lebanese politics post-Hariri with clarity and precision, this cannot be surpassed.' * Clive Jones, Chair of Middle East Studies and International Politics, University of Leeds *
£18.04
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd Why Occupy a Square?: People, Protests and
Book SynopsisOn 25 January 2011, tens of thousands of Egyptians came out on the streets to protest against emergency rule and police brutality. Eighteen days later, Mubarak, one of the longest sitting dictators in the region, had gone. How are we to make sense of these events? Was this a revolution, a revolutionary moment? How did the protests come about? How were they able to outmanoeuvre the police? Was this really a 'leaderless revolution,' as so many pundits claimed, or were the protests an out- growth of the protest networks that had developed over the past decade? Why did so many people with no history of activism participate? What role did economic and systemic crises play in creating the conditions for these pro- tests to occur? Was this really a Facebook revolution? Why Occupy a Square? is a dynamic exploration of the shape and timing of these extraordinary events, the players behind them, and the tactics and protest frames they developed. Drawing on social movement theory, it traces the interaction between protest cycles, regime responses and broader structural changes over the past decade. Using theories of urban politics, space and power, it reflects on the exceptional state of non-sovereign politics that developed during the occupation of Tahrir Square.Trade Review'Gunning and Baron have combined social theory, an excellent grasp of the structural and historical context, and a sharply observant eye for detail to explain the extraordinary phenomenon of the Egyptian uprising against President Mubarak in 2011. The result is an outstanding and lively analysis of this episode that will likely stand the test of time. It also helps to throw light on subsequent events as Egyptians follow their uncertain course into the future.' * Charles Tripp, Professor of Middle East Politics, SOAS, University of London *'Gunning and Baron provide an innovative corrective to conventional views of Tahrir Square. Deftly deploying theoretical insights and first-hand observations, they highlight the deeper roots of urban protest and explain the critical roles played by informal networks and social organisation. This book speaks equally powerfully to those in academia, the media and policy circles struggling to make sense of why the events of the Arab Spring have defied standard, top-down expectations and, in so doing, it provides an instructive insight for the future.' * James Piscatori, Professor of International Relations, Durham University *'This is the most rigorous explanation currently available of the unforgettable mass mobilizations in Cairo which helped topple the Mubarak dictatorship.' * Jeff Goodwin, Professor of Sociology, New York University *'This well-crafted and comprehensive study — a useful combination of social movement theory and international relations — proves how revolution is and remains possible in the Arab world.' * Jean-Pierre Filiu, Professor of Middle East Studies, Sciences Po (Paris) and author of The Arab Revolution: Ten Lessons From the Democratic Uprising *'This excellent book goes a long way toward dispelling the dual myths that the 25 January Revolution in Egypt came out of nowhere or was an inevitable consequence of political and socioeconomic frustration. The resulting synthesis is highly readable and will be of immense value those who want make sense of the daunting complexities of Egyptian politics over the last two decades.' * Ewan Stein, Lecturer in International Relations, University of Edinburgh *'Anyone who wants to think through the ways in which political movements are going to arise and do their work during the rest of the 21st century would be advised to get a copy of this book.' * Don Flynn, Chartist *'This is a staggeringly good book. After reading so many accounts of the Egyptian Revolution and Arab Spring that are mainly descriptive, or even speculative as to causes, it seemed we were doomed to have to wait many years… Gunning and Baron have proven that we needn't wait any longer.' * Jack A. Goldstone, Professor of Public Policy, George Mason University *
£27.00
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd Among the Ruins: Syria Past and Present
Book SynopsisAs a civil war shatters a country and consumes its people, historian Christian Sahner offers a poignant account of Syria, where the past profoundly shapes its dreadful present. Among the Ruins blends history, memoir and reportage, drawing on the author's extensive knowledge of Syria in ancient, medieval, and modern times, as well as his experiences living in the Levant on the eve of the war and in the midst of the 'Arab Spring'. These plotlines converge in a rich narrative of a country in constant flux -- a place renewed by the very shifts that, in the near term, are proving so destructive. Sahner focuses on five themes of interest to anyone intrigued and dismayed by Syria's fragmentation since 2011: the role of Christianity in society; the arrival of Islam; the rise of sectarianism and competing minorities; the emergence of the Ba'ath Party; and the current pitiless civil war. Among the Ruins is a brisk and illuminating read, an accessible introduction to a country with an enormously rich past and a tragic present. For anyone seeking to understand Syria, this book should be their starting point.Trade ReviewIn his beautiful patchwork of recent experience and academic history, [Sahner] gives a truly original portrait of contemporary Syria without shirking the social problems, physical ugliness or political realities many Westerners often want to deny ... Sahner gives a long historical arc, going back to pre-Islamic, Byzantine Syria, before going on to produce a moving and highly readable account of the country today. His close attention to the buildings and geography of Syria, together with accounts of his many friendships, bring the country into sharper focus than textual sources alone can do. -- The Times Literary Supplement[E]rudite historical analysis ... [Sahner's] perspective is rewarding indeed, both in questioning and shaking many of the narratives supplied to us by sensationalist media reports, and in providing a deeper understanding of the origins of the current conflict ... While Sahner's historical knowledge is evident, so too is his compassion for the people he meets ... [A] considerate treatment of a topic that has been widely misconstrued elsewhere. -- Insight TurkeyAmong the Ruins is a uniquely vivid evocation of the past of Syria and a prescient record of its present state. Deeply humane and drawing on subjects from all walks of life, Sahner has a gift for presenting them against a past that is as varied and as ancient as the country itself. We are brought to the edge of the precipice over which, alas, a magnificently diverse society appears to have stumbled. We will be both better informed and wiser for reading it. -- Peter Brown, Rollins Professor Emeritus of History at Princeton UniversityThis book greets the reader through the lens of a medieval Islamic historian well-versed in the historical treasures and antiquities of Syria. His appreciation of Syria's long and important history in the region provides a useful backdrop for understanding today's tragic conflict, much of which is unfortunately erasing that physical history. Sahner aims to make sure this history is not forgotten in an accessible work that makes important connections between Syria's past, present and future in a way that will satisfy the non-specialist and specialist alike. -- David W. Lesch, Ewing Halsell Distinguished Professor of Middle East History at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas and author of Syria: The Fall of the House of AssadAmong the Ruins is a veritable pleasure to read, despite the poignancy of its subject matter. Combining an account of its author's travels through a Syria now largely destroyed by the ravages of war with a reflection on the causes and course of the Syrian revolution which began in March 2011, the Baathist regime's ruthless response, and the country's subsequent descent into civil war, it is both elegantly written and judicious in its opinions. Informed by Christian Sahner's deep knowledge of classical and medieval history, eastern Christianity and Islam, and enlivened by his travel writer's eye for the telling detail, it will make a useful primer for those seeking to place Syria's current predicament in historical perspective. -- Andrew Arsan, University Lecturer in Modern Middle Eastern History, St John's College, CambridgeCompact and to the point, [Among the Ruins] documents the long history of Syria's cultural and religious past in concise but approachable language ... Sahner's work illustrates not only why the current sociopolitical upheaval came about but also why it is important to all countries. -- Library JournalWith an academic expertise in late antiquity in the Middle East, Sahner gives even the seventh and eighth centuries important proximity. In light of the re-emergence of nihilistic and extremist language from the likes of the Islamic State, which promotes a distorted version of Islam's past, Sahner's history is all the more important. -- The Cairo ReviewSahner's writing engages all the reader's senses without wasting a word. His precision keeps the story moving at breakneck speed, leaving the reader with essential insights while eliding potentially distracting factual minutiae. The combination is sheer brilliance. The book is especially impressive given the magnitude of Sahner's intellectual task and the grace with which he accomplishes it. -- Brock Dahl, The Witherspoon InstituteThis excellent little book, a mixture of "deep" history and travelogue, is essential reading for anyone who wants to gain a better understanding of the current situation in Syria and the Middle East, beyond newspaper headlines. -- LSE Review of BooksAmong the Ruins is a readable and interesting account of Syria's history for non-specialists. ... [T]he importance of this book and the historical and cultural diversities which it recognises and explains are placed in an even more acute, modern perspective when one considers the recent wanton destruction of historical and cultural sites by Islamic State forces. -- Asian AffairsProvides a snapshot of Syria on the eve of war, through the eyes of a young American traveling through the Middle East. -- Publishers Weekly
£19.00
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd Revolt in Syria: Eye-Witness to the Uprising
Book SynopsisIn January 2011 President Bashar al-Assad told the Wall Street Journal that Syria was 'stable' and immune from revolt. In the months that followed, and as regimes fell in Egypt and Tunisia, thousands of Syrians took to the streets calling for freedom, with many dying at the hands of the regime. Stephen Starr delves deep into the lives of Syrians whose destiny has been shaped by the state for almost fifty years. In conversations with people from all strata of Syrian society, Starr draws together and makes sense of perspectives illustrating why Syria, with its numerous sects and religions, was so prone to violence and civil strife. Through his unique access to a country largely cut off from the international media during the unrest, Starr delivers compelling first hand testimony from both those who suffered and benefited most at the hands of the regime. Revolt in Syria details why many Syrians wanted Assad's government to stay as the threat of civil war loomed large, the long-standing gap between the state apparatus and its people and why the country's youth stood up decisively for freedom.Starr also sets out the positions adhered to by the country's minorities and explains why many Syrians believe that enforced regime change might precipitate a region-wide conflict. This revised and updated edition contains a chapter bringing it up to the end of 2013, and examines the experiences of those who have fled the fighting to Turkey and elsewhere.Trade Review'[Starr's] material is vivid, thought-provoking and sometimes shocking ... As eyewitness testimony, it has great value, not least because it challenges some of the simple certainties that have characterised coverage of the Syrian uprising. Mr Starr captures the pain of a deeply torn society in the throes of a bitter struggle, one that has estranged brother from brother, friend from friend.' * The Economist *'Starr's book is the only account that gives previously unheard voices a chance to be heard. ... his familiarity with the sectarian and political milieu in Syria is better than anyone I know. He has spent five years in the country, marrying into Syrian society if there is one Irishman that the Syrians would describe as muta rrib, Arabicised , it is him. ... Through a series of vignettes and anecdotes, Starr provides us with a plethora of voices from minorities: Sunnis, Shias, Kurds, Palestinians, pro-regime and anti regime Syrians. ... The book is a witness to a dilapidated regime [and] Starr captures it all brilliantly.' * New Statesman *'Unlike most western reporters who have written from Syria, Stephen Starr brings to bear a great deal of personal experience of the country, having lived and worked in Damascus for four years, including a spell with the state media. He's the sort of man who notices the price of milk going up and the increased presence of security forces on the streets as the noose tightens. With a wide network of friends and contacts, he conveys the warp and weft of daily life with an admirably nuanced understanding of the place.' * The Spectator *'Stephen Starr has taken on the mammoth task of elucidating this confusing country. After four years in Syria, he has some insight... The general conclusion is that no one in Syria knows what is going on, either inside or outside their own neighbourhoods. It is therefore a strange kind of enlightenment that this book offers, but probably an accurate on.' * Times Literary Supplement *
