Social groups: religious groups and communities Books

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Book SynopsisBy examining a wide range of Arabic and Persian literature from the eighth to the thirteenth century, Louise Marlow shows the tension that existed between the traditional egalitarian ideal of early Islam, and the hierarchical impulses of the classical period. The literature demonstrates that while Islam's initial orientation was markedly egalitarian, the social aspect of this egalitarianism was soon undermined in the aftermath of Islam's political success, and as hierarchical social ideas from older cultures in the Middle East were incorporated into the new polity. Although the memory of its early promise never entirely receded, social egalitarianism quickly came to be associated with political subversion. This 1997 book will be of use to a wide readership of Islamic historians and of scholars assessing the impact of the modern Islamic revival.Trade Review'The range of texts and secondary literature used is very impressive.' G. R. Hawting, Journal of the Royal Asiatic SocietyTable of ContentsIntroduction; Part I. Sources for Islamic Social Ideals: 1. Egalitarianism and the growth of a pious opposition; 2. The Muslim reception of Greek ideas; 3. The Muslim reception of Iranian social models; Part II. THE TAMING OF ISLAMIC EGALITARIANISM: 4. The disassociation of egalitarianism and opposition; 5. The didactic literature of the courts; 6. Rationalisations of inequalities; 7. Hierarchies of occupations; Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisThis book studies Iran's conversion to Islam in the ninth to eleventh centuries, focusing on the historical consciousness of Iranians at that time. It emphasizes the importance of a shared history for groups and traces the remolding of Iranian history and identity that occurred when Iran's heritage was re-evaluated in light of Islam.Trade Review'The New Muslims of Post-Conquest Iran will prove fascinating to anyone interested in identity narratives and how authors shape the past in the service of the present. Savant builds a bridge between the history of Persia and the memory of Persia, and atop this bridge we can clearly witness the inherent tension in any identity between the old and the new.' Elizabeth Urban, Marginalia'The New Muslims of Post-Conquest Iran might ultimately shape Iranian and Islamic studies not only by contributing novel scholarship to the field, but also by speaking to non-specialists' interests as well.' Mahdi Tourage, American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences'… the book [richly] captures … the medieval and modern historiographies … of … the first centuries of the medieval Islamic empire; it is a valuable tool for students and scholars of the early history of Islamic Iran and Islam.' Camille Rhoné-Quer, translated from Remmm Revue des mondes musulmans et de la MéditerranéeTable of Contents1. Prior connections to Islam; 2. Muhammad's Persian companion, Salman al-Farisi; 3. Finding meaning in the past; 4. Reforming Iranians' memories of pre-Islamic times; 5. The unhappy prophet; 6. Asserting the end of the past.

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Book SynopsisSecuritizing Islam examines the impact of 9/11, focusing on the ways in which identities in Britain have been affected in relation to Islam. Croft looks at how the promotion of Britishness has in part led to Muslims being seen as a threat to security.Trade Review'… combines theory with an empirically rich discussion of both historical and contemporary British identity … Securitizing Islam is a stimulating and important book that should be read and debated not only within the field of securitization theory, but by anyone interested in the relationship between security, national identity and Islam.' Frank Foley, European Political ScienceTable of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Ontological security and Britishness; 2. A post-Copenhagen securitisation theory; 3. 'Two World Wars and one World Cup': constructing contemporary Britishness; 4. 'New Britishness' and the 'new terrorism'; 5. The construction of ontological insecurity; Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisAlthough the position of Saudi women within society draws media attention throughout the world, young Saudi men remain part of a silent mass, their thoughts and views rarely heard outside of the Kingdom. Based on primary research across Saudi Arabia with young men from a diverse range of backgrounds, Mark C. Thompson allows for this distinct group of voices to be heard, revealing their opinions and attitudes towards the societal and economic transformations affecting their lives within a gender-segregated society and examining the challenges and dilemmas facing young Saudi men in the twenty-first century. From ideas and beliefs about, identity, education, employment, marriage prospects and gender segregation, as well as political participation and exclusion, this study in turn invites us to reconsider the future of Saudi Arabia as a globalized kingdom.Trade Review'This book is widely accessible, but is especially useful for students and scholars interested in the Middle East and the everyday lives of men in the region.' J. Alkorani, Choice'Mark Thompson's indispensable, book, Being Young, Male and Saudi: Identity and Politics in a Globalized Kingdom, breaks new ground for Saudi watchers and academics and is well overdue … There is an excellent bibliography and hundreds of useful notes.' Caroline Montagu, Asian AffairsTable of ContentsIntroduction and background; 1. What is Saudi? Identity, religiosity and generational divides; 2. The Saudi 'social contract' under strain: employment, housing and healthcare; 3. The new media revolution, public opinion and the relationship between the governing and governed; 4. Education, societal transformation and globalization; 5. Masculinity, gender relations and marriage; 6. Distrust, fault lines and recreation; 7. Saudi Vision 2030 and national development; Conclusion: youth, Saudi Arabia's human capital.

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Book SynopsisAsma Sayeed's book traces the history of Muslim women's religious education over the course of nearly ten centuries. This fascinating history is relevant for anyone interested in the history of Muslim women as well as those seeking a fuller understanding of developments in Muslim educational and social history.Trade Review'… an excellent contribution to extending our understanding of the history of early Hadith transmission … The author is to be commended for her painstaking efforts in bringing out this wealth of insightful material for a wider readership.' Muslim World Book Review'This work by Sayeed is not merely another study on women or gender with a focus on Sunni Islam. Similarly, it is not just about Islamic education and the dissemination of Hadith (stories about the practices and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad) that serve as norms for Islamic behavior, both religious and secular. Sayeed's perspectives are much more inclusive, bringing together various methodologies and disciplines … Highly recommended.' S. P. Blackburn, ChoiceTable of Contents1. A tradition invented: the female companions; 2. The successors; 3. The classical rebirth; 4. Traditionalism and the culmination of women's hadīth transmission.

