Book Description
The French government's 2004 decision to ban Islamic headscarves and other religious signs from public schools puzzled many observers, both because it seemed to infringe needlessly on religious freedom, and because it was hailed by many in France as an answer to a surprisingly wide range of social ills, from violence against females in poor suburbs to anti-Semitism. Why the French Don't Like Headscarves explains why headscarves on schoolgirls caused such a furor, and why the furor yielded this law. Making sense of the dramatic debate from his perspective as an American anthropologist in France at the time, John Bowen writes about everyday life and public events while also presenting interviews with officials and intellectuals, and analyzing French television programs and other media.
Bowen argues that the focus on headscarves came from a century-old sensitivity to the public presence of religion in schools, feared links between public expressions of Islamic identity and radical Islam, and a media-driven frenzy that built support for a headscarf ban during 2003-2004. Although the defense of laïcité (secularity) was cited as the law's major justification, politicians, intellectuals, and the media linked the scarves to more concrete social anxieties--about "communalism," political Islam, and violence toward women.
Written in engaging, jargon-free prose, Why the French Don't Like Headscarves is the first comprehensive and objective analysis of this subject, in any language, and it speaks to tensions between assimilation and diversity that extend well beyond France's borders.
Customer Reviews:
An Anthropology of Public Reasoning.......2007-02-25
Three years after the facts, is it still worthwhile to revisit the French government's decision to ban Islamic headscarves and other religious signs from public schools? Should we not rather just let go, have time heal whatever wounds may have been caused, and move on to something else? If John Bower chose to dedicate a book to that decision and to the deliberations that led to it, it is not just because the law seems strange to outsiders and cannot be easily interpreted starting from a liberal viewpoint. It is, above all, because he felt that "its passage was one of those key moments in a country's life at which certain anxieties and assumptions come to the surface, when people take stock of who they are and of what kind of social life they wish to have."
To be true, the French are adept at staging such debates about themselves. The nation that invented the salons philosophiques and the art of conversation has a passion for probing into its own identity and entertains the belief that all social ills may be amenable to abstract reasoning and enlightened lawmaking. This is not only a matter of belief, but of social organization: the author finds that "French politicians, writers about public affairs, television 'talking heads', and philosophers are much more likely to read one another's work, be related to one another, or indeed be the same person than is the case in most other countries." These literati tend to base their opinion about social trends on anecdotes and media commentary, not hard data or sociological evidence. In a strange twist of cartesian thinking, they believe that if a theory is refuted by facts, then you have to change the facts, not the theory.
The theory here is that schools are a sanctuary of republican values, a sacred institution whose mission is to create a universal social morality in the minds of French pupils and to mold them into autonomous, rational and public-minded citizen. Philosophically, this conception is rooted in a certain brand of political philosophy originating with Jean-Jacques Rousseau, one that emphasizes general interests and shared values over individual interests and pluralism. Historically, it is associated with the figure of the hussard noir de la Republique, the schoolteacher in rural districts who was the designated agent to turn "peasants into Frenchmen" and have the Catholic church abdicate its control over the minds of primary school pupils. The reality is that state schools in contemporary France have to integrate an increasingly diverse population, notably the children of immigrants from North Africa, and that they cannot really cope with all the social requests that are imposed upon them.
It is in this context that wearing headscarves in state schools came to be seen as a threat to the central values of the Republic and a challenge to three hard-won battles: the fight to keep religion from controlling young minds, the struggle to forge a common French identity, and the promotion of gender equality in public and private life. The law banning headscarves in schools can therefore be seen as a product of a historical trajectory as well as a political response to the perceived threats of Islamism, communalism and sexism. Explaining that law, as the author does, "requires unpacking a great deal about France, including France's very particular history of religion and the state, the great hopes placed in the public schools, ideas about citizens and integration (and the challenges posed by Muslims and by Islam to those ideas), the continued weight of the colonial past, the role of television in shaping opinion, and the tendency to think that passing a law will resolve a social problem." That the author does so without losing a sense of sympathy and understanding for the young girls most directly affected by this measure is a testimony to his humanity and to his skills as a storyteller.