£14.24
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd From Deep State to Islamic State: The Arab
Book SynopsisIn his disturbing and timely book Jean-Pierre Filiu lays bare the strategies and tactics employed by the Middle Eastern autocracies, above all those of Syria, Egypt, Yemen and Algeria, that set out to crush the democratic uprisings of the 'Arab Revolution'. In pursuit of these goals they turned to the intelligence agencies and internal security arms of the 'deep state', the armed forces and to street gangs such as the Shabiha to enforce their will. Alongside physical intimidation, imprisonment and murder, Arab counter- revolutionaries discredited and split their opponents by boosting Salafi - Jihadi groups such as Islamic State. They also released from prison hardline Islamists and secretly armed and funded them. The full potential of the Arab counter-revolution surprised most observers, who thought they had seen it all from the Arab despots: their perversity, their brutality, their voracity. But the wider world underestimated their ferocious readiness to literally burn down their countries in order to cling to absolute power.Bashar al-Assad clambered to the top of this murderous class of tyrants, driving nearly half of the Syrian population in to exile and executing tens of thousands of his opponents. He has set a grisly precedent, one that other Arab autocrats are sure to follow in their pursuit of absolute power.Trade Review'It takes patience, clarity and perspective to explain the whole grim picture [in the Middle East] and the links between its constituent parts. These qualities are on impressive display in an important new book by the French scholar Jean-Pierre Filiu. His particular skill is to describe the development, survival and resurgence of the Arab "deep state," the security agencies that have kept it going and the "monster they helped create" - in its most extreme form the jihadis of the Islamic state (Isis). ... The answer, Filiu concludes bravely, has to be more democracy, not less, not a fatalistic acceptance that change can never come to the Middle East.' -- The Guardian'Among authors trying to make sense of why the uprisings of 2011 largely failed, Jean-Pierre Filiu stands out. His new book ... combines passion, scholarship, and insight to present a convincing explanation of the deep malaise afflicting the Arab world.' -- The Economist'Filiu's book should make us think harder about the economics of power . . . as a diagnosis his book is written with scholarship, passion, and clarity.' -- New York Review of Books'Filiu has produced a refreshingly nuanced analysis of the region's totalitarian regimes, distinguishing between those of his "Modern Mamluks" (in Syria, Egypt, Yemen and Algeria) and other styles of suppressive dictatorships (in Iraq, Libya, Tunisia and the Gulf States).' -- The Times Literary Supplement'Filiu ... argues ... that the Arab revolutions (as he calls them) have been foiled - Tunisia apart - by successful counter-revolutions organised by the 'deep state'. In Syria - as in Egypt and Yemen - the deep state is the hard core of a regime that strongly resembles those of the Mamluks in Egypt and the Levant long ago. He holds the Syrian 'Mamluks' responsible not only for the devastation of their own country but also for the rise of Islamic State ... In [this] polemical book ... Filiu offers the radical view that the 'Mamluks' were crude usurpers of the original national revolution, which they hijacked at independence; he insists that this was the case in Algeria before broadening the charge to apply it to Egypt, Syria and Yemen.' -- London Review of Books'An authoritative and revealing tour of the role of "Arab security mafias" in shaping the politics of the Middle East. Filiu's account of the failure of the Arab uprisings places the blame for the region's chaos where it belongs: with the reconstituted deep states, security agencies and autocratic leaders determined to hold on to power at any cost.' -- Marc Lynch, Director of the Institute for Middle East Studies at George Washington University'Filiu's thought-provoking book displays a genius for making sense out of the Middle East's chaos and illuminating key destructive forces. At Year Five of the uncertain Arab Revolution Filiu shows how determined military-based secular regimes sacrificed democratic promise and confronted jihadists in regional violence rarely seen since the Arab Conquest.' -- Jon Randal, former foreign correspondent for the New York Times and author of Osama: The Making of a Terrorist'[T]his highly topical and ambitious work ... looks to chart how the Arab Revolutions ... have been crushed by a combination of authoritarian regimes and jihadis. Filiu combines the Mamluk history with a broad look across the Middle East and North Africa with a focus on Algeria, Yemen, Egypt, Syria and Tunisia ... The hijacking of independence movements is a rip-roaring tale of purges, coups, exiles, state of emergencies and the ubiquitous "Communique Number Ones".' -- Huffington Post'This is an invaluable contribution to the murky world of the Arab security regimes. As such external policymakers would be well advised to digest Filiu's prescient warnings.' -- Middle East Eye'Filiu's book breaks from the pack of works on the Arab Spring. Rather than focus on the grassroots opposition that emerged in 2011 to challenge the Arab authoritarian order, he casts attention on the state regimes with an eye to discerning the sources of their strength and resiliency. In so doing, he takes a long view to argue that State power, often disguised and hidden away, doomed the Arab Spring from the outset. ... Excellent.' -- John Calvert, Associate Professor of History, Creighton University, and author of Sayyid Qutb and the Origins of Radical Islamism'Far and away the best and most up-to-date survey of the Arab Security State and its ability to master the various waves of popular uprisings it faced during the Arab Spring. Based on a set of challenging hypotheses as well as an unrivalled feel for Arab political behaviour it must become required reading.' -- Roger Owen, Emeritus Professor