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Book SynopsisExamining the process of abolition on the island of Pemba off the East African coast in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, this book demonstrates the links between emancipation and the redefinition of honour among all classes of people on the island. By examining the social vulnerability of ex-slaves and the former slave-owning elite caused by the abolition order of 1897, this study argues that moments of resistance on Pemba reflected an effort to mitigate vulnerability rather than resist the hegemonic power of elites or the colonial state. As the meaning of the Swahili word heshima shifted from honour to respectability, individuals' reputations came under scrutiny and the Islamic kadhi and colonial courts became an integral location for interrogating reputations in the community. This study illustrates the ways in which former slaves used piety, reputation, gossip, education, kinship and witchcraft to negotiate the gap between emancipation and local notions of belonginTrade Review'This detailed, absorbing and thought-provoking study is the most explicit attempt so far to address the aftermath of slavery in East Africa, a topic that has shown up in many previous studies but rarely been the main focus.' Felicitas Becker, H-Soz-KultTable of ContentsPreface; 1. Introduction; 2. Mzuri Kwao and slavery in eastern Africa; 3. Reputation and disputing in the courts; 4. Reputation, heshima, and community; 5. Mitigating vulnerability and kinship; 6. Magic, witchcraft, power, and vulnerability; Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisThis study explores the experience of intermarried couples - marriages with Jewish and non-Jewish partners - and their children in Vienna after Germany's seizure of Austria in 1938. Evan Burr Bukey finds that although intermarried couples lived in a state of fear and anxiety, many managed to mitigate, delay, or even escape Nazi sanctions.Trade Review'Through his history of those tied by family bonds, Bukey lays bare how the Nazi regime challenged core values of western civilization: the family, parents' protection of their children, the mutual love and loyalty of husbands and wives. And he shows how those fathers, mothers, wives, and husbands negotiated that assault. Written with great sensitivity and passion, and grounded in impeccable research, Jews and Intermarriage in Nazi Austria is a superb new work.' Debórah Dwork, Clark University'We have had only vague knowledge until now about the impact Nazi racist madness had on the private lives of Jews and intermarried couples in National Socialist Austria. Evan Burr Bukey went into Viennese archives, compiled exact statistics, and wrote a precise study about people who were forced to live in a state of enormous stress. He has reconstructed the fates of individuals and revealed thereby the whole gamut of human emotions: greed for money and assets, cowardice and betrayal, as well as loyalty to one's spouse, bravery, and moral courage. The result is an outstanding book, touching and sad, about people in extreme situations.' Ernst Hanisch, University of Salzburg'Singlehandedly, Professor Bukey has produced the definitive history of persecution of Austrians of Jewish heritage from Anschluss in 1938 to 1945. After all, Vienna was home to the second largest concentration of Jews and 'mixed marriages' in all of Hitler's Gross Deutsches Reich. Bukey's meticulous archival research and probing analyses present in detail how the Nazis imperiled the lives and marriages of hundreds of thousands of citizens while at the same time showing how sometimes individuals within that bureaucracy could blunt the worst of Nazi intentions. What Beate Meyer and Wolf Gruner have achieved in exposing Nazi persecution of intermarriages in Germany, Evan Bukey has matched with his exemplary history of intermarriages in Austria.' James F. Tent, University of Alabama, BirminghamTable of Contents1. Prologue: Jews and intermarriage in Austria; 2. Contesting racial status: successes and failures; 3. Intermarried divorce, 1938–45; 4. Tightening the noose: arrests, deportations, and forced labor, 1941–5; 5. Epilogue and conclusions.

