The Contemporary Middle East by
"The Contemporary Middle East provides an accessible introduction to the region's most pressing concerns and enduring conflicts. It includes provocative contributions by an impressive array of leading scholars, journalists, and policy advisors, as well as major addresses by President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Contributors include notable academic authors Arthur Goldschmidt Jr., William Cleveland, Colbert Held, Shibley Telhami, David Lesch, David E. Long, Bernard Reich, Samih Farsoun, and Phebe Marr, complemented by selections from recent general-interest books by Mark Matthews, Zake Chehab, Farnaz Fassihi, Michael Axworthy, Ali Ansari, and Lee Harris, among many others. With twenty new chapters and a new integrative opening essay by honored scholar Arthur Goldschmidt Jr., the second edition isa probing examination of the current affairs of the Middle East. Its multiple readings onstrategic pairings of topics (Israel and Palestine, Iran and Iraq) illuminatethe region's key issues from a variety of perspectives. Chapter-opening summarieshelp establish background and context, and a new concluding chapter by Shibley Telhami, written specifically for this volume, candidly addresses fundamental questions about the United States and the Middle East today. Student resources include an annotated table of contents, select bibliography, glossary, brief biographical register, and chronology, in addition to numerous maps."
Understanding the Contemporary Middle East, 3rd Edition by
Among the new features in this edition are: two new chapters, one on religion and politics and one on the economies of the Middle East; as well as a greatly expanded discussion of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
A History of the Middle East by
Georges Corm's work on the contemporary Middle East, and the relationship between Europe and the Middle East, is essential reading. This concise account of the history of the Middle East from before Islam to the present day is a vivid reminder of what Corm calls the "geology of cultures." In order to paint a true picture of this incredibly complex part of the world, situated at the crossroads of three continents, the author examines the "geographical foundations" on which the Anatolian, Iranian, Mesopotamian, and Egyptian empires were built. Such an approach avoids confusion between people with separate languages who have remained in constant interaction - Iranians, Turks, and Arabs, all now part of the "Islamic world." The unfortunate dynamics of the relationship between the West and the Middle East, and the decline of this region over the past two centuries, are clearly and objectively explained, taking into account social and economic factors usually overlooked in studies of Islam and the Muslim world.
The Middle East and Islamic World Reader by
In this insightful anthology, historians Marvin E. Gettleman and Stuart Schaar have assembled a broad selection of documents and contemporary scholarship to give a view of the history of the peoples from the core Islamic lands, from the Golden Age of Islam to today. With carefully framed essays beginning each chapter and brief introductory notes accompanying over seventy readings, the anthology reveals the multifaceted societies and political systems of the Islamic world. Selections range from theological texts illuminating the differences between Shiite and Sunni Muslims, to diplomatic exchanges and state papers, to memoirs and literary works, to manifestos of Islamic radicals. This newly revised and expanded edition covers the dramatic changes in the region since 2005, and the popular uprisings that swept from Tunisia in January 2011 through Egypt, Libya, and beyond. The Middle East and Islamic World Reader is a fascinating historical survey of complex societies that--now more than ever--are crucial for us to understand.
In Remembrance of Me by
This Oriental Institute Museum exhibit catalog looks at how the living commemorated and cared for deceased ancestors in the ancient Middle East. The focus of the exhibit is the memorial monument (stele) of an official named Katumuwa (ca. 735 BC), discovered in 2008 by University of Chicago archaeologists at the site of Zincirli, Turkey. Part I of the catalog presents the most comprehensive collection of scholarship yet published on the interpretation of the Katumuwa Stele, an illuminating new document of ancestor cult and beliefs about the soul. In Part II, leading scholars describe the relationship between the living and the dead in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Anatolia, and the Levant (Syria-Palestine), providing a valuable introduction to the family and mortuary religion of the ancient Middle East. The fifty-seven objects cataloged highlight the role of food and drink offerings and stone effigies in maintaining a place for the dead in family life.
A Companion to the Archaeology of Religion in the Ancient World by
A Companion to the Archaeology of Religion in the Ancient World presents a comprehensive overview of a wide range of topics relating to the practices, expressions, and interactions of religion in antiquity, primarily in the Greco-Roman world. - Features readings that focus on religious experience and expression in the ancient world rather than solely on religious belief - Places a strong emphasis on domestic and individual religious practice - Represents the first time that the concept of "lived religion" is applied to the ancient history of religion and archaeology of religion - Includes cutting-edge data taken from top contemporary researchers and theorists in the field - Examines a large variety of themes and religious traditions across a wide geographical area and chronological span - Written to appeal equally to archaeologists and historians of religion