of Middle East History, Harvard University'With magisterial knowledge of the Middle East, this sweeping narrative convincingly links the two most tragic events of our time: the failure of the Arab revolts and the proliferation of Islamist militancy. The result is a fast-paced, sombre, and ultimately devastating account.' -- Hazem Kandil, University of Cambridge, author of Inside the Brotherhood'Filiu has attempted to connect the past to the present in this highly topical and ambitious work that looks to chart how the Arab revolutions...have been crushed by a combination of authoritarian regimes and jihadis.' -- International Affairs'Misunderstanding the rise of the [Arab] state security mafias could have significant consequences. Jean-Pierre Filiu has admirably attempted to correct [Western misinterpretations]. ... The text also provides a new interpretation of the Arab Spring in 2011, arguing that demonstrators took to the streets seeking revolution but were met with a sustained and bloody counterrevolution. ... [T]his book is essential reading.' -- The Strategy Bridge
£22.50
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd A Revolution Undone: Egypt's Road Beyond Revolt
Book SynopsisAmid the turbulence of the 2011 Arab uprisings, the revolutionary uprising that played out in Cairo's Tahrir Square created high expectations before dashing the hopes of its participants. The upheaval led to a sequence of events in Egypt that scarcely anyone could have predicted, and precious few have understood: five years on, the status of Egypt's unfinished revolution remains shrouded in confusion. Power shifted hands rapidly, first from protesters to the army leadership, then to the politicians of the Muslim Brotherhood, and then back to the army. The politics of the street has given way to the politics of Islamist-military detentes and the undoing of the democratic experiment. Meanwhile, a burgeoning Islamist insurgency occupies the army in Sinai and compounds the nation's sense of uncertainty. A Revolution Undone blends analysis and narrative, charting Egypt's journey from Tahrir to Sisi from the perspective of an author and analyst who lived it all. H.A. Hellyer brings his first-hand experience to bear in his assessment of Egypt's experiment with protest and democracy.And by scrutinising Egyptian society and public opinion, Islamism and Islam, the military and government, as well as the West's reaction to events, Hellyer provides a much-needed appraisal of Egypt's future prospects.Trade ReviewHellyer meticulously unpicks the struggle for power that began after Mubarak stepped down, going beyond simplistic depiction of Egypt's post-revolutionary politics as a battle between a (secular) military and so-called deep state against an Islamist or religious opposition. * Financial Times *'A Revolution Undone: Egypt's Road Beyond Revolt ... is informative, concise and interwoven with personal anecdotes and stories by the author, making the read all the more enjoyable ... [T]he thoroughness and richness of the book constitutes not only one of the first comprehensive attempts at a history of post-2011 Egypt, but also provides ample empirical material for a deeper reflection on structure, agency and contingency, thereby making the read worthwhile.' -- LSE, Middle East Centre blog'H.A. Hellyer has written an inimitable book. Specialists and general readers alike will benefit hugely from the accounts exquisitely related by an insider and a fair observer in one. Hellyer's organic link to Egypt and consciously impartial perspective produce a unique combination that we should appreciate, as many of the books published on the subject tend to lean towards one view or one side. His writings have long made clear his consistent and balanced insight -- and in this book, Hellyer lets no one off the hook, calling all to account.' * Hassan Hassan, Associate Fellow of Chatham House; author of the New York Times bestseller ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror *'H.A. Hellyer is eminently qualified to inform, and interpret these punishing years since 2011 which have polarised Egypt and left many searching for certainties. There's an academic's rigour, a pollster's precision, and a journalist's compelling anecdotes in his chronicle of Egypt's 'unfinished revolution.' Committed to the principles of that peaceful protest, he doesn't shirk from holding everyone to account: from the revolutionaries who failed to follow through; the Muslim Brotherhood which fell from grace and power; and a military which played a pivotal role throughout. Egypt's story is still being written. But five years on, this book puts down an important marker.' * Lyse Doucet, Chief International Correspondent, BBC *'Attempting to follow the extraordinary tumult in Egypt has often felt like wading through a dense fog. It takes an assured and skilful navigator to plot a constructive path through the gloom and shine a light where it is needed most. Hellyer is just such a navigator: thoughtful, perceptive and above all committed to the promise of revolution, even as he spells out with intellectual honesty and historical nuance where those fighting for a more democratic Egypt have gone wrong. His analysis is an antidote to lazy stereotypes and reductive binaries, and today it is more important than ever.' * Jack Shenker, former Egypt correspondent for The Guardian; author of The Egyptians: A Radical Story *'A Revolution Undone represents the most authoritative, thoughtful, and nuanced account to date of Egypt's 2011 revolution and its aftermath. The book is replete with the kind of unique insight that emerges only from direct proximity to the events it describes. Hellyer's is a voice of studious integrity, allowing the book to achieve the near impossible when it comes to analysing Egyptian politics today: balance and perspective. A bold, defining, and -- ultimately -- hopeful statement on the Arab Spring that should be read by anyone interested in the future of the Middle East.' * Peter Mandaville, Professor of International Affairs at George Mason University; author of Islam and Politics *'Throughout the tumultuous events of 2011-2015, H.A. Hellyer has been a lucid but hardly dispassionate analyst. Now he has written a book presenting that period that draws on the same assets as his contemporaneous analyses: he writes from the heart but without losing a touch of his clear-headed thinking. Those who remember only a confused tumble of events will find a sure guide, but even those who recall these events well will learn from his book.' * Nathan J Brown, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University *'It is hard to imagine a better qualified analyst of recent Egyptian history than H.A. Hellyer: a British political