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Book SynopsisThe Beginnings of Islamic Law is a major and innovative contribution to our understanding of the historical unfolding of Islamic law. Scrutinizing its historical contexts, the book proposes that Islamic law is a continuous intermingling of innovation and tradition. Salaymeh challenges the embedded assumptions in conventional Islamic legal historiography by developing a critical approach to the study of both Islamic and Jewish legal history. Through case studies of the treatment of war prisoners, circumcision, and wife-initiated divorce, she examines how Muslim jurists incorporated and transformed 'Near Eastern' legal traditions. She also demonstrates how socio-political and historical situations shaped the everyday practice of law, legal education, and the organization of the legal profession in the late antique and medieval eras. Aimed at scholars and students interested in Islamic history, Islamic law, and the relationship between Jewish and Islamic legal traditions, this book's inteTrade Review'It is not an exaggeration to say that I have waited a lifetime for this level of superlative and inspired workmanship to grace the field of Islamic jurisprudence. This erudite and path-paving book has all the elements of becoming a classic in the field. By her unrelentingly rigorous historical method and penetrating comparative approach, the author has quite literally established a model for compelling and undeniable scholarship in the field. All students of Islamic jurisprudence, and also comparative legal studies, will be studying and debating this landmark work for many years to come.' Khaled Abou El Fadl, Alfi Professor of Law, University of California, Los Angeles'The Beginnings of Islamic Law calls for a complete transformation in how a field of study thinks about its subject. Lena Salaymeh offers an overwhelming argument, complete with meticulous historical evidence, for instituting a 'historicist' revolution in the history of Islamic and Jewish law, a revolution that will create a legal history that grounds law in its social and historical context, that sees law and context irreversibly wedded. For the anthropomorphic imagery of positivist inquiry into the 'origin' of Islamic law - its conception, its birth, its parentage, and its maturation - and the narrow, linear framework into which positivism forces historical evidence, Salaymeh substitutes an historicist exploration of the circumstances of Islamic law's incipiently plural 'beginnings', its representation in multiple 'Islamicate legal cultures', and its fluid and fluent interrelationships with co-temporal legal traditions, notably Jewish law. This is a tremendously liberating project.' Christopher Tomlins, University of California, Berkeley'This is a polemical book, understanding 'polemical' in the best sense of the word: a book that argues persuasively and with deep learning against regnant theories that give pride of place to exogenous factors in the evolution of Islamic law. It is comparatist, but not in the classic sense that pits one historical reality against the same in another culture, leading inevitably to a contest. Salaymeh's concept of comparative study places two (or more) phenomena side-by-side to better understand universal mechanisms and forces of history, and an inner, universal logic of legal evolution.' Mark R. Cohen, Khedouri A. Zilkha Professor of Jewish Civilization in the Near East, Emeritus, Princeton University, New Jersey'In The Beginnings of Islamic Law, Lena Salaymeh offers a provocative reassessment of history and historiography that demands - and deserves - the attention of scholars who study late antique and medieval Islamic society.' David M. Freidenreich, Colby College, Maine'Deep and stark divisions haunt the scholarship that seeks to understand the history of the first two centuries of Islamic law. … This work deserves to be recognized as an important contribution to the study not just of early Islamic legal history, but of Islamic legal historiography more broadly.' Mohammad Fadel, Journal of the American Academy of ReligionTable of ContentsIntroduction: genealogies of Islamic law; 1. Legal-historical beginnings - outlining late antique Islamic law; 2. Legal historiography - a case study in international law; 3. Legal-historical hybridity - tracing Islam in its Islamicate context; 4. Legal custom - a case study in ritual law; 5. Legal historicizing: moments in macro-histories; 6. Legal comparisons - a case study in family law; Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisThis book is the first sustained effort at investigating the intellectual currents among Ottoman and North African scholars of the early modern period and argues for a more textured - and text-centered - understanding of the vibrant exchange of ideas and transmission of knowledge across a vast expanse of Ottoman-controlled territory.Trade Review'A labor of admirable erudition, this book by Professor Khaled El-Rouayheb establishes a new standard for the intellectual history of Islam in general and for Ottoman intellectual history in particular. By focusing on the hitherto unexplored technical arguments of the textual traditions and by deftly placing them within the larger systems in which they developed, the author goes far beyond previous studies of Ottoman intellectual history that concerned themselves primarily with the social, cultural and legal locations of ideas. The history of ideas has finally taken center stage in Islamic studies as the guiding principle of intellectual history. This is pioneering work.' Asad Q. Ahmed, University of California, Berkeley'A book like this would rank as a fine piece of scholarship in the intellectual history of any time and place. For the Islamic world of the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, it transforms the field almost beyond recognition.' Michael Cook, Princeton University'Khaled El-Rouayheb's Islamic Intellectual History in the Seventeenth Century is a most welcome contribution to an understudied subject and period, which sets out to challenge many preconceived notions of intellectual and scientific sclerosis. The author sets a perfect example as to how a period stigmatized by such negative perceptions should be investigated. Rather than seeking some Islamic 'Renaissance' or 'Enlightenment', he simply sets out to look at which significant works were produced during the period that contradict this general opinion, in order to understand the dynamics of reflection, transmission, inspiration and emulation in an interconnected Ottoman/Islamic world. The result is a meticulous and fascinating intellectual history enriched by textual and network analysis.' Edhem Eldem, Boğaziçi University'In Islamic Intellectual History in the Seventeenth Century, Khaled El-Rouayheb probes taḥqīq or 'verification', whether based on dialectic, deep reading, or mystical illumination. In the process, he uncovers a vibrant intellectual world throughout the Ottoman Empire, North Africa and beyond. This is a groundbreaking work on the Islamic intellectual history of the early modern period.' Th. Emil Homerin, University of Rochester'Khaled El-Rouayheb's groundbreaking study deals with Islamic intellectual history in the Ottoman Empire and North Africa during the seventeenth century - a century that was until now thought to be devoid of any intellectual achievements worth mentioning. … Both the geographical scope of this book and its analytical depth set an entirely new benchmark for any future study of Islamic intellectual thought in the so-called post-classical period.' Sabine Schmidtke, Institute for Advanced Study, School of Historical Studies'Although El-Rouayheb views his book as being a humble step toward discovering the still largely unknown intellectual world of the Ottomans, his book may be regarded as a candidate for a 'cornerstone' work in the field of Ottoman intellectual history, for it sets an example for new studies that will be carried out with this kind of academic maturity.' Nazif Muhtaroðlu, Nazariyat'[This book] is a reliable and accessible work of scholarship. El-Rouayheb's writing is quite analytical and lucid, and his research is astute and trustworthy … reading Islamic Intellectual History in the Seventeenth Century is a must for those studying Islamic philosophy and theology, Sufism, and intellectual history of the Ottoman Empire and the Maghreb. The book as a whole or in part is recommended as a textbook as well for courses in these areas.' Mustafa Yavuz, Dîvân: Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies'El-Rouayheb's book, which is based on some of his previously published works, critically engages with the widely shared view among some contemporary Muslim and Western historians that the 17th century Muslim world was characterised by an acute education and intellectual stagnation and decline.' Abdullah Sahin, The Muslim World Book Review'El-Rouayheb has produced a fascinating work that presents the early modern period as one of great intellectual vitality, with ideas and intellectual movements swirling from Morocco to Indonesia. He introduces us to a wide variety of figures, many of whom have been lost to history for all but the most determined of scholarly researchers.' John J. Curry, Journal of Ottoman Studies'This is an important book. … one that scholars of the early modern period will no doubt read avidly. … In its nuances and detailed reading of the long seventeenth century, El-Rouayheb's book contains numerous insights into the significance and nature of both earlier and later periods and should be read by intellectual historians of Islam, regardless of the period in which they specialize.' Justin Stearns, Journal of the American Oriental SocietyTable of ContentsPart I. 'The Path of the Kurdish and Persian Verifying Scholars': 1. Kurdish scholars and the reinvigoration of the rational sciences; 2. A discourse of method: the evolution of ādāb al-bahth; 3. The rise of 'deep reading'; Part II. 'Saving Servants from the Yoke of Imitation': 4. Maghrebi 'theologian-logicians' in Egypt and the Hejaz; 5. The condemnation of 'imitation' (taqlīd); 6. Al-Hasan al-Yūsī and two theological controversies in seventeenth-century Morocco; Part III. 'The Imams of Those Who Proclaim the Unity of Existence': 7. The spread of mystical monism; 8. Monist mystics and neo-Hanbalī traditionalism; 9. In defense of wahdat al-wujūd.

