Böcker i Cambridge Middle East Studies-serien

Discusses some of the most significant ideological debates that have animated the Arab world over the last two decades; from the 'Arab age of ideology', through an 'age of ideological transformation', demonstrating how the recent flow of ideas from one group to another have their roots in the past.

A. J. Racy is well known as a scholar of ethnomusicology. In this pioneering book, he provides an intimate portrayal of the Arab musical experience. The focus is tarab, a multifaceted concept which refers to indigenous music and the ecstasy associated with it. This is the first book of its kind.

In a challenging and authoritative analysis, Parvin Paidar considers how Iranian women have been affected, and their position redefined, by the political transformations of twentieth-century Iran.

The authors speculate on the relationship between identity and citizenship in Israeli society and explore the differential rights accorded different social strata. They conclude that, despite ongoing tensions, globalization and economic liberalization have transformed Israel from a frontier society to one more oriented towards peace and private profit.

Sanasarian's book explores the political and ideological relationship between religious minorities in Iran and the state during the formative years of the Islamic Republic. While the book is essentially empirical, it also highlights questions associated with exclusion and marginalization and the role of the state in defining those boundaries.

Based on three decades of ethnographic fieldwork and documentary research, this 1997 book traces the political and social history of the Shahsevan, one of the major nomadic peoples of Iran.

Explores the social and political dynamics of nineteenth-century Shi'ism and through this sheds light on modern debates.

Challenging recent scholarship which has dwelt on Islamic activism, Nadje Al-Ali explores the anthropological and political significance of secular-oriented activism by focusing on the women's movement in Egypt. The author frames her work around current theoretical debates in Middle Eastern and post-colonial scholarship and interviews with members of the movement.