Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewWall Street Journal "The doctrine of the caliphate still animates the imagination of Muslim theologians, politicians and ideologues, as Hugh Kennedy shows powerfully in Caliphate...[an] intriguing argument... In order to grasp recent developments in the Middle East and Muslim South Asia and Africa--let alone to try to remake the region's politics--you would be a fool to ignore this history of the caliphate. In Mr. Kennedy's optimistic view the best thing about the caliphate is that it is a living idea that may yet still serve as a model for good governance." Washington Post "British historian Hugh Kennedy takes it upon himself to recover the caliphate's meaning, and he succeeds with welcome doses of erudition, accuracy and, when necessary, empathy." Times Literary Supplement "An engaging portrait of a fascinating, multifaceted history." Publishers Weekly "[An] engrossing and entertaining introduction... Kennedy clearly shows the continuing power of this idea to incite controversy." Kirkus Reviews "Enlisting significant Arab-language scholarship, Kennedy provides a carefully calibrated, timely chronicle for nonacademic readers."