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Book SynopsisIn this study of Lord Shaftesbury - Victorian England's greatest humanitarian and most prominent Christian Zionist - Donald M. Lewis examines why British evangelicals became fascinated with the Jews and how they promoted a 'teaching of esteem' that countered a 'teaching of contempt'. Evangelicals militated for the restoration of Jews to Palestine by lobbying the British cabinet on foreign policy decisions. Professing their love for the Jews, they effectively reshaped the image of the Jew in conversionist literature, gave sacrificially to convert them to Christianity, and worked with German Pietists to create a joint Anglican-Lutheran bishopric in Jerusalem, the center (in their minds) of world Jewry. Evangelical identity evolved during this process and had an impact on Jewish identity, transforming Jewish-Christian relations. It also changed the course of world history by creating a climate of opinion in the United Kingdom in favor of the Balfour Declaration of 1917, which pledged BritTrade Review"Lewis's book is a very important contribution to the study of British Christian Zionism. One suspects that it will remain the authoritative text on that subject for many years to come." --H-Review DigestTable of ContentsIntroduction; Part I. The Rise of British Evangelical Interest in the Jews: 1. The restoration of the Jews in Protestant thought; 2. Pietism, Clapham, and the Jews; 3. Evangelicalism, prophecy and the Jews; Part II. 'Shaftesbury and the Jews': 4. Shaftesbury the new recruit; 5. 'Christian Europe' in the House of Islam: political, cultural and religious factors leading to European interest in the Middle East in the first half of the nineteenth century; 6. Shaftesbury's attitude to the Jews and to Palestine; 7. Protecting 'God's ancient people' and preparing for their restoration; Part III. Evangelicals and Pietists Together: The Mission to Jews and Palestine: 8. British Evangelical and German Pietist missions in Palestine in the 1820s; 9. A British consul in Jerusalem; 10. An Anglican church in Jerusalem for the 'unwelcome intruders in the Home of Islam'; 11. The Jerusalem Bishopric; 12. Prussia's turn: the Episcopate of Samuel Gobat; Part IV. Shaftesbury's Final Years: 13. Toward the Balfour Declaration.

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Anti-Jewish pogroms rocked the Russian Empire in 1881â2, plunging both the Jewish community and the imperial authorities into crisis. Focusing on a wide range of responses to the pogroms, this book offers the most comprehensive, balanced, and complex study of the crisis to date. It presents a nuanced account of the diversity of Jewish political reactions and introduces a wealth of new sources covering Russian and other non-Jewish reactions to these events. Seeking to answer the question of what caused the pogroms' outbreak and spread, the book provides a fuller picture of how officials at every level responded to the national emergency and irrevocably lays to rest the myth that the authorities instigated or tolerated the pogroms. This is essential reading not only for Russian and Jewish historians but also for those interested in the study of ethnic violence more generally.

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Book SynopsisThis book develops a theory of existential security. It demonstrates that the publics of virtually all advanced industrial societies have been moving toward more secular orientations during the past half century, but also that the world as a whole now has more people with traditional religious views than ever before. This second edition expands the theory and provides new and updated evidence from a broad perspective and in a wide range of countries. This confirms that religiosity persists most strongly among vulnerable populations, especially in poorer nations and in failed states. Conversely, a systematic erosion of religious practices, values and beliefs has occurred among the more prosperous strata in rich nations.Trade Review"This second edition is an outstanding contribution to the new thought among social scientists about the process of secularization... Norris and Inglehart present convincing arguments soundly anchored in extensive systematic research from around the globe...[They] provide a brilliant, well-written, and thoroughly convincing second edition of what will surely become a classic in the field. This is an indispensable work for any college-level class concerned with the role of religion in the contemporary world. Summing Up: Essential." -J.J. Preston, Sonoma State University, CHOICE MagazineTable of ContentsPart I. Understanding Secularization: 1. The secularization debate; 2. Measuring secularization; 3. Comparing secularization worldwide; Part II. Case Studies of Religion and Politics: 4. The puzzle of secularization in the United States and Western Europe; 5. A religious revival in post-communist Europe?; 6. Religion and politics in the Muslim world; Part III. The Consequences of Secularization: 7. Religion, the Protestant ethic, and moral values; 8. Religious organizations and social capital; 9. Religious parties and electoral behavior; Part IV. Conclusions: 10. Secularization and its consequences; 11. Re-examining the theory of existential security; 12. Re-examining evidence for the security thesis.

