|
Showing 1 - 5 of
5 matches in All Departments
Europe has been the chief arena of revolutionary passions since the
end of the eighteenth century. During this same period, and right
up to the beginning of the twenty-first century, the non-European
world, too, has resonated with coup attempts and revolutionary
turmoil. How does one begin to understand these revolutionary
passions? To what extent are they influenced by European matrices?
Have these revolutions also themselves resulted in 'exportable
models'? Three French writers look at three continents-Latin
America, the Middle East and India and interrogate the revolution,
with reference to and dialogue with the definitive work of Francois
Furet, who wrote The Passing of an Illusion: The Idea of Communism
in the Twentieth Century. Interestingly, the original French book
Passions revolutionnaires was written in 1995, just after the fall
of the Berlin wall. Whether nationalist, religious, proletarian,
international, anti-colonial or simply liberty and equality,
whether violent or fought passively, the Revolution as a concept
and a fact, whether past, present or future, