Books in the The New Edinburgh Islamic Surveys series

In this fascinating study, Matthew J. Kuiper the story of how Islam became a world religion and cultural phenomenon of immense scale, astonishing diversity and global impact. His starting point is the dramatic upsurge in da'wa: 'inviting' to Islam, or Islamic missionary activism.

This introduction to American Independent Cinema offers both a comprehensive industrial and economic history of the sector from the early twentieth century to the present and a study of key individual films, filmmakers and film companies.

This textbook invites the student to explore early English syntax by looking at the linguistic characteristics of well- known texts throughout the early history of English. It shows how that piece of the language fits in to the broader picture of how English is developing and introduces the student to the real writing of the period.

Provides an overview of the history and current trends in Muslim communities in 21 post-Communist Eastern European countries.

This fascinating study which shows how, from the seventh century to the present day, the region's people have negotiated their distinctively Central Asian Islamic identity in the face of enduring external Islamic and non-Islamic dominations, ethnic nationalisms and, more recently, global transnational Islamic influences.

This comprehensive introduction to the basic methods and current state of historical-critical Qur anic scholarship covers all of the field s major questions, giving readers the tools needed to work with and understand this vital but complex text.

An up-to-date survey of medieval Islamic medicine offering new insights to the role of medicine and physicians in medieval Islamic culture.

The reader is invited to view Islamic art as no more and no less than ordinary art, neither better nor worse than anything else that counts as art. It follows that there are no special techniques required in Islamic aesthetics as compared with any other form of aesthetics.

Why write history in Persian?

This survey of Islamic Law combines Western and Islamic views and describes the relationship between the original theories of Islamic law and the views of contemporary Islamic writers.

Guiding Western readers through the endlessly fascinating and complicated system of Islamic personal names, Annemarie Schimmel's directory touches upon almost every aspect of Islamic life.

Dealing only with the most important historical developments, this is a comprehensive and accessible survey for all newcomers to the subject.

This book provides a succinct introduction to modern Arabic literature of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Designed primarily as an introductory textbook for English-speaking undergraduates, it will also be of interest to a more general readership interested in the contemporary Middle East or in comparative and modern literature. The work attempts to situate the development of modern Arabic literature in the context of the medieval Arabic literary tradition as well as the new literary forms derived from the West, exploring the interaction between social, political and cultural change in the Middle East and the development of a modern Arabic literary tradition. Poetry, prose writing and the theatre are discussed in separate chapters. The work overall aims to give a balanced account of the subject, reflecting the different pace of literary development in diverse parts of the Arab world, including North Africa. Key Features*A concise introduction to a field that deserves to be better known in the West.*Clear presentation, based on extensive classroom experience of teaching the subject.*Guidance on other sources of further information.*Extensive bibliography, with list of works in English translation.

WINNER OF THE BRITISH-KUWAIT FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY PRIZEThis book presents general readers and specialists alike with a broad survey of Islamic political thought in the six centuries from the rise of Islam to the Mongol invasions. Based on a wide variety of sources, it seeks to bring out the enormous scope and high level of historical (and, in some cases, contemporary) interest of medieval Muslim thinking on this subject.The author aims to make Islamic political thought easier for modern readers to understand by relating it to the contexts in which it was formulated, analysing it in terms familiar to the reader, and, where possible, comparing it with medieval European and modern thought.Guiding the reader through this complex history on a tour of one of the great civilizations of the pre-modern world, the book brings out the fascinating nature of medieval Islamic political thought, both in its own right and as the background to political thinking in the Muslim world today.Key Features* Written by one of the most renowned scholars in the field* All concepts have been glossed and all persons, events and historical developments have been identified or summarised, both on first encounter and in the index (where the number of the page containing the gloss will be emboldened)* Specialists are addressed in the footnotes; non-specialists are free to skip these and read an uncluttered text

This book offers an introduction to the archaeology of the Islamic world. It traces the history of the discipline from its earliest manifestations through to the present and evaluates the contribution made by archaeology to the understanding of key aspects of Islamic culture. The author argues that it is essential for the results of archaeological research to be more fully integrated into the wider historical study of the Islamic world.Organising the book into broad themes allows a focus on issues that are relevant across different regions and periods. Short case studies are included to allow the reader to examine the ways in which archaeologists collect and interpret material in specific contexts. The emphasis is on archaeological work conducted in the area stretching from Afghanistan and the Central Asian republics in the east to Spain in the west. Comparisons are also be drawn with Islamic regions of sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian subcontinent, reflecting the main focus of archaeological work in the Islamic world to the present day.

This book deals with certain "e;hot-button"e; contemporary issues in Islam that are often the focus of public scrutiny, including the Sharia, jihad, the caliphate, women's status, and interfaith relations. Notably, it places the discussion of these topics within a longer historical framework in order to reveal their multiple interpretations and contested applications over time. Most public and some academic discourses however present the Islamic tradition as unchanging and therefore unable to respond to the modern world. Such an ahistorical approach fosters the belief that Muslim and Western societies are destined to clash with one another. In contrast, this book allows the reader to see the diversity and transformations within Islamic thought over time. Focusing on this internal diversity permits us to appreciate the scriptural and intellectual resources available within the Islamic tradition for responding to the challenges of modernity, even as it interrogates and shapes modernity itself.

Charts the history and development of Twelver Shi'ismAs many as 40 different Shi`i groups existed in the 9th and 10th centuries; only 3 forms remain. Why is Twelver Shi`ism one of them? As the established faith in modern Iran, the majority faith in Iraq and areas in the Gulf and with its adherents forming sizeable minorities elsewhere in the region, it is arguably the most successful branch of Shi'ism. Andrew Newman charts the history Twelver Shi'ism, uncovering the development of the key distinctive doctrines and practices which ensured its survival in the face of repeated challenges. He argues that the key to the faith's endurance has been its ability to institutionalise responses to the changing, often localised circumstances in which the community has found itself, thereby remaining remarkably resilient in the face of both internal disagreements and external opposition.

This significant new work focuses on the formation and fragmentation of an Arab-Muslim state and its society in Sicily and south Italy between 800 and 1300, which led to the formation of an enduring Muslim"e;Christian frontier during the age of the Crusades. It examines the long- and short-term impact of Muslim authority in regions that were to fall into the hands of European rulers, and explains how and why Muslim and Norman conquests imported radically different dynamics to the central Mediterranean. On the island of Sicily, a majority Muslim population came to be ruled by Christian kings who adopted and adapted political ideologies from Mediterranean regimes, while absorbing cultural influences from the diverse peoples over whom they reigned. This work provides an engaging, expert and wide-ranging introduction to the subject, and offers fresh, clear insights into the evolution of both Europe and the Islamic world.Key Features*An authoritative new book in a field where very little has yet been written*Explores the formation of lasting Muslim-Christian frontiers in medieval Europe. *Covers issues including Muslim-Christian relations, conquest, colonisation, conflict and acculturation, and the transmission and exchange of ideas from east to west*Suitable for a range of readers from the interested public and students to university researchers

This is the standard general account in English of Islamic philosophy and theology.

This highly acclaimed survey provides a thoughtful and concise account of all aspects of Islam in history.

This comprehensive introduction to the history of Islamic Spain takes thereader through the events, people and movements from 711 to 1492.