Reinterpreting Islamic Historiography: Harun al-Rashid and the Narrative of the Abbasid Caliphate

ISBN-13: 9780521650236 / Angielski / Twarda / 1999 / 250 str.

Amherst) Tayeb El-Hibri (University of Massachusetts

Opis

The reigns of the caliph Harun al-Rashid and his successor al-Ma'mun have long been viewed as the golden age of the medieval Islamic caliphate. Yet how did chroniclers represent this crucial period? Tayeb El-Hibri's book applies a new literary-critical reading to the sources to demonstrate how medieval narrators devised various elusive ways of shedding light on controversial religious, political and social issues, while ostensibly presenting a history loyal to the 'Abbasid dynasty. This is an important book that represents a landmark in the field of early Islamic historiography.

Recenzje

"Reinterpreting Islamic Historiography is a pioneering work filled with powerful arguments that challenge historians to read Abbasid chronicles in fresh ways, to embrace techniques of literary criticism, and to consider their own assumptions carefully." Kate Lang, Journal of Near Eastern Studies

Spis treści

Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations and note on the dates; Genealogical table: the line of the early 'Abbasid caliphs; 1. Historical background and introduction; 2. Harun al-Rashid: where it all started and ended; 3. Al-Amin: the challenge of regicide in Islamic memory; 4. Al-Ma'mun: the heretic Caliph; 5. The structure of civil war narratives; 6. Al-Mutawakkil: an encore of the family tragedy; Conclusion; Select bibliography; Index.