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Book SynopsisJocelyne Cesari investigates the relationship between modernization, politics, and Islam in Muslim-majority countries. This book provides a unique overview of the historical and political developments that have made Islam the dominant force in the construction of the modern states, and discusses its impact on emerging democracies in the contemporary Middle East.Trade Review'An indispensable guide to the understanding of political Islam by one of Europe's leading analysts. Theoretically sophisticated, this book answers all the big questions.' Roger Owen, Emeritus Professor, Harvard University, Massachusetts'Jocelyne Cesari not only combines historically rich analysis with admirable geographical breadth and coverage of recent events, she also forces us to view familiar questions through some very new lenses. Rather than approaching political Islam through the prism of social movements and opposition, her starting point is the state and formal institutions. But that is not always her ending point: she shows how and why democracy - if it emerges - is often likely to take some unfamiliar forms in political systems in which political Islam is deeply entrenched.' Nathan Brown, George Washington University'One of the dominant scholarly assumptions regarding political Islam is the dichotomy between state and religion and between modernization and Islamization. The Awakening of Muslim Democracy turns this dominant hypothesis on its head. It argues that state actions and politics have played a key role in politicizing Islam and that the modernization of Muslim societies did not lead to privatization of religion but rather to the politicization of Islam. By bringing the state back and integrating an institutional approach with the social and individual levels, this book makes a critical contribution to our understanding of religion, modernity, and the state in the Muslim world.' Fawaz A. Gerges, London School of Economics and Political Science, and author of The New Middle East: Protest and Revolution in the Arab World (Cambridge University Press, 2014)Table of ContentsPart I. The Making of Islam as a Modern Religion: 1. Modernization and politicization of religion; 2. Nation-state building and the inclusion of Muslim polities within the Westphalian order; 3. Islam in the constitution; 4. Nationalization of Islamic institutions and clerics; 5. Islam in the legal system; 6. Teaching Islam in public schools; Part II. Islamism as the Central Political Force Pre- and Post-Arab Spring: 7. Political opposition through Islamic institutions; 8. Ideological strength of Islamist opposition; 9. From martyrs to rulers; Part III. The Disjunction of Democracy and Secularism - Lessons Learned from the Arab Spring: 10. The rise of unsecular democracies: the conundrum of religious freedom in Muslim democracies; 11. The way forward: the role of Islam in future democratizations; Conclusion. The tragedy of modernity.

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Book SynopsisThis book traces the development of arguments about race over a period of more than 350 years in the Niger Bend in northern Mali. Bruce S. Hall reconstructs an African intellectual history of race that long predated colonial conquest, and which has continued to orient community relations ever since.Trade Review'Bruce Hall embarked on a great project to understand why racial arguments were so common in West Africa's political contexts and yet so invisible in history books. His book is an objective and nuanced analysis of race relations. Anyone who wants to know about race relations in West Africa must read this brilliant study.' Chouki El Hamel, Arizona State University'In this provocative and audacious challenge to the most influential paradigm of 'race' in African studies - Mamdani's 'contemporary racism as colonial legacy', Bruce Hall posits race as an atemporal language imbued with both deep historical meaning and widespread contemporary exigency. [He] brings to his analysis not only the texts of Islamic scholars, but also the voices and views of local Songhay slave-descendants and farmers. Conceptualized in the context of the present, it draws on an enormous interdisciplinary arsenal of languages, methodologies, and theories to engage with an historical concern that spans time and space - namely when, why, and how do people 'chose' racial construction to order their lives? And with what consequences? This is African history at its best because, like the world about which Hall writes, it will take its place in the ongoing dialogue about race that extends well beyond Africa.' Ann McDougall, University of Alberta'What makes this work so outstanding is that it is for the larger part based on local Arabic source material, which ensures that the local visions of race and society are indeed local and not inferred through an interpretation of French source material … For many of us, reading this book will mean reconsidering much of what we thought we knew about Islam, history, and society in the Sahel.' Baz Lecocq, Islamic AfricaTable of ContentsIntroduction; Part I. Race Along the Desert-Edge, c.1600–1900: 1. Making race in the Sahel, c.1600–1900; 2. Reading the blackness of the Sudan, c.1600–1900; Part II. Race and the Colonial Encounter, c.1830–1936: 3. Meeting the Tuareg; 4. Colonial conquest and statecraft in the Niger Bend, c.1893–1936; Part III. The Morality of Descent, 1893–1940: 5. Defending hierarchy: Tuareg arguments about authority and descent, c.1893–1940; 6. Defending slavery: the moral order of inequality, c.1893–1940; 7. Defending the river: Songhay arguments about land, c.1893–1940; Part IV. Race and Decolonization, 1940–60: 8. The racial politics of decolonization, 1940–60; Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisControversial Jewish journalist and political lobbyist Lucien Wolf (1857â1930) co-founded the Jewish Historical Society of England in 1893, editing this work in 1901. It comprises a series of pamphlets and tracts written by Menasseh ben Israel (1604â57). An Amsterdam rabbi and founder of the city's first Hebrew publishing house, Menasseh was well regarded among non-Jewish theologians. As an advocate of messianic tradition, he sought to scatter the Jews across the world, leading him to England in the 1650s to campaign for their readmission following Edward I's edict of expulsion in 1290. The material presented here is chiefly concerned with Menasseh's interactions with Oliver Cromwell and shows the rabbi taking advantage of the contemporary drive for reinstatement for reasons of religious toleration as well as practical politics. The work includes the famous petition from the Jewish community and offers valuable insight into the history of the Jews in England.Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1. The return of the Jews to England; 2. 'The hope of Israel, written by Menasseh ben Israel'; 3. 'To his highnesse the lord protector'; 4. 'Vindiciae Judaeorum'; Notes; Index.

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Revealing what is ''Islamic'' in Islamic art, Shaw explores the perception of arts, including painting, music, and geometry through the discursive sphere ofhistoricalIslam including the Qur''an, Hadith, Sufism, ancient philosophy, and poetry. Emphasis on the experience of reception over the context of production enables a new approach, not only to Islam and its arts, but also as a decolonizing model for global approaches to art history. Shaw combines a concise introduction to Islamic intellectual history with a critique of the modern, secular, and European premises of disciplinary art history. Her meticulous interpretations of intertextual themes span antique philosophies, core religious and theological texts, and prominent prose and poetry in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Urdu that circulated across regions of Islamic hegemony from the eleventh century to the colonial and post-colonial contexts of the modern Middle East.

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Book SynopsisThe caliphs and sultans who once ruled the Muslim world were often assisted by powerful Jewish, Christian, Zoroastrian, and other non-Muslim state officials, whose employment occasioned energetic discussions among Muslim scholars and rulers. This book reveals those discussions for the first time in all their diversity, drawing on unexplored medieval sources in the realms of law, history, poetry, entertaining literature, administration, and polemic. It follows the discourse on non-Muslim officials from its beginnings in the Umayyad empire (661750), through medieval Iraq, Egypt, Syria, and Spain, to its apex in the Mamluk period (12501517). Far from being an intrinsic part of Islam, views about non-Muslim state officials were devised, transmitted, and elaborated at moments of intense competition between Muslim and non-Muslim learned elites. At other times, Muslim rulers employed non-Muslims without eliciting opposition. The particular shape of the Islamic discourse on this issue is compaTrade Review'A breakthrough for Middle East history … Few in the field are equipped to perform the meticulous research and incisive analysis on which this book rests. A must-read for anyone interested in Islamic law, the history of the Middle East, and Muslims' relationships to non-Muslims.' Marina Rustow, Princeton University, New Jersey'This book reveals a spectacular mastery of very diverse medieval Arabic primary sources. It explores how and why Muslim rulers for centuries regularly employed non-Muslims in important government positions, despite the frequent disapproval of this practice by many Muslim scholars and men of letters. This is a first-class work of original scholarship.' Carole Hillenbrand, University of St Andrews, Scotland'This richly detailed study illuminates the cultural wars of Islam's past, offering a vivid picture of Islam's value as a symbol of rule in the competition for state offices among Muslims and non-Muslims. It provides indispensable perspective for reflection on the nature of both interreligious relations and state-society relations in Islam.' Paul L. Heck, Georgetown University'Luke B. Yarbrough has written a brilliant, revisionist, diachronic history of the often discussed opposition to the employment of non-Muslims in the pre-modern Islamic state. Upending the assumption that this antagonism was born, in the first instance, of juristic prescription and religious prejudice, Yarbrough effectively demonstrates, that it was not doctrinal discrimination, let alone religious hatred that gave rise to and perpetuated such a discourse. Rather, it was rivalry over the 'ubiquitous pursuit of resources' that lay behind the cry, expressed in multiple genres of Arabic literature, to oust non-Muslims from their often prominent positions in Islamic government.' Mark R. Cohen, Princeton University'Friends of the Emir is a lucidly written history of pre-modern Muslim attitudes towards the employment of non-Muslims by Muslim rulers. Learned, broad, and nuanced in its approach, Yarbrough's study sees beyond the clichéd dichotomies between 'historical realities' and 'legal norms' to provide a historical account as definitive as it is original.' Sean Anthony, Ohio State University'… this is an excellent and long-overdue study of an important aspect of interfaith relations and the evolution of Muslim government and identity, and a book which is comple Nabulusi's Tajrid mented by Yarborough's recent edition and translation of Ibn al-Nābulusī's Tajrīd...Friends of the Emir's fluid prose and clear argumentation will render it accessible and useful to graduate students and scholars in a variety of fields.' Brian A. Catlos, Al-Masāq'This book is … a most important read for anyone interested in Islamic political culture in general, and in the inter faith relationships in premodern Muslim societies in particular.' Valerie Gonzalez, Journal of the Medieval Mediterranean'The monograph will be a welcome and important addition to seminars on the intellectual and social history of the Middle East.' Kyle Longworth, Journal of Near Eastern Studies'The book's detailed analysis of individual texts and how they contribute to a larger discourse is exemplary. Yarbrough provides insights into more familiar texts and introduces unfamiliar texts in a way that is helpful for future research. Readers interested in a particular period, place, or genre covered in the book's scope will likely find additional rewards in specific moments of illumination.' Janina Safran, Journal of the American Oriental SocietyTable of ContentsPart I. Beginnings: 1. An introduction to the prescriptive discourse surrounding non-Muslim state officials; 2. Preludes to the discourse: non-Muslim officials and late ancient antecedents; 3. The beginnings of the discourse to 236/851; 4. The discourse comes of age: the edicts of the caliph al-Mutawakkil; Part II. Elaboration: 5. Juristic aspects of the discourse; 6. Literary aspects of the discourse; Part III. Efflorescence and Comparisons: 7. The discourse at its apogee: the independent counsel works; 8. The discourse in wider perspective: comparisons and conclusions; 9. Afterword: the discourse to the nineteenth century.