scientist of Egyptian heritage, conversant in the modern history of Islamic thought, equipped with the most credible public opinion polling, well-connected with a broad circle of activists and diplomats, and a Cairo resident who personally lived through the upheavals of both 2011 and 2013. Hellyer started out cautious about the first protests in 2011 but he came to identify what he calls Egypt's 'revolutionary current' as its best hope, and his honest and probing account of those events will be a great resource for future students of that history.' * David D. Kirkpatrick, correspondent for The New York Times and its Cairo bureau chief from 2011-2015 *'H.A. Hellyer has written a deeply knowledgeable and personal set of reflections on the Egyptian revolution and its grim aftermath. It is impossible to read this book and not come away with a sense of the spirit that drove the young people of Tahrir Square in the early days of 2011, and which drives many Egyptians still. Many books have been written with the words 'Egypt' and 'Revolution' in their titles, but this is the only one worth reading.' * Tarek Masoud, Sultan of Oman Associate Professor of International Relations at Harvard University; author of Counting Islam: Religion, Class and Elections in Egypt *'A Revolution Undone combines in the most revealing of ways both the author's participatory observations and his analytical skill in tackling questions of politics, religion and human rights. This is a persuasive analysis of the structural realities hindering democratic governance in this most populous country in the Middle East.' * Amr Hamzawy, Associate Professor, Department of Public Policy and Administration at the American University in Cairo; author of A Margin for Democracy in Egypt: The Story of An Unsuccessful Transition *'To see Egypt through H.A. Hellyer's eyes is to observe with rare immediacy the turmoil, excitement, lost hopes, and ultimate uncertainty since the heady days of protest in 2011. Engage but never one-sided, affecting but also clear-headed, he powerfully demonstrates how an Islamist right and authoritarian military have each tried to highjack the post-Mubarak order. That this will be a successful revolution in the long term depends, in this eloquent and unflinching analysis, on whether the precipitating search for dignity is not betrayed.' * James Piscatori, Professor of International Relations, Durham University *'Hellyer combines an engaging personal memoir with insightful and balanced analyses to present a clear portrayal of the Arab Spring revolution in Egypt. His account departs from the all-too-common treatment of the major elements as monolithic, and instead, provides an understanding of the complex mosaic of Arab Spring politics in Egypt. One strength of his analysis is his coverage of the evolution of coverage of the changing political scene. As he shows, observers played important roles in constructing the various narratives of the revolution. In the growing library of books on the Arab Spring, Hellyer provides a refreshingly intimate perspective that will be of use to all interested in twenty-first century political developments.' * John Voll, Professor Emeritus of Islamic History, Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University *'Part personal narrative, part contemporary history, H.A. Hellyer's A Revolution Undone provides a brilliant, gripping account of Egypt's 2011 revolution and its aftermath. Told from the unique perspective of someone who lived through and bore witness to these historic events, the book is most notable for its analytical and moral clarity. Ultimately, the author's conclusion is an uplifting one: the young revolutionaries who flooded Tahrir Square may have failed to change the political order in Egypt, but the idea of the revolution continues to inspire and have resonance in that country and far beyond.' * Stephen R. Grand, Executive Director, The Middle East Strategy Task Force, The Atlantic Council; author of Understanding Tahrir Square *
£22.50
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd Revolution and Authoritarianism in North Africa
Book SynopsisThis book offers a much-needed corrective to dominant approaches to understanding political causality during episodes of intense social mobilisation, specifically with a North African context. Drawing on analyses of routine governance and of 'revolutionary' mobilisation in four countries of the Maghreb -- Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya -- before, during and after the 2011 uprisings, Volpi explains the different trajectories of these uprisings by showing how specific acts of protest created new arenas of contention that provided actors with new rationales, practices and, ultimately, identities. The book illustrates how the dynamics of revolutionary episodes are characterised by the social and political de-institutionalisation of routine mechanisms of (authoritarian) governance. It also details how post-uprising re-institutionalisation and/or conflict are shaped by reconstructed understandings of the uprisings by actors, who are themselves partially the products of these episodes of phenomena.Trade ReviewRevolution and Authoritarianism looks beyond the deterministic approaches that have characterised studies of the Arab Spring and offers a much more nuanced set of explanations for the way in which events in North Africa have occurred and developed. Theoretically sophisticated and empirically well grounded, this is a genuine must-read for all those interested in the politics of the Arab Spring.' * Francesco Cavatorta, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Université Laval in Quebec, Canada; and editor of Salafism After the Arab Awakening: Contending with People's Power *'Precisely-argued and intelligent, this is the most important study to date of the comparative politics of the Arab uprisings in North Africa; it demonstrates in detail how eventful interactions between political actors in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya were not simply structurally determined, but shaped trajectories of change. Volpi shows how people do make history, even in circumstances not chosen by themselves.' -- * John Chalcraft, Associate Professor in the History and Politics of Empire/Imperialism and author of Popular Politics in the Making of the Modern Middle East *'This powerful account highlights the fluidity of revolutions, and of all politics, by looking at how institutions are made and unmade, especially through processes of meaning making. Volpi finds the right analytical balance between action and its contexts.' * James M. Jasper, Professor, Graduate Centre of the City University of New York *'Very good for advanced undergraduate seminars and graduate students.'
