Eliz Sanasarian's book explores the political and ideological relationship between non-Muslim religious minorities in Iran and the state during the formative years of the Islamic Republic to the present day. Her analysis is based on a detailed examination of the history and experiences of the Armenians, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Jews, Zoroastrians, Bahais and Iranian Christians, and describes how these communities have responded to state policies regarding minorities. Many of her findings are constructed out of personal interviews with members of these communities. While the book is essentially...

Sheila Carapico's book on civic participation in modern Yemen makes a pathbreaking contribution to the study of political culture in Arabia. The author traces the complexities of Yemen's history over the past fifty years, considering its response to the colonial encounter and to years of civil unrest. Challenging the stereotypical view of conservative Arab Muslim society, she demonstrates how the country is actively seeking to develop the political, economic and social structures of the modern democratic state. This is an important book that promises to become the definitive statement on...

In a comprehensive and original analysis, Parvin Paidar considers the role of women in the political process of twentieth-century Iran and demonstrates how political reorganization has redefined their position. Challenging the view expressed by conventional scholarship that emphasizes the marginalization of Muslim women, the author asserts that gender issues are right at the heart of the political process in Iran. The implications of the study bear on the position of women throughout the Middle East and in the developing countries generally.

Yasir Suleiman considers national identity in relation to language, the way in which language can be manipulated to signal political, cultural or historical difference. As a language with a long-recorded heritage spoken by the majority of peoples in the Middle East, Arabic is a particularly appropriate language to study and provides a penetrating means of exploring the conflicts of the Middle East.

Khaled Fahmy offers a new interpretation of modern Egyptian history and the rise of Egyptian nationalism in a theoretically informed study. Basing his work on previously neglected archival material, the author demonstrates how Mehmed Ali built up the Egyptian army to further his own ambitions rather than as a means of gaining Egyptian independence. In this way, the book challenges traditionally held views about early nineteenth-century Egypt and the role of Mehmed Ali as the founder of modern Egypt. The book will be essential reading for students of the Middle East, Ottomanists, military...

In a comprehensive and original analysis, Parvin Paidar considers the role of women in the political process of twentieth-century Iran and demonstrates how political reorganization has redefined their position. Challenging the view expressed by conventional scholarship that emphasizes the marginalization of Muslim women, the author asserts that gender issues are right at the heart of the political process in Iran. The implications of the study bear on the position of women throughout the Middle East and in the developing countries generally.

Modern Muslim intellectuals have been trying to reestablish a foundation for the revival of Islamic law. In this fascinating study, Daniel Brown assesses the implications of new approaches to the law on contemporary Islamic revivalist movements, and explores the impact of modernity on attitudes toward religious authority generally. This book will make a major contribution to the understanding of contemporary Islam, and will be of interest to scholars of the Middle East and South Asia, and to those teaching Islamic law.

Using new archival material from Ottoman, Arabic and European sources, Eugene Rogan documents the case of Transjordan to provide a theoretically informed account of how the Ottoman state restructured itself during the last decades of its empire. In so doing, he explores the idea of frontier as a geographical and cultural boundary and sheds light on the processes of state formation that led to the creation of the Middle East as it is today. The book concludes with an examination of the Ottoman legacy in the modern state of Jordan.

Nadje Al-Ali's book explores the anthropological and political significance of secular-oriented activism by focusing on the women's movement in Egypt; in so doing, it challenges stereotypical images of Arab women as passive victims. The argument is constructed around interviews that afford insights into the history of the movement, its activities and its goals. The author frames her work around current theoretical debates in Middle Eastern and postcolonial scholarship.

Nadje Al-Ali's book explores the anthropological and political significance of secular-oriented activism by focusing on the women's movement in Egypt; in so doing, it challenges stereotypical images of Arab women as passive victims. The argument is constructed around interviews that afford insights into the history of the movement, its activities and its goals. The author frames her work around current theoretical debates in Middle Eastern and postcolonial scholarship.