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Book SynopsisIn this book, Molly Zahn investigates how early Jewish scribes rewrote their authoritative traditions in the course of transmitting them, from minor edits in the course of copying to whole new compositions based on prior works. Scholars have detected evidence for rewriting in a wide variety of textual contexts, but Zahn''s is the first book to map manuscripts and translations of biblical books, so-called ''parabiblical'' compositions, and the sectarian literature from Qumran in relation to one another. She introduces a new, adaptable set of terms for talking about rewriting, using the idea of genre as a tool to compare and contrast different cases. Although rewriting has generally been understood as a vehicle for biblical interpretation, Zahn moves beyond that framework to demonstrate that rewriting was a pervasive textual strategy in the Second Temple period. Her book contributes to a powerful new model of early Jewish textuality, illuminating the rich and diverse culture out of whichTrade Review'… a significant contribution to the study of retelling, biblical hermeneutics, and material philology … This book moves the conversation about genre and rewriting to a new level as it is both theoretically sophisticated and philologically rigorous.' Hindy Najman, Journal for the Study of the Old TestamentTable of Contents1. Rewriting, revision, and reuse: language and methods; 2. Genre and rewriting; 3. Revision and reuse in the Bible; 4. Beyond 'rewritten Bible': revision and reuse in the Temple Scroll, Jubilees, and Qumran sectarian works; 5. Translation and/as rewriting: the Greek Bible, the Targumim, and the Genesis Apocryphon; 6. Diverse genres of reuse: centripetal, limited, historical résumé, pastiche; 7. Second temple rewriting in context: authority, exegesis, and scribal culture.

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Book SynopsisUsing a wealth of primary sources, this book traces the history of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), one of the most important yet least understood Palestinian armed factions from its origins in the early 1980s to today, exploring its continued presence despite its more powerful sister movement Hamas.Trade Review'This will become the authoritative work on the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement for years to come. Based on massive primary sources, Skare has produced a meticulous historiography of the Movement combined with intellectual inquiry and political analysis, all situated within the broader context of the Zionist colonial occupation of Palestine.' Khaled Al Hroub, Northwestern University'The most comprehensive work on Palestinian Islamic Jihad to date, delving deeply into the movement's textual underpinnings and other outputs largely ignored by previous scholarship. As such, it is an important contribution to the literature on the Palestine/Israel conflict examining this key but grossly understudied actor.' Tristan Dunning, The University of Queensland'This study fills a significant gap in the scholarship on the history and socio-political makeup of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), as compared to Hamas. The work locates the PIJ in the context of anticolonial struggle, inspired by secular-nationalist currents in the 1960s, and hence intertwining religious symbolism and secular politics when advocating armed conflict with Israel. It will be of great interest to social scientists and historians working on de-colonization, Middle Eastern Islamism and Palestinian politics.' Meir Hatina, Hebrew University of Jerusalem'An impressive book that skilfully traces the historical development, political thinking and ideology of this poorly understood but critical Palestinian actor. An original and authoritative work, it constitutes a significant contribution to the scholarship on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and is destined to become a standard text in the field.' Sara Roy, Harvard University'By the end of the book, the reader will have a sense of not only how Palestinian Islamic Jihad came to be, but also why it still exists, despite often being overshadowed by the larger Hamas.' Omar Ahmed, Palestine Book AwardsTable of ContentsIntroduction; Part I. The Beginning of PIJ (1967–1988): 1. The roots of PIJ; 2. Awareness: the anti-colonial front; 3. Organizing the movement: PIJ's recruitment of new militants; 4. From students to militants: commencing the armed struggle; Part II. From the First Intifada to the Oslo Agreement (1988–2000): 5. Deportation, patronage, and organizational reform; 6. Faith: the conciliatory movement; 7. The collapse of PIJ; Part III. From the Second Intifada to the Arab Spring (2000–2017): 8. The comeback of PIJ; 9. From strife to the Arab Spring; 10. Revolution: PIJ, the state, and civil society; 11. Conclusion: Why PIJ?