Average customer rating:
|
TIMUR & PRINCELY VISION
Thomas W. Lentz , and
Glenn D. Lowry
Manufacturer: Smithsonian
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| History & Criticism
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Asian
| Regional
| History & Criticism
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Pop Culture
| Graphic Design
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Islamic
| World
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Peerless Images: Persian Painting and Its Sources
ASIN: 0874747066 |
Book Description
This magnificent book is the key to understanding one of the world's most important architectural traditions, one that spawned major masterpieces throughout the near east, and particularly in Persia, India, Turkey, North Africa, Southern Russia, and Spain. As human representation is forbidden in Islamic religious monuments, design and ornamentation reach unparalleled heights of expression through mosaics, stucco, brickwood, and ceramic. Brilliant colors are used everywhere to enhance design.
This monumental study is a close collaboration between Dominique Clevenot, a distinguished scholar of art, and Gerald de George, a renowned photographer. Together, they visited and photographed hundreds of monuments, selecting their most noteworthy features. Unlike other books, which divide the subject geographically or chronically, the authors have approached this complicated topic from four different and interconnected angles: the history of Islamic architecture, materials and techniques, ornamental design, and the aesthetics of ornamentation.
Each of these topics is presented through a number of outstanding examples and comparable monuments from all over the Islamic world. Travelers overwhelmed by the Taj Mahal or the Alhambra will gain greater understanding. Architects and designers will find endless inspiration and ideas. Historians will be illuminated. Anyone interested in the vast world of Islam will find new knowledge in this magnificent full-color publication.
Customer Reviews:
Discovery.......2007-09-28
This is a thorough and scholarly exploration of a fascinating subject - the world of Islamic Design. The work covers all the main areas of the field, from al Andalus to India. The text is clearly written, yet scholarly in its approach, while still being accessible to the amateur. The excellent photographs serve to illustrate this magnificint work well.
Terrific Photography; Turgid Prose.......2007-03-28
The 325 photographs in this book--all in color--merit every superlative reviewers have given them. And the subject is indeed presented in a unique way. However, the text is so grandiloquent that I, a seasoned English teacher who is also well read in the field of Islamic architecture, had to spend far too much time trying to decipher it. So why did I pay $40 for a used copy of this book? Quite simply because none of the many other books I examined taught me nearly as much about the decoration and design of Islamic architecture. So illuminating are the photographs, in fact, that one can learn much even without plodding through the prose.
For those unable to find a copy to preview, what follows is a more specific summary of its contents.
SECTION 1--which focuses on the variations in Islamic architecture in one part of the world--devotes 8 to 10 pages of text and photographs to each of the following: the Dome of the Rock, the Alhambra, the Taj Mahal and Persia's Shah Mosque. Eight pages of smaller photographs of other significant monuments from the Arab lands, Turkey, India, Iran and Central Asia follow.
SECTION 2 focuses on the use of brick, stucco, mosaics and ceramics in design. Additional photographs illustrate the use of bronze, wood and painted wood.
SECTION 3 focuses on the decorative use of mathematically defined forms (e.g. stars/hexagons), vegetation, calligraphy and even occasionally the human figure.
SECTION 4 focuses on how the elements in Sections 2 and 3 combine to create surfaces that resemble textiles. Specifically discussed are a) the division of flat surfaces into panels and bands, b) the multi-layering of textures and c) the use of repetition to create geometric designs. The use of ornamentation to disguise supporting forms and embellish supported ones is also well covered.
The APPENDIX has been detailed in Library Journal's review.
A must companion.......2001-02-16
If you are someone who is involved in arhitect or interior decoration, this book is a must to guide you in creating something splendor from the Islamic culture, and it's a good refrence on a cofee table top.
Four different approaches to Islam architecture.......2001-02-15
Islam expanded quickly within a few centuries, embracing a wide area and altering the political and cultural heritage of the entire region. Splendors of Islam examines the visual effects of Islam, considering the structures in contrast with other architectural traditions and examining the role given to various decorative choices and styles. Four different approaches to Islam architecture provide an exceptionally well-rounded view, with color photo examples packing an oversized coverage.
Book Description
The Mediterranean trade in luxury goods from the East made a strong and lasting impression on Italian artistic taste and production during the early Renaissance. This opulently illustrated book describes and illustrates the fascinating ways that imported art objects inspired improvements and new variety in Italian decorative arts. From Italian textiles featuring Islamic and Asian motifs to ceramics and glassware that reflected Syrian techniques and ornamental concepts, this book gives an extraordinary view of the influence of imported Oriental goods in Italy over three crucial centuries of artistic development.
Rosamond Mack traces Italy's emerging decorative arts tradition as she discusses textiles, ceramics, glass, bookbinding, and metalwork; she also considers how Italian painting reflects trans-Mediterranean trade and travel. Painters represented carpets and ceramics from the East in their works, as well as textiles with bands of writing replicating or suggesting Arabic script, negotiating cultural differences in their borrowings. These paintings show how Islamic motifs were absorbed into Christian contexts.
Beginning in the 1300s and 1400s, the works of Italian craftsmen inspired by luxury goods from Islamic and Asian countries gradually began to compete with those brought to Europe in huge quantities on Italian merchant ships. Yet even after their own versions surpassed the quality of some of the imported goods, Italians continued to collect, imitate, and adapt objects from the Ottoman empire and China. As Mack discusses these important influences, she provides useful summaries of the history of Renaissance decorative arts and presents a balanced and carefully researched view of the controversial topic of East-West artistic exchange.
This uniquely comprehensive study offers an intriguing look at the effects of exchange in Renaissance material culture, shedding new light on the development of the Italian Renaissance as a whole. No other source provides so rich and inclusive a synthesis of the period's decorative arts.
Customer Reviews:
Perfect Condition and Great Price.......2007-01-10
It came brand new, in perfect condition and it was a nice discount!
INFLUENCE OF ISLAMIC CIVILIZATION IN THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE.......2006-02-25
To whom visit Italy, Venice is different of other important art centers , like Rome or Firenze . The Oriental influence in the
architecture remains as first impression.Screnning windows in the lunette above Porta Sant'Alippio , ,the grills on Saint Mark, the facades of the Doge's Palace.But,also, in the painting , and general decorative arts the islamic and oriental influence is visible. Venise was the gateway of the Orient.As
written in the Introduction of this excellent book , it was not necessary to travel to the bazaars of Damascus to acquire merchandise,because it could be found in Venice . The book is a complete study of this commerce ,between 14th and 17 th centuries ,and its influence in the life of Venice - including
the new class of designers , imitating silks , ceramics , glasses , and other kind of products.This book describes a very
interesting connection , not quite found in other works - the
influence of Islamic civilization in the Italian Renaisance.
Average customer rating:
|
The Ocean of the Soul: Men, the World and God in the Stories of Farid Al-Din Attar (Handbook of Oriental Studies/Handbuch Der Orientalistik)
Hellmut Ritter
Manufacturer: Brill Academic Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Interior Design
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Interior Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Poetry
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Islam
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
Mysticism
| Other Practices
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
Islamic
| World
| History
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 9004120688 |
Book Description
The Ocean of the Soul is one of the great works of the German Orientalist Hellmut Ritter (1892-1971). It presents a comprehensive analysis of the writings of the mystical Persian poet Farīd al-Dīn `Aṭṭār who is thought to have died at an advanced age in April 1221 when the Mongols destroyed his home city of Nīshāpūr in the north-east of Iran. The book, which resulted from decades of investigation of literary and historical sources, was first published in 1955 and has since remained unsurpassed not only as the definitive study of `Aṭṭār's world of ideas but as an indispensable guide to understanding pre-modern Islamic literature in general.
Quoting at length from `Aṭṭār and other Islamic sources, Ritter sketches an extraordinarily vivid portrait of the Islamic attitude toward life, characteristic developments in pious and ascetic circles, and, in conclusion, various dominant mystical currents of thought and feeling.
Special attention is given to a wide range of views on love, love in all its manifestations, including homosexuality and the commonplace sūfī adoration of good-looking youths. Ritter's approach is throughout based onprecise philological interpretation of primary sources, several of which he has himself made available in critical editions.
Book Description
The Palestinian folk arts have a rich and fascinating history. Silk thread and embroidery, together with an expanding repertoire of symbols, are known to have made their way from China to the Holy Land along the Silk and Spice Routes before being introduced to Europe by Christian saints, holy men and pilgrims. Mainly using cross-stitch, Palestinians have continued to embroider their traditional motifs, giving them their own appellations and developing their own terminology. As clothing was of prime importance, Palestinian women wanted something personal, distinctive and handmade. By adopting the traditional styles and motifs of her area, a woman expressed her wish to identify and be identified with her cultural roots. Samples of late-nineteenth to early-twentieth century Palestinian costumes are considered to be representative of folk art at its best.
Through the vicissitudes of war and occupation, Palestinian folk materials have been dispersed, though samples are to be found in published material, in museums outside Palestine and in small private collections. Leila El Khalidi's work in identifying and recording the history and motifs in Palestinian embroidery will be of interest both to craftspeople and to students of folk traditions and is an important step in preserving the Palestinian heritage. The book is illustrated with a detailed appendix showing the principal motifs and with photographs of traditional costumes.
Book Description
Venetian merchants of the Middle Ages imported more than precious spices and textiles from the far reaches of the eastern Mediterranean, they also acquired a wealth of visual ideas and information from Islamic culture, this book shows. Architectural historian Deborah Howard explores the range of buildings that reflected Muslim imagery and discusses the complexities of importing such ideas to an unambiguously Christian city.
Customer Reviews:
dont get carried away.......2007-08-03
The importance with books of this sort, is dont get carried away. Islam is a big question today, and intercultural history is a top priority, but accuracy should always trump political fads. Venice is by far a city of Byzantine and Gothic, much less Islamic influence. The book fails to make this sufficiently clear, and can leave the reader with the impression that Venice, and the Renaissance had Oriental roots. This is plain wrong.
The Many Veils of Venice.......2007-06-25
Deborah Howard is steeped in the enigma of Venetian architecture and gives a fabulous interpretation of its development through trading relationships with the Islamic world from 1100-1500 AD.
By emphasising the mental `Transmission and Propagation' of Islamic imagery as much as any materialistic one through trade, Howard shows just how elastic the `process of cultural diffusion' was and restores the importance of the oral tradition in the `reformulation' of that imagery into another space and time.
Her focus on the Middle East draws our attention away from Constantinople, bringing out the importance of Alexandria as one of the main sources of cultural inspiration.
In a vivid example of a rescued and transformed architectural motif, Howard mentions at length the lighthouse Pharos of Alexandria. This wonder of the ancient world was still standing when Islam spread across the North African coast and its secular function as a light in dark places became a potent spiritual symbol with the slimmed down rise of many a minaret.
The offspring of Pharos continued to multiply with Venice contributing several of its own; the last example, Codussi's campanile for the cathedral church of San Pietro di Castello with, `its snow-white ashlar masonry . . . stands at the eastern end of the city, as a beacon for the sea borne traveller from the east.'
The Great Umayyed Mosque in Damascus also gets singled out for special attention as does the Abbasid and Fatimid periods in general, with their legacy of impressive building projects that impacted upon the mind of many a Venetian merchant.
Howard reminds us how the papal ban on trade with Moslems became more than just a tiresome irritant for the Venetians. With so much lucrative trade at stake, the essence of its survival, good relations with the Moslem Middle East were a necessity; in Cairo for example, `only Venetian gold ducats are accepted currency.'
Venice also became a facilitator in pilgrim traffic to Jerusalem and it is the combination of so many of those factors that makes Deborah Howard's narrative so interesting. With splendid photographs and maps to reinforce her view, we look at Venice with fresh eyes while the ghost of bygone Alexandria dazzles, mirage like, before us.
The ripe old civilisations of the east were infused with much positive creativity in the wake of Islamic conquests: Howard's narrative helps dissolve the rigid and outdated paradigm of a `clash of civilisations,' revealing a grudging sense of admiration by many a Christian merchant and pilgrim who stood witness to Islamic ways of life and became transmitters of that imagery back to Venice.
An unusual book: Highly recommended!
Venice's love affair with the Orient.......2001-03-16
Clearly one of the best art books of the year, Venice and the East traces the impact of Islamic art on the Venetian imagination -- as evident in its architecture. Though stunning illustrations that compare Venetian and Islamic architecture and a well-written text based on primary sources, author Deborah Howard shows that, in the heyday of Levantine trade, Venetian merchants brought back more than spices and cotton from the Islamic world. They also brought back visions of paradise: Islamic styles in gardens, courtyards and palaces that evoked not just Eastern sensuality but also biblical grandeur and spirituality. Although Howard gives ample attention to the borrowing of specific architectural motifs -- balconies, crenellated walls and ogee windows -- she goes well beyond a cataloging of borrowed style. This is, most of all, a study in cultural assimilation -- of ideas as much as architectural form -- and is well worth treasuring whether your passion runs to architecture, history, sociology, or more simply: to gorgeously illustrated coffee table books.
Book Description
This collection represents the first large scale attempt to discuss the Middle Eastern mandates as a totality. It compares the application and effects of this very specific form of late colonialism from a variety of different disciplinary perspectives, including anthropology, architecture, archival conservation, economics, history, law and sociology. It contains analyses at both micro and macro levels, including specific instances of revolt or collaboration, studies of particular individuals, of professional groups and their contributions to "nation-building," comparisons between the various political and cultural policies of the mandatory powers, and the formation and practice of "le savoir colonial" by contemporary ethnographers, officials, physicians and teachers. The volume will be of interest to historians of imperialism and of the twentieth century Middle East.
Average customer rating:
|
Method and Theory in the Study of Islamic Origins (Islamic History and Civilization)
Manufacturer: Brill Academic Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Interior Design
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Interior Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Cultural
| Anthropology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Islam
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
Islamic
| World
| History
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 9004126023 |
Book Description
This volume deals with the methodological and theoretical issues of the study of Islamic origins. Each of the twelve articles examines a different aspect of Islamic origins: early Islamic history including the life of the Prophet, the Sunna and ḥadīth, tafsīr and the Qur'ān, and the rise of Islamic law. Both sceptical (or revisionist) scholars and sanguine (or traditionalist) scholars examine and employ the various contemporary theories on the development of Islam in the first 3 centuries A.H. In so doing, they seek to exemplify the sources and methodologies used to support these theories and to discuss their relative merits.
Book Description
The austere facades that line the labyrinthine streets of Morocco's ancient walled neighborhoods reveal almost nothing of the luminous residences within. The Villas and Riads of Morocco lifts the veil on these secret paradises, from fantastic palaces in Fez and Essaouira to middle-class riads in Marrakech to converted casbahs in the southern oases. With more than 200 stunning photographs, this beautiful volume takes us behind the scenes to explore a side of Morocco that is largely hidden to outsiders.
The book showcases exquisite interiors that combine rich materials such as cedar and marble; luxurious carpets and textiles; filigree carving and other handiwork; and vibrant color palettes. Also featured is the remarkable mosaicwork found especially in the central courtyard gardens and patios that form the heart of the Moroccan house. Accompanying these sumptuous views is a vivid history of the country's residential architecture and its fascinating mix of Andalusian, Arab, and Saharan influences. The Villas and Riads of Morocco not only offers a feast for the eyes but also illuminates an entire culture. AUTHOR BIO: Corinne Verner is a cultural anthropologist who lives in Marrakech. She is also a scriptwriter and has written a documentary film series for television. Cécile Tréal and Jean-Michel Ruiz are photojournalists and members of the Gamma and Hoa-Qui agencies. They have spent many years in Casablanca and have collaborated on several publications on Morocco, Madagascar, and the Maghreb.
Customer Reviews:
More than a Coffee Table Book.......2007-09-28
This work is thoroughly researched and beautifully presented. As well as the delights of the photography and text, it contains really interesting aspects of social history.
Books:
- Winning the Food Fight: How to Introduce Variety into Your Child's Diet
- Women: Images & Realities, A Multicultural Anthology
- WORDS THAT WORK: IT'S NOT WHAT YOU SAY, IT'S WHAT PEOPLE HEAR
- World Radio TV Handbook 2007: The Directory of Global Broadcasting (WRTH)
- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values
- $12 Billion of Inside Marketing Secrets Discovered Through Direct Response Television Sales
- 1500 Decorative Ornaments CD-ROM and Book (Dover Electronic Series)
- 2,286 Traditional Stencil Designs (Dover Pictorial Archive Series)
- 21 Things I Wish My Broker Had Told Me: Practical Advice for New Real Estate Professionals.
- Arabesque: A Taste of Morocco, Turkey, and Lebanon
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- War Made New: Technology, Warfare, and the Course of History: 1500 to Today
- Midlife Mamas on the Moon: Celebrate Great Health, Friendships, Sex, and Money and Launch Your Secon
- Factotum
- Did You Declare the Corpse
- Little Ghetto Girl: A Novel
- Microbiology: Principles and Explorations
- John Brown, Abolitionist: The Man Who Killed Slavery, Sparked the Civil War, and Seeded Civil Rights
- Captured: A Film & Video History of the Lower East Side
- Exploring Wild Central Florida: A Guide to Finding the Natural Areas and Wildlife of the Central Pen
- The Churchill Factors: Creating Your Finest Hour
Integrating Islam: Political And Religious Challenges in Contemporary France
Muslims and the State in Britain, France, and Germany (Cambridge Studies in Social Theory, Religion and Politics)
Breaking the Silence: French Women's Voices from the Ghetto
Muslim Girls And the Other France: Race, Identity Politics, & Social Exclusion
The Islamic Challenge: Politics and Religion in Western Europe
