Middle East Studies

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The Nation or the Ummah

Explains why Turkey embraced the Arab Spring despite the risk both domestically and internationally.

All the World Is Awry

Examines the thought of Abū al-‛Alā’ al-Ma‛arrī (973–1057 CE) within the broader context of the major trends in Arab Islamic political and intellectual history by the time of his flourishing.

Hollywood Films in North Africa and the Middle East

Traces the circulation of Hollywood films in North Africa and the Middle East from the early twentieth century to the present.

The Anonymity of a Commentator

A close study of one of the most prolific commentary writers in Islamic history.

Premises and Problems

Edited by Luiza Franco Moreira
Introduction by Luiza Franco Moreira
Subjects: Literature
Series: SUNY Press Open Access

Discusses world literature and cinema from the perspective of literary languages and film traditions that do not hold a hegemonic position.

Ummah

Offers the Islamic concept of ummah as an alternative to the nation-state.

The International Dimension of the Israel-Palestinian Conflict

Analyzes the Israel-Palestinian conflict by looking at its interactions with seven regional and global powers and the way the conflict is framed at the international level.

Complex Effects of International Relations

Identifies the many ways in which unexpected outcomes are endemic to international relations due to the complexity of world politics.

Since 1948

A portrait of Israeli literature in its full transnational and multilingual complexity.

Women's Activism and New Media in the Arab World

Critically evaluates the rapid changes that have happened in women’s lives in the contemporary Middle East due to globalization and the increasing popularity of modern technology and social media use.

The Repose of the Spirits

Major new translation of a unique and important Persian treatise on divine names in the Islamic tradition.

The Art of Jihad

Identifies and traces the evolution of a forgotten “realist” tradition in medieval Islamic political thought, and considers the prospects for its revival in the context of the contemporary Middle East.

The First Zionist Congress

Translated by Michael J. Reimer
Introduction by Michael J. Reimer
Subjects: Jewish Studies

An indispensable primary source in the history of Zionism.

Repentance and the Return to God

The first major study of the idea of repentance, or tawba, in Islam.

A Queer Way Out

Argues that queer Israeli emigrants engage in a deliberately unheroic form of resistance to Zionism.

Water and Power in Past Societies

Examines the many ways water has contributed to power structures in the past, with insights for contemporary water management.

Cultural Journeys into the Arab World

Edited by Dalya Cohen-Mor
Introduction by Dalya Cohen-Mor
Subjects: Literature

A diverse collection of fiction and nonfiction literature from across the Arabic-speaking world.

Educational Oases in the Desert

By Jonathan Sciarcon
Subjects: History

A history of the French schools that pioneered female education in Ottoman Iraq's Jewish communities.

Walāyah in the Fāṭimid Ismāʿīlī Tradition

Explores the relationship between revelation and reason in medieval Islamic intellectual history.

Beauty in Sufism

Analyzes the place of beauty in the Sufi understanding of God, the world, and the human being through the writings of Sufi scholar and saint Rūzbihān Baqlī.

Global Women, Colonial Ports

By Liat Kozma
Subjects: History

Combines analysis of transnational prostitution and traffic in women with a social history of the League of Nations and interwar globalization.

Ahmad al-Ghazālī, Remembrance, and the Metaphysics of Love

Discusses the work of a central, but poorly understood, figure in the development of Persian Sufism, Aḥmad al-Ghazālī.

Text/ures of Iraq

Presents work by Halahmy and eight other contemporary artists from Iraq: Hayder Ali, Amal Alwan, Mohammed al Hamadany, Ismail Khayat, Hanaa Malallah, Hassan Massoudy, Naziha Rashid, and Qasim Sabti.

Social Media in Iran

First comprehensive account of how the Internet has impacted life in Iran.

Beirut on the Bayou

By Raif Shwayri
Subjects: Area Studies

Tells the story of Lebanese immigrant Alfred Nicola, the fortune he began building as a peddler in Louisiana, and the family that founded Al-Kafaat University, an iconic institution serving the underprivileged and disabled of Lebanon, through two centuries of unrest in the Middle East.

Beyond Post-Zionism

By Eran Kaplan
Subjects: Area Studies

Comprehensive and critical analysis of the post-Zionist debates and their impact on various aspects of Israeli culture.

Insurgent, Poet, Mystic, Sectarian

Discusses how contemporary Iranian and Middle Eastern thinkers and artists are forging a new postmodern vision.

The Archetypal Sunnī Scholar

Considers the work of nineteenth-century theologian Ibrahim al-Bajuri and contests the notion of intellectual decline in Islamic thought from the thirteenth through nineteenth centuries.

Grassroots Literacies

Examines the grassroots activism of an Internet-mediated collegiate lesbian and gay organization in Turkey.

Shiblī

Considers what is known of acclaimed early Sufi master Abū Bakr al-Shiblī and how he was characterized in various times and places.

Poems of Wine and Tavern Romance

By Hafiz & Martin Bidney
Translated by Martin Bidney
Subjects: General Interest

A selection of poems by one of Islam’s greatest poetic voices.

Conceiving Identities

Explores how medieval Muslim theologians constructed a female gender identity based on an ideal of maternity and how women contested it.

Mutual Othering

Explores interactions between Europeans and Moroccans on both sides of the straits in the latter half of the nineteenth century.

Reproducing Sectarianism

Examines the politics of civil society in modern Lebanon.

From the Shahs to Los Angeles

A fascinating look at the lives, culture, and religious and ritual observance of three generations of Iranian Jewish women in the United States.

A Culture of Sufism

Unearths the history of the Naqshbandiyya, one of the most widespread and enduring Sufi brotherhoods.

Dreams and Visions in Islamic Societies

A wide-ranging consideration of the place of dreams and visions in Islamic societies from the pre-modern period to the present.

In Search of the Lost Heart

Renowned scholar William C. Chittick explores the worldview of Islam in a series of essays written over thirty-six years.

The Story of Islamic Philosophy

Offers a new interpretation of medieval Islamic philosophy, one informed by Platonic mysticism.

Reason Unbound

A critique of the modern receptions of Islamic Peripatetic philosophy and a validation of the importance of Islamic philosophy for modern philosophy

Passion Before Me, My Fate Behind

Explores the work of beloved Sufi poet Umar Ibn al-Farid and its context. Provides many translations of Ibn al-Farid’s poetry.

California Dreaming

Multidisciplinary study of the citrus industry in Palestine before World War II.

A Soaring Minaret

The development of early Islamic mysticism and metaphysics is presented through the life and work of theologian Abu Bakr al-Wasiti.

The Making of Modern Libya

Second edition of the provocative study analyzing the social, cultural, and historical roots of modern Libya.

Pathways to an Inner Islam

An introduction to four Western figures influenced by Sufism who wrote about an "inner," esoteric Islam.

Displaced at Home

Edited by Rhoda Ann Kanaaneh & Isis Nusair
Foreword by Lila Abu-Lughod
Subjects: Area Studies

Groundbreaking essays by Palestinian women scholars on the lives of Palestinians within the state of Israel.

Shop Floor Culture and Politics in Egypt

Ethnographic study of textile factory workers in Alexandria, Egypt.

Ottoman Medicine

First work in English devoted to medicine in the Ottoman world.

The Lebanese Army

Comprehensive study of the Lebanese Army from Lebanon’s independence to the present.

Rūmī's Mystical Design

Reveals the sophisticated design of Rumī’s Mathnawī, showing that this seemingly unstructured work both describes and functions as spiritual training.

Narrating Muḥammad's Night Journey

Discusses the historical development of the well-loved story of the Prophet Muhammad’s night journey to the divine realm and back again.

Jewish Fundamentalism and the Temple Mount

Examines radical and messianic movements in Israel seeking to rebuild the Third Temple in Jerusalem.

With an Iron Pen

A groundbreaking collection of forty-two Israeli poetic voices protesting the occupation of the West Bank.

Spiritual Dimensions of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi's Risale-I Nur

Edited by Ibrahim M. Abu-Rabi'
Introduction by Ibrahim M. Abu-Rabi'
Subjects: Area Studies

Essays on various facets of Nursi’s spirituality as portrayed in his Risale-i Nur.

The Heirs of the Prophet

Looks at how various factions used the tradition that scholars were the “heirs of the Prophet” during the classical period of Islam (570–1258 CE).

Rethinking Islam and Liberal Democracy

Examines the experiences of women activists of the Islamist Refah (Welfare) party in Turkey.

Institutions and the Politics of Survival in Jordan

Explains how the Jordanian monarchy has survived economic crisis and regional political instability.

Cosmology and Architecture in Premodern Islam

A fascinating exploration of how the transcendent is expressed in the spatial sensibility of premodern Islam.

Israeli Backpackers

Examines the backpacking trip usually taken by Israeli youth following military service.

The International Self

Uses a social-psychoanalytic model to argue that collective identity shapes foreign policy changes.

Sanctity and Mysticism in Medieval Egypt

Using the original, little-known writings of Sufis Muhammad and 'Ali Wafa', this book explores the development of the idea of Islamic sainthood in the post-Ibn 'Arabi period.

The Watchman Fell Asleep

Examines how Israel was caught by surprise in the opening stages of the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

Islam in Modern Turkey

A biography of the prominent Turkish theologian and thinker.

The Striking Cabbies of Cairo and Other Stories

Challenges existing views of crafts and service workers in Egypt in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Enemies of Civilization

Looks at how foreigners were regarded in three ancient civilizations, finding that cultural, not biophysical, differences were key in distinguishing "us" from "them. "

A Tale of Two Factions

Reevaluates the foundation myths of two rival factions in Egypt during the Ottoman era.

Poverty and Charity in Middle Eastern Contexts

Addresses the ideals and institutions through which Middle Eastern societies have confronted poverty and the poor.

The Nature of the Early Ottoman State

A revisionist interpretation of the early origins of the Ottoman Empire.

Constitutions in a Nonconstitutional World

Uses the Arab experience to explain the appeal of constitutional documents to authoritarian political regimes.

The Wisdom of the Mystic East

An expert on the thought of medieval Islamic philosopher Suhrawardi argues that philosophers have romanticized this work as a revival of “oriental” wisdom.

The Rhetoric of Sobriety

Explains the prohibition of alcohol in Islam using a wide range of materials from the early Islamic period.

Shiʿite Heritage

Edited and translated by L. Clarke
Subjects: Religion And Spirituality

Explores Western and Muslim scholarship on multiple aspects of the Twelver Shi’ite tradition.

Islamic Legends Concerning Alexander the Great

Edited and translated by Z. David Zuwiyya
Introduction by Z. David Zuwiyya
Subjects: Literature

English translation and introductory study of a previously unedited Hispano-Arabic legend of Alexander the Great.

Merchants, Mamluks, and Murder

A historiography of Ottoman Basra, a trade center in the eighteenth century.

The Management of Islamic Activism

Shows how the laws governing civil society are used to regulate Islamic activism in Jordan.

A Learned Society in a Period of Transition

Addresses the social significance of orthodox Islam during the medieval period in Baghdad.

Chinese Gleams of Sufi Light

By Sachiko Murata
Foreword by Tu Wei-ming
Subjects: Area Studies

The first study in English of Islamic thought in China, this book shows that this tradition was informed by both Sufism and Neo-Confucianism; translations of two classic works are included.

Mosul before Iraq

Using original source documents, this book portrays nineteenth-century Mosul--a large city currently in Iraq's "no-fly" zone.

The Military and Militarism in Israeli Society

Investigates the cultural and social constructions of issues related to war, the armed forces, and national security in Israel.

Image and Imperialism in the Ottoman Revolutionary Press, 1908-1911

An illustrated work focusing on the ways in which satirical publications revealed evolution in Ottoman society.

The Leaven of the Ancients

Provides an account of Islamic philosopher Suhrawardi's revival of Neoplatonism.

The History of al-Ṭabarī Vol. 5

This volume of al-Tabari’s History provides the most complete and detailed historical source for the Persian empire of the Sasanids, whose four centuries of rule were one of the most glorious periods in Persia’s long history.

The Politics of Regional Trade in Iraq, Arabia, and the Gulf, 1745-1900

Examines the development of a socioeconomic region in Iraq, Arabia, and the Gulf during a 150-year period, focusing on regional ties through long-distance trade networks.

Making of Iraq, The, 1900-1963

This book's innovative approach makes it an important intervention into the field of modern Iraqi and Arab history. Samira Haj's discussion of the factors that led to, and paradoxically caused the failure ...

The History of al-Ṭabarī Vol. 8

Volume VIII of al-Tabari's great 40-volume history of the Arabs covers the history of the Muslim community and the biography of Muh'ammad in the middle Medinan years. During this period, Meccan resistance to Islam collapsed, Muh'ammad returned triumphantly to his native city, and the Muslim community weathered controversy in Muhammad's private life.

The History of al-Ṭabarī Vol. 16

This volume 16 of Tabari's great 40-volume history of the Arabs treats the Caliphate of 'Ali I, 656-651

The History of al-Ṭabarī Vol. 17

This volume 17 of al-Tabari's great 40-volume history of the Arabs treats the first Civil War, 656-661.

Arab Women Novelists

This book assesses the contribution of women to the Arabic novel, both in subject matter and form. It begins by tracing the struggle over women's rights in the Arab world, particularly the gradual improvement ...

Western Dominance and Political Islam

Sayeed explores the kinds of resistance Western hegemony has provoked in the Middle East and shows that, although Islamic fundamentalism cannot provide a viable alternative to Western political, cultural, and economic systems, some of the major Islamic ideas can do so.

Protectors or Praetorians?

This analysis of state policy under the last two Mamluk rulers enables modern readers to observe a pivotal era in the history of Egypt and southwest Asia.

Manufacturing in the Ottoman Empire and Turkey, 1500-1950

This book provides the first comprehensive history of manufacturing in the Ottoman Empire and its Turkish successor state. As the Ottoman Empire evolved, manufacturing underwent an unusual trajectory. ...

State, Society, and Law in Islam

By Haim Gerber
Subjects: Area Studies

This book explores the legal structure of the Ottoman Empire between the sixteenth and early nineteenth centuries and examines its association with the Empire's sociopolitical structure. The author's ...

The End of the Jihâd State

Demonstrates for the first time that the cause of the Umayyad caliphate’s collapse came not just from internal conflict, but from a number of external and concurrent factors that exceeded the caliphate’s capacity to respond.

Muhammad and the Origins of Islam

An inquiry into the religious environment of the person Muslims hail as the “Envoy of God” and an attempt to trace his progress along the path from paganism to that distinctive form of monotheism ...

Ritual, Politics, and the City in Fatimid Cairo

Provides an understanding of the complexities of political legitimacy in Islamic dynasties by examining Fatimid political culture in Egypt reconstructed from court rituals.

The History of al-Ṭabarī Vol. 14

This volume covers the years 21-23/641-43 of the caliphate of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb. It can be divided into two distinct and almost equal parts: the first concerning the Muslim conquests in Iran ...

The Triumphal Sun

This is a book on Rumi's life, his poetry, his thought, and his influence. Rumi's work forms one of the pillars of the Sufi orders, particularly the Mevlevi order, better known in the West as the Whirling ...

An Introduction to Islamic Cosmological Doctrines

This is the only book to deal with classical Islamic cosmology as it was formulated by the Ikhwan al-S'afa al Biruni and Ibn Sina during the tenth and eleventh centuries. These figures influenced all ...

The History of al-Ṭabarī Vol. 11

Although this volume deals with the part of al-Ṭabarī's History covering the years 12 and 13 (633-35), in the caliphates of Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq and ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, the narratives contained ...