Public Violence in Islamic Societies

Power, Discipline, and the Construction of the Public Sphere, 7th-19th Centuries CE

Christian Lange editor Maribel Fierro editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Edinburgh University Press

Published:30th Jun '09

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Public Violence in Islamic Societies cover

This exploration of the role of violence in the history of Islamic societies considers the subject particularly in the context of its implementation as a political strategy to claim power over the public sphere. Violence, both among Muslims and between Muslims and non-Muslims, has been the object of research in the past, as in the case of jihad, martyrdom, rebellion or criminal law. This book goes beyond these concerns in addressing, in a comprehensive and cross-disciplinary fashion, how violence has functioned as a basic principle of Islamic social and political organization in a variety of historical and geographical contexts. Contributions trace the use of violence by governments in the history of Islam, shed light on legal views of violence, and discuss artistic and religious responses. Authors lay out a spectrum of attitudes rather than trying to define an Islamic doctrine of violence. Bringing together some of the most substantive and innovative scholarship on this important topic to date, this volume contributes to the growing interest, both scholarly and general, in the question of Muslim attitudes toward violence.

ISBN: 9780748637317

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 623g

312 pages