Select Bibliography
For the edification of 'Aqoul readers new to the region (and to protect them from the idiotic glurge of Friedman and Pipes), raf* has assembled a fine booklist on MENA history and key trends, with additional contributions by tamerlane and eerie.
To recommend a book for the Select Bibliography, contact eerie. If your suggestion is stupid or irrelevant, she reserves the right to ignore it.
The Classics
A
History of Islamic Societies (2nd ed) by Ira Lapidus
Not concise, but a very good historical survey of Islam and Islamic societies.
Generally well-written and generally good coverage of the entire Muslim
world. Much more a political and social history of the Islamic world,
as opposed to Farah, which is more a history of Islam as a religion. Good
choice for a single-book purchase.
The
Venture of Islam (vols. 1-3) by Marshal G.S. Hodgson
Lapidus on steroids in some respects. Denser prose, less complete coverage
(Africa and Southeast Asia in particular are slighted), and a bit dated
in some places. But a more thorough political and particularly social
history of the MENA than Lapidus.
A
History of the Arab Peoples by Albert Hourani
One of the classic volumes, written by one of the great men of Arab history.
However, both its focus on "ethnic" history and its starting
point with the era of the prophet Muhammad (were there no "Arabs"
before the 6th century CE?) make it a problematic study.
History
of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey Empire of the Gazis: The Rise
and Decline of the Ottoman Empire, 1280-1808 by Stanford Shaw
History
of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey. Reform, Revolution, and Republic:
The Rise of Modern Turkey, 1808-1975 by Stanford Shaw, Ezel Kural
Shaw
Shaw's two volumes are a good example of the kind of nationalist history so prevalent in the 2nd half of the 20th century. From the vantage point of modern Turkey, he is attempting to trace how Ottoman/Turkish history arrived at this outcome, and thus - particularly in the 2nd volume - predicates the "modernizers".
The
Arab Awakening by George Antonius
The Ur-tome of Arab nationalists, it is required reading for everyone
interested in the MENA region, as its (nationalist) story and internal
logic shape every contemporary discourse, be it secular or religious.
The
Middle East: A History by William Ochsenwald, Sydney Nettleton Fisher
Good general history of the region. Exemplary college textbook.
From Muhammed to the Mongols: 6th - 11th century
The
Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates : The Islamic Near East from the
6th to the 11th Century (2nd Edition) by Hugh Kennedy
Covers the life
of Muhammad and the birth of Islam, the Ummayad and Abbasid Caliphates
(8th-10th centuries) and the period of political fragmentation which followed
it when Islam lost its core unity, never to be recovered.
Jihad:
The Origin of Holy War in Islam by Reuven Firestone
Not a work on modern extremism, but rather an examination of the creation
of the concept of Jihad as a military struggle in the early Islamic community.
Interesting work, though I'm not entirely sure I buy all of his analysis.
Arabic
historical thought in the classical period by Tarif Khalidi
If you want to know how the scholars at the time perceived their era,
this is the book to read.
Mongols to Modernity: 13th - 16th century
The
Rise of Islam and the Bengal Frontier, 1204-1760 (Comparative Studies
on Muslim Societies , No 17) by Richard M. Eaton
Another excellent work which examines the phenomenal success of Islam
in East Bengal, an area very much on the periphery of both Muslim India
and the Islamic world in general. He rejects, either wholly (for some)
and in part (for others) the traditional explanations for Islam's success
in this region and instead comes up with a quite fascinating and novel
answer to this particular puzzle. Eaton is hated by both Neo-Hinduist
& Islamicist "scholars" alike - reason enough to read the
book.
The Early Modern Period: 15th - 18th century
Constructing Ottoman Beneficence: An Imperial Soup Kitchen in Jerusalem by Amy Singer (2002, Princeton University Press). Probably better categorized under Ottoman history, as though it discusses the concept of the waqf briefly in the context of Islamic law, it is mostly a fascinating discourse on the establisment and function of charitable institutions in the Ottoman system in particular. Still, it's an interesting little volume that covers a little known element in the social history of the region and of a particular institution that has endured from the 16th century through to today.
The
Ottoman Empire and Early Modern Europe (New Approaches to European History)
by Daniel Goffman
Part of a new approach that links the Ottoman Empire (& thus the MENA
region) again with European history.
The
Middle East On the Eve of Modernity: Aleppo in the 18th Century by
Abraham Marcus
Excellent study of life in a large (relative to time and place), pre-modern,
fairly cosmopolitan Islamic city with a substantial non-Muslim minority.
Making
Big Money in 1600: The Life and Times of Isma'Il Abu Taqiyya, Egyptian
Merchant by Nelly Hanna
A whimsical choice, but it is an interesting examination of pre-modern
social history from an individual point of view as well as an interesting
insight into the changing economic scene of the period, with the rise
of nascent capitalism.
The Modern Period: 18th - 20th century
The
Modern Middle East: A History by James Gelvin
Currently one of the best textbooks on modern MENA history. Perfect for
beginners, entertaining for "insiders".
A
History of the Modern Middle East (3rd ed.) by William L. Cleveland
My 2nd choice of a textbook. On this list for reasons of completeness.
The
Modern Middle East: Revised Edition by Albert Hourani, Philip S. Khoury
& Mary C. Wilson (eds.).
Great collection of articles on the "major issues" in MENA history/studies.
Good point of departure.
The
Ottoman Empire, 1700-1922 (New Approaches to European History) by
Donald Quataert
The sequel to Goffman's book. Good, post-nationalist overview.
Arabic
Thought in the Liberal Age, 1789-1939 by Albert Hourani
Old-school book on "Arab" intellectual developments and intellectuals.
Highly readable.
Displaying
the Orient: Architecture of Islam at Nineteenth-Century World's Fairs
by Zeynep Çelik
How was the "Orient" shown to the "West"?
By having "Oriental streets" at the World Fairs, of course.
Urban
Forms and Colonial Confrontations: Algiers Under French Rule by Zeynep
Çelik
Very much in the vein of "Displaying the Orient". Oh, did I
mention that if you buy it on Amazon, you'll have to pay $280, but that
the e-book is free
of charge?
Tribes
and State Formation in the Middle East
Ottoman Empire
An
Economic and Social History of the Ottoman Empire, 1300-1914 by Halil
Inalcik, Suraiya Faroqhi, Bruce McGowan, Donald Quataert, Sevket Pamuk
For "advanced" students of the Middle East, this dense two-volume
collection is perfect for background reading and reference. Should not
be opened by beginners - the danger of turning them off the region is
simply too great.
Arabs
and Young Turks: Ottomanism, Arabism, and Islamism in the Ottoman Empire,
1908-1918 by Hasan Kayali
E-book available here.
Between
Two Worlds: The Construction of the Ottoman State by Cemal Kafadar
How did the early Ottoman polity develop & how did they perceive themselves?
The
Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire by Leslie
Peirce
One of the books that put an end to all the rubbish about "weak Sultans
& strong Mothers". This one is readable.
The Well-Protected Domains: Ideology and the Legitimation of Power in the Ottoman Empire, 1876-1909 by Selim Deringil
Iran
Modern
Iran: Roots and Results of Revolution by Nickie Keddie
The grand old dame of Iran's history. There's a revised & expanded
version from 2003, but I'd suggest to read the original.
After Keddie, read these two:
A Century of Revolution. Social Movements in Iran by John Foran (ed)
Social Origins of the Iranian Revolution by Misagh Parsa
Iraq
The
Shi'is of Iraq by Yitzhak Nakash
Indispensable volume (in concert with a couple of political histories
like Toby Dodge's, cited below) for those wanting to come to grips with
the situation in Iraq. I haven't read the most current volume, which apparently
adds a (reportedly somewhat ephemeral) chapter on the current situation,
but for the most part this is a social history of the Shi'i community
from the 19th century (when it started out as a minority, a situation
that altered as a major demographic shift from a predominantly nomadic
to a mostly settled society took place) through the mid-twentieth.
Inventing Iraq: The Failure of Nation-Building and a History Denied by Toby Dodge (2003, Columbia University Press). This could almost be classified under social history, insomuch as it details how the peculiar brand of British bigotry of the time (a 'noble savage'-style preference for tribal chieftains over Ottoman-educated burecrats) undermined the social and institutional fabric of the Mandate they were charged with developing. Revealingly parallels recent (and admittedly arguable) American political blunders (de-Baathification for instance) with those of the post-WWI era.
Levant
Rediscovering
Palestine: Merchants and Peasants in Jabal Nablus, 1700-1900 by Beshara
Doumani
One of the first microhistory studies in the MENA region. Shows brilliantly
how smartly the "natives" adapted to their region's integration
into the World Economy. E-book available here.
The
Culture of Sectarianism: Community, History, and Violence in Nineteenth-Century
Ottoman Lebanon by Ussama Makdisi
Everyone feeling like blabbering about contemporary Lebanon should read
this. Guess what - them X-ians & Muslims & Druze haven't been
at each other's throats since "time immemorial". Sectarianism
started in the mid-19th century and is a modern phenomenon. E-book available
here.
Inventing
Home: Emigration, Gender, and the Middle Class in Lebanon, 1870-1920
by Akram Fouad Khater
E-book available here.
