Books published by Manchester University Press

[Not final] The Syrian civil war, ongoing since 2011, is one of the most destructive armed conflicts of our time. Yet, destruction and the spaces where it has taken place have been largely unexplored, as the study of war in the region has focused on broader macro dynamics.This book examines how the urbicide of Syria - the destruction and violent spatial alteration of its cities - emerges as a mechanism of governmental and sovereign power, reshaping political subjectivities and state-society relations. It does so by exploring socio-material transformations in everyday urban spaces and processes, from the ruination of homes and neighbourhoods to urban planning and reconstruction. Taking the cases of Damascus and Aleppo, this volume provides a unique window to the Syrian civil war and shows the importance of approaching war through lived experience.By employing critical political theory and a postcolonial perspective, the study situates urbicide within Syria's state formation. It unravels how colonial socio-material power relations remain central to how spatial violence is mobilised to produce political loyalty. Benefiting from a wide range of in-depth interviews, archival research, and aesthetic sources, the book provides an invaluable window to the interplay between the Syrian regime and various other local and international actors. Notably, the book emphasises the role of Syrians' political agency and creativity amid urbicidal violence, destruction, and authoritarian survival.Ultimately, this volume reveals the intricate relations between political violence, urban space, and the formation of identities in contemporary Syria, contributing meaningfully to the scholarly literature on the Post-Arab Spring Middle East.

Medieval and early modern texts reveal a deep fascination with material objects, from ancient heirlooms to ingenious automata. These items, often beautiful or imbued with power, are marked by an uncanny sense of otherness. Their mysterious origins evoke wonder and emphasize temporal and spatial distance, framing them as relics of alternative time schemes. Through their strange and wondrous qualities, such objects act as repositories of temporal alterity, bridging the past and the present in profound ways. This volume brings together contributions from experts in medieval and early modern literature and art history to investigate how texts of these periods use material objects to explore notions of temporal otherness. The chapters illuminate the dynamic interplay between materiality and temporality, showing how objects--both extraordinary and everyday--challenge conventional distinctions between the human and the material. From clothing to glass to humble bubbles, these objects are revealed as participants in complex networks that connect the natural and cultural realms. The discussions uncover how material objects disrupt the status quo, asserting a degree of independence that elevates them beyond mere utility. Whether exploring the hybrid status of Hector's body in Lydgate's Troy Book or the temporal resonance of marvellous artefacts, the book reveals a world where material artefacts possess their own temporal regimes and agency. By foregrounding the 'hybridity' of matter and its intermediary status, this collection anticipates Bruno Latour's critique of the divide between nature and culture. It offers a compelling rethinking of the boundaries between human and material, subject and object, in ways that resonate across disciplines.