£22.50
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd The 'Russian' Civil Wars 1916-1926: Ten Years
Book SynopsisThis volume offers a comprehensive and original analysis and reconceptualisation of the compendium of struggles that wracked the collapsing Tsarist empire and the emergent USSR, profoundly affecting the history of the twentieth century. Indeed, the reverberations of those decade-long wars echo to the present day -- not despite, but because of the collapse of the Soviet Union, which re-opened many old wounds, from the Baltic to the Caucasus. Contemporary memorialising and 'de-memorialising' of these wars, therefore form part of the book's focus, but at its heart lie the struggles between various Russian political and military forces which sought to inherit and preserve, or even expand, the territory of the tsars, overlain with examinations of the attempts of many non- Russian national and religious groups to divide the former empire. The reasons why some of the latter were successful (Poland and Finland, for example), while others (Ukraine, Georgia and the Muslim Basmachi) were not, are as much the author's concern as are explanations as to why the chief victors of the 'Russian' Civil Wars were the Bolsheviks.Tellingly, the work begins and ends with battles in Central Asia - a theatre of the 'Russian' Civil Wars that was closer to Mumbai than it was to Moscow.Trade Review'Jonathan Smele’s authoritative The “Russian” Civil Wars emphasised the multinational and panoramic nature of the military conflict that overtook the Russian Empire in its dying years.' -- Financial TimesTable of ContentsIntroduction: A World War Condensed1. 1916-18: The Beginnings of the "Russian" Civil Wars2. 1918-19: The Triumphal March of Reaction3. 1919-20: White Thrusts, Red Ripostes4. 1920-1: Battles in the Marchlands5. 1917-21: On the Internal Fronts6. 1921-6: The Ends of the "Russian" Civil WarsConclusion: Red Victories, Red Defeat
£18.99
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd Yemen Endures: Civil War, Saudi Adventurism and
Book SynopsisWhy is Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, involved in a costly and merciless war against its mountainous southern neighbour Yemen, the poorest country in the Middle East? When the Saudis attacked the hitherto obscure Houthi militia, which they believed had Iranian backing, to oust Yemen's government in 2015, they expected an easy victory. They appealed for Western help and bought weapons worth billions of dollars from Britain and America; yet two years later the Houthis, a unique Shia sect, have the upper hand.In her revealing portrait of modern Yemen, Ginny Hill delves into its recent history, dominated by the enduring and pernicious influence of career dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh, who ruled for three decades before being forced out by street protests in 2011. Saleh masterminded patronage networks that kept the state weak, allowing conflict, social inequality and terrorism to flourish.In the chaos that follows his departure, civil war and regional interference plague the country while separatist groups, Al-Qaeda and ISIS compete to exploit the broken state. And yet, Yemen endures.Trade Review'[A] vivid and balanced account.''Yemen - a country of multiple realities, complex, layered, and explosive, where some of the hungriest people in the world strive to live. Ginny Hill is a rare outsider who has lived the country, she is superbly seasoned in its physical and political terrain. Her book is a revelation.' -- Jon Snow, Channel 4‘Highly engaging and well written.’ -- Bustan: The Middle East Book Review‘A compelling and detailed account . . . combining a journalist’s flair with the deep expertise from more than a decade of living in, working on and writing about Yemen, Hill weaves together the stories of Yemenis from several hundred interviews in a style that is both engaging and accessible.’ 'This is an extremely fine journalistic account of the turbulence in contemporary Yemen . . . provides a distinct perspective on the factors that allow Yemen to continue to exist . . . a fine read for anyone unfamiliar with Yemen to get up to speed in understanding the country.''Written with the fluid cadence of a former journalist, it offers a highly accessible and important entry point for readers new to the history and politics of Yemen but also includes content that will help more seasoned readers better under- stand some long-standing puzzles . . . a well-written work of wide scope on questions of great urgency.’ '[Hill] use[s] her deep knowledge and experience of Yemen to not only explain the complexities of the current conflict, but also places them in an historical and social context . . . deeply emotive and engaging . . . Telling the story of Yemen and the wider region through this powerful yet still journalistic prose makes for a genuine page turner.''Ginny Hill's detailed and highly readable account [...] is indispensable to understanding the story so far. [...] Hill is impressive proof that academic rigour, patient and persistent reporting, good contacts and fine writing are not mutually exclusive. Her book is full of vivid insights enriched by far deeper knowledge than can be accumulated during a brief visit.' -- Ian Black, LSE blog'Yemen Endures is an invaluable guide to the crisis that has engulfed Yemen, combining history, analysis and vivid first-person testimony -- a must-read for anyone who wants to understand this bewilderingly multi-faceted conflict.' -- Robin Lustig, former presenter of The World Tonight on BBC Radio 4 and Newshour on BBC World Service'The most authoritative account of the Yemen tragedy so far. Yemen Endures succeeds where others have failed in giving voice to the Yemeni people. Highly recommended.' -- Christopher Davidson, author of Shadow Wars: The Secret Struggle for the Middle East'There are all too few books written on Yemen, fewer still that get it right. Hill's expert guide through the quagmire is both timely and essential. This book achieves that through the author's rare balance of insight, candour and direct experience to produce a work that will be a marker of how modern Yemen ended up in war and collapse.' -- Iona Craig, former Times (of London) Yemen correspondent, winner of the Orwell Prize and the Martha Gellhorn Award'An eminently readable and highly insightful portrayal of a country in chaos. Hill's account of Yemen's history and torturous politics is vividly coloured by her own personal experiences.' -- Mehran Kamrava, author of The Modern Middle East: A Political History Since World War I