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“A touching series of essays in which Held Evans, with Chu’s invisible pen, explores how one might find a path forward in Christianity beyond conservative evangelicalism” — The New Yorker "What readers will find in these pages — what I found — was someone deeply human: funny, irreverent, curious, wise, forgiving, nonjudgmental. She admits that a person of faith has doubts, carries anger and sometimes cannot reconcile, or carte blanche accept, certain aspects of Christianity. She shows us ourselves." — The Washington Post “Tackles topics like grace, doubt and sacrifice while somehow embodying the advice of its first author to its second: ‘Thick skin, tender heart.’” — New York Times “I love everything Rachel Held Evans wrote, and I love her profound, warm-hearted, brilliant storytelling. Her books have always thrown the theological lights on for me, charmed the pants off me, entertained and enlightened me.” — Anne Lamott, author of Dusk, Night, Dawn and Help, Thanks, Wow “Christianity is going through a reformation, and [Evans] might well have been our Martin Luther... She helped mainline Christians stop being afraid of Jesus, and she helped evangelicals know the love of God.” — The Most Rev. Michael Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church "There is abundantly a rising theological and liturgical searching, a passionate calling towards service that echoes the heart of the great traditions. This is nowhere more true than around the boundaries of Christianity, and no person has given more winsome voice to it than Rachel Held Evans." — Krista Tippett, host of On Being "This beautiful book is a bittersweet sanctuary. I'm grateful to Jeff Chu for coming alongside her words with such faithfulness to ensure that her voice rings true in every line. For those of us who find ourselves wandering in the wilderness, this is a respite from our most trusted leader." — Sarah Bessey, New York Times bestselling author of A Rhythm of Prayer and Jesus Feminist “Gorgeous, heartfelt and bittersweet. Rachel Held Evans spent her beautiful life trying to convince us that, all along, God’s love was for absolutely everyone. At last, we must believe her.” — Kate Bowler, author of No Cure for Being Human and Everything Happens for a Reason “A voice like Rachel’s endures in the time machine of her writing. All who love the sound of it owe Jeff Chu a deep bow. A vision like hers outlives a single lifetime. What she discovered, she made available to us; now it’s our turn to carry on.” — Barbara Brown Taylor, author of An Altar in the World and Learning to Walk in the Dark If you feel even a shred of internal division, Wholehearted Faith will help you put the pieces back together. This book is a special gift—I've already gone back for a second and third read. Each page invites you toward an honest and humane wholeness. — Brian D. McLaren, author of Faith After Doubt “Like all of her work, [Wholehearted Faith] is warm, wise, and intimate. . . . Evans doesn’t shame the ignorant. She delights us into knowledge on the way to wisdom. . . . One can see why Evans’s critics pounce. She likes to draw out their poison to bring healing.” — The Christian Century "A lifeline for disenchanted Christians. We are fortunate to have it as her last word." — Spirituality and Practice “Her quest to liberate her faith from fundamentalism garnered her a wide following of devoted fans. . . . Evans’s honest questioning of Christian teachings and a God she mostly (but doesn’t always) believe in will strike a chord with believers and agnostics alike.” — Library Journal “Wholehearted Faith speaks equally well to all; book groups will find rich fodder for discussions, parents will find support for raising tender-hearted Christian children and pastors will find that perfect illustration for Sunday’s sermon." — The Presbyterian Outlook "This book is important; it’s a keeper, and one that I’ll read again." — Englewood Review of Books

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Book SynopsisA family history of surpassing beauty and power: Ian Buruma’s account of his grandparents’ enduring love through the terror and separation of two world warsDuring the almost six years England was at war with Nazi Germany, Winifred and Bernard Schlesinger, Ian Buruma’s grandparents, and the film director John Schlesinger's parents, were, like so many others, thoroughly sundered from each other. Their only recourse was to write letters back and forth. And write they did, often every day. In a way they were just picking up where they left off in 1918, at the end of their first long separation because of the Great War that swept Bernard away to some of Europe’s bloodiest battlefields. The thousands of letters between them were part of an inheritance that ultimately came into the hands of their grandson, Ian Buruma. Now, in a labor of love that is also a powerful act of artistic creation, Ian Buruma has woven his own voice in with theirs to provide the

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Book SynopsisA graphic history that uses a theological disputation to explore interfaith relations, the complicated dynamics between Christians and Jews in medieval Spain, and the nature of truth.Trade ReviewCaputo has created a work that is intellectually fascinating and visually stimulating. * Ben Rothke, Israel Times *Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgements Part I: Graphic history Chapter 1."Our lord king ordered me to debate Friar Paul..." Chapter 2. "We have three types of books..." Chapter 3. "Jesus never walked with the righteous in the Garden of Eden..." Chapter 4. "Moses, called master, having been summoned by the lord king..." Chapter 5. "I write this letter to you from Jerusalem..." Part II: The Primary Sources Document I: Nahmanides' Hebrew Account of the Barcelona Disputation Document II: The Latin Account of the Barcelona Disputation Document III: A letter from King James I permitting the Dominicans to compel Jews to attend public sermons and protecting the property and freedoms of those who convert Document IV: A letter from James I calling for the burning of copies of one of Maimonides' books on charges that it contained statements blaspheming Jesus Document V: Letter from James I to the Jewish communities of the Crown of Aragon instructing them to attend Friar Paul's sermons Document VI: Letter from James I limiting the friars' freedom to compel Jews to attend their sermons Document VII: James I's report of tribunal investigating charges that Nahmanides had blasphemed Document VIII: Letter of reprimand from Pope Clement IV to James I Document IX: Letter from Nahmanides to his son describing the physical landscape of Palestine. This document includes important demographic and political information as well as details about daily life in late thirteenth-century Palestine Document X: Selected canons from the Fourth Lateran Council concerning the statement of the Catholic creed, definition of heresy, a call for regulations governing Jewish business and public conduct, and a statement of privileges and rewards for those who participate in renewed military campaigns to the Holy Land Part III: Context 1. Reconquista and the Boundaries of Christendom 2. King James the Conqueror (1213-1276) 3. The Jews of Spain 4. Disputation in Medieval Society and Culture Part IV: Historiography Modern and Medieval Traces of the Barcelona Disputation Making This Book: Sources, Historical Narrative, and Visual Media Part V: Resources for Further Research Questions Sources for Additional Reading Glossary Maps and Figures

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