Egypt
Colonising
Egypt by Timothy Mitchell
One of the (now) classic studies that uses deconstruction theory to examine
how colonization affected all aspects of society, and argues that the
physical effects are not the most important ones. E-book available here.
All
the Pashas Men: Mehmed Ali, His Army and the Making of Modern Egypt
by Khaled Fahmy
This book investigates how a "defensive developmentalist" (in
this case Mehmet Ali Pasha in Egypt) organized his army and in the process
transformed the country.
Islam
Islam:
Beliefs and Observances by Caesar E. Farah
Good, concise introduction to Islam, both its early history and historical
evolution, as well as and common practices and beliefs. Covers most major
divisions and modern Islam.
Islamic Studies: A History of Religions Approach by Richard C. Martin (1996, 1982 Prentice-Hall Inc). Less a history (though there is certainly some of that, especially in terms of growth of modern thought) and more a survey of common Muslim beliefs and observances. Useful adjunct to Farah and Lapidus, but probably not as good a single-volume purchase.
Discovering Islam: Making Sense of Muslim History and Society by Akbar Ahmed (1988, Routledge and Kegan Paull Ltd). Commentary on history and particularly interactions with the West, written from a somewhat more personal style than Lapidus or Hodgson, with perhaps a trend towards apologia. You'll either like that take or not - personally, I'm less crazy about it. However I think he offers some valuable perspectives, particularly on the colonial impact and this is a decent second or third volume to pick up.
The
Koran: A Very Short Introduction by Michael Cook
A fair introduction to the basic structure and principles of the Qur'an.
Islam and Politics
Islam,
Politics and Pluralism: Theory and Practice in Turkey, Jordan, Tunisia
and Algeria
Khomeinism: Essays on the Islamic Republic by Ervand Abrahamian (1993, University of California Press). Interesting examination of Khomeini's very populist and usually pragmatic style of politics. Khomeini in this analysis comes off as a surprisngly flexible thinker, more than willing to alter his theology in practice ( if not always openly in theory ) to work the crowds. Well worth reading as a counter to the common popular view of Khomeini as an entirely inflexible dogmatist ( or a fundamentalist, a descriptor Arahamian disputes on semantic grounds ).
Jihad:
The Trail of Political Islam by Gilles Kepel
Kepel is eerie's favourite Frenchman. Dubaiwalla obligingly informed him
of this fact at a conference, but refused to give him a "big wet
kiss" on her behalf. In any case, the book is a good survey of political
Islam's roots and shortcomings.
Orientalism
Orientalism
by Edward Said
The man, the book, the legend. And, YES, you'll need to read another book
explaining what exactly Uncle Edward meant with terms like "counterpointal
reading".
Orientalism:
A Reader by A.L. Macfie (ed.)
Very good overview of the Orientalism debate. Pretty much a "must
read", after you've worked your way through the original.
Lockman, Zachary. Contending
Visions of the Middle East. The History and Politics of Orientalism
by Zachary Lockman
The book to which I was referring in my comment on Edward Said's original.
Nationalism and Pan-Arabism
Rethinking
Nationalism in the Arab Middle East by James Jankowski, Israel Gershoni
(eds.)
Just what the title claims.
Pan-Arabism Before Nasser: Egyptian Power Politics and the Palestine Question by Michael Doran (1999, Oxford University Press). Fascinating book, that while agreeing the pan-Arabism was indeed an organic movement, posits that in the immediate post-WW II era it was at least half-cynically manipulated by Egypt (in alliance with Saudi Arabia and a fragile Syria) as a propaganda tool to counter what were regarded as their primary foreign policy threats - Great Britain (then still a dominant player in the region) and the alliance of Hashemite Jordan (the strongest Arab power militarily at the time) and Iraq, then in detente with Turkey. Israel/Palestine in this analysis was only a very tertiary concern and for example even the 1948 Arab-Israeli War was pushed by Egypt, less because they expected to succeed (soberly, they did not, though they would have been pleased if they had), but more to divert Jordanian attention (in particular from Syria, which they claimed and threatened).
Arab Nationalism in the Twentieth Century: From Triumph to Despair by Adeed Nawisha (2003, Princeton University Press). Good examination of the history of pan-Arabism/Arab nationalism, from its earliest roots to its eventual demise as a viable political movement in the post-Nasser era. While he acknowledges the Ottoman-era writers that first broached some of these ideas, he (in contrast to some of the essays in the volume edited by Khalidi, cited above) casts Arab nationalism as a specifically twentieth century (post WW I) movement that was most heavily influenced philosophically by German nationalist writers of the 18th/19th century and had its true genesis in the works of Sati' al-Husri, writing in post-WW I Iraq.
Last Updated January 19, 2006 05:46 AM