£27.00
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd Insurgency and Counterinsurgency in South Africa
Book SynopsisSouth Africa's transition to democracy took place against a backdrop of shadow war between the apartheid regime's counterinsurgency forces and the African National Congress' armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK). This book analyses in unprecedented detail the hidden history of MK's struggle and its contribution to South Africa's liberation, while exposing new dimensions of clandestine apartheid-era violence. Drawing on interviews with former MK guerrillas, Daniel Douek traces the evolution of MK's operations across southern Africa from the 1960s, culminating in the 1990-4 negotiations between the ANC and the white-supremacist regime. As political violence escalated, the battle waged in the shadows became nothing less than a struggle to shape South Africa's future. Counterinsurgency forces recruited spies, deployed death squads, engaged in psychological warfare, and targeted ANC leaders, including MK chief Chris Hani. Even once ANC elites had come to power, apartheid counterinsurgency operations continued to undermine South Africa's new democracy by marginalising MK guerrillas within the 'new' security forces, leaving legacies of violence and instability still felt today.Trade Review'As rigorous--and disturbing--an account of insurgency and counterinsurgency in South Africa as you'll find. Highly recommended.' -- Deane-Peter Baker, Associate Professor of International and Political Studies, UNSW Canberra at the Australian Defence Force Academy'A provocative book raising important questions about the toxic legacies of dysfunctional states' violent repression of insurgencies: authoritarian security elites, urban violence and persistent criminal networks. Douek reaches far beyond South Africa in his analysis and arguments for meaningful security sector reform in post-conflict societies.' -- Sue Onslow, Deputy Director & Reader in Commonwealth History, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London
£27.00
Batsford Ltd Poetry Rebellion: Poems and prose to rewild the
Book Synopsis‘Galvanises us to notice and care about our glorious natural world, through the words of an army of poets, ancient and modern’ – Bel Mooney An anthology of poems to enter the bloodstream and rewild the spirit. As with all life on Earth, the climate emergency, species extinction, ecological disaster, global pandemics, economic collapse, war, genocide and social injustice are all interconnected — how do we face our fears? How do we find the courage to rebel against forces ranged against the Earth? This galvanising collection of poems spans 4,000 years of human history. Ranging from Nikolai Duffy's 'Against Metaphor' and Lord Byron's 'Darkness' to Allen Ginsberg's evocative 'Sunflower Sutra' and Jean 'Binta' Breeze's 'Tweet Tweet'. This book is not just a sanctuary in which to find solace from environmental grief but a manual for psychic resistance in the war against Nature. As Pablo Neruda said, 'Poetry is rebellion.'Trade Review'This anthology is part manifesto for change, part elegy for a burning house, part summoning of an 'inner wild'. But it's also a book of timeless, irrepressible, rebel song. Jean Binta Breeze sings to William Blake, Selima Hill sings to Theodore Roethke and Nan Shepherd. Each song echoes, each chimes. As Paul Evans says in his introduction 'poetry is a quality of language as wild is a quality of nature'. Poetry Rebellion is essential.' * Helen Mort *‘Galvanises us to notice and care about our glorious natural world, through the words of an army of poets, ancient and modern’ -- Bel Mooney, Daily Mail
£11.69
The Mercier Press Ltd Tom Barry: IRA Freedom Fighter
Book SynopsisTom Barry: IRA Freedom Fighter chronicles the action-packed life of the Commander of the Third West Cork Flying Column, including the decisive Kilmichael ambush and the controversy regarding sectarianism during the 1920–22 period. Author, Meda Ryan, details his involvement on the fringes of the Treaty negotiations; his Republican activities during the Civil War; his engagement in the cease-fire/dump-arms deal of 1923; his term as the IRA’s Chief of Staff and his participation in IRA conflicts in the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and right up to his death in 1980. Includes an extensive body of primary source material, including Tom Barry’s papers,
£18.04
The Mercier Press Ltd Dublin's Fighting Story 1916 - 21: Told By The Men Who Made It
Book SynopsisMajor Haig ordered them to 'prepare to fire', whereupon they the fired indiscriminately, point blank, at the people in the street. Four people were killed and thirty-seven wounded. All Ireland seethed with indignation . . . '&newpara;This new edition of Dublin's Fighting Story with an introduction by Diarmaid Ferriter features stories and reports from every aspect of the War of Independence, from the formation of the Fianna Éireann and the Volunteers, through the Great Dublin Strike and Lock-out in 1913 and the 1916 Rising to the death of Seán Treacy in a bloody street shoot-out, the triumph and tragedy of Bloody Sunday and the burning of the Customs House. Dublin's Fighting Story offers the perspective of the eye witnesses and fighting men themselves to the struggle for independence in Dublin.
£18.04
Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd Party-states and their Legacies in Post-communist
Book SynopsisParty-States and their Legacies in Post-Communist Transformation is a unique investigation into the construction, operation, self-destruction and transition of Hungarian politics from the 1960s to the mid- 1990s. It presents a rich picture which draws upon an extraordinary body of data and provides not just simply a retrospective theoretical analysis of the system, but details of everyday life within the state apparatus.This remarkable book includes extensive interviews with over four hundred key individuals in the party, state and the economy from 1975 onwards. In addition, Dr Csanadi draws upon other unique empirical research including internal memos and secret state documents as well as a full range of studies by East and West European scholars to reveal the realities of the system as observed by those closest to it. She not only considers the workings of the system during the communist era, but also analyses the legacy it continues to exert on the period of the transformation. As such the book contributes to our understanding of the Hungarian transformation and sheds new light on how party states worked throughout Eastern and Central Europe during the communist era and what the consequences of their self-similar features on the transformation are. In addition the book offers comparisons with other formerly centrally planned systems to reveal the structural differences in the distribution of power in party states and the very different legacies they leave for post-communist transformation. This comprehensive book will be welcomed by researchers, academics and postgraduates interested in the politics, economics, history and political science of Hungary and other East and Central European countries in transition.Trade Review'This meticulously researched contribution by a Hungarian scholar offers a fresh analysis of the evolution and collapse of the communist system. A welcome addition to the literature on the rise and fall of state socialism, the book traces the tension between the system's sustainability and its inherent weakness. . . . the very richness of the data presented in the book merits careful consideration.' -- Andrew A. Michta, Slavic ReviewTable of ContentsContents: Introduction Part I: The Structure Part II: The Functioning Part III: The Disintegration Part IV: The Legacies Part V: Conclusions Appendices References Index
£136.00
Wits University Press Hidden Histories of Gordonia: Land dispossession
Book SynopsisThe Gordonia region of the Northern Cape Province has received relatively little attention from historians. In Hidden Histories of Gordonia: Land dispossession and resistance in the Northern Cape, 1800–1990, Martin Legassick explores aspects of the generally unknown ‘brown’ and ‘black’ history of the region. Emphasising the lives of ordinary people, his writing is also in part an exercise in ‘applied history’ – historical writing with a direct application to people’s lives in the present.Tracing the indigenous history of Gordonia as well as the northward movement of Basters and whites from the western Cape through Bushmanland to the Orange River, the book presents accounts of family histories, episodes of indigenous resistance to colonisation, and studies of the ultimate imposition of racial segregation and land dispossession on the inhabitants of the region. A recurrent theme is the question of identity and how the extreme ethnic fluidity and social mixing apparent in earlier times crystallised in the colonial period into racial identities, until with fi nal conquest came imposed racial classifi cation.Trade Review"This is a magnum opus, summing up a quarter century of research by one of the most senior and important South African historians." - Neil Parsons, former professor of history, University of Botswana. "There are few areas in South Africa that are like Gordonia. It is to Legassick's great credit that he recognised this, but nevertheless makes the history of the country's major area of desert part of South Africa's totality. It is a major achievement and an important book." - Robert Ross, historian and author of The Borders of Race in Colonial South Africa: The Kat River Settlement, 1829-1856Table of ContentsAcknowledgements; Acronyms and abbreviations; Illustrations; Preface; Chapter 1 The prehistory of Gordonia; Chapter 2 The Baster settlement of Gordonia and its decline; Chapter 3 The will of Abraham and Elizabeth September: a struggle for land in Gordonia, 1898-2014; Chapter 4 From prisoners to exhibits: representations of Bushmen of the northern Cape, 1880-1900; Chapter 5 South African human remains and the politics of repatriation: reconsidering the legacy of Rudolf Poch; Chapter 6 The early history of the brown Afrikaners in Riemvasmaak; Chapter 7 The battle of Naroegas; Chapter 8 The Marengo rebellion and Riemvasmaak, 1903-1907; Chapter 9 The racial division of Gordonia, 1921-1930; Chapter 10 Keidebees and Blikkies locations, Upington, 1894-1974; Chapter 11 'All my powers have been swallowed by Upington': the life and times of Alfred Gubula; References; Index.
£24.30
Monash Asia Institute Violence in Between: Conflict and Security in
Book SynopsisA recent series of terrorist attacks, the uncovering of a large terrorist network, and a string of continuing regional conflicts have raised an awareness that Southeast Asia is amongst the world''s most troubled areas. This book analyzes local terrorism and state repression in this populous, strategically important region.
£27.19
Serif The Politics of Illusion: Political History of
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£13.49
Wellred Books Germany: From Revolution to Counter Revolution
£9.93
Wellred Books Marxism and Anarchism
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£16.70
Wellred Books The Classics of Marxism: Volume Two
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£14.76
Well Red Publications The History of the Russian Revolution to
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£9.93
