Urban Social History of the Middle East 1750-1950 (Modern Intellectual and Political History of the Middle East)

Cities of the Middle East and North Africa have long attracted the attention and interest of historians. With the release and analysis of Islamic court records and Ottoman administrative documents over the last few decades, our knowledge of cities between the seventeenth and early twentieth centuries has vastly expanded. Drawing upon this treasure trove of new documents, contributions in this volume explore the dynamics urban life in the Middle East, providing an overview of the most up to date scholarship in the field. Islam, which requests that its followers engage in prayer as a social act, has often been cited as an "urban religion." Understanding Islam's deep ties to civic matters and to the city itself, the essays gathered here explore the interconnectedness between religion and its geography in order to better understand the challenges and successes the Middle East and North Africa have met as they move toward Western-style democracy. This volume serves to map out the ways in which Middle Eastern cities can be studied, enriching our understanding of the social histroy in the later Ottomon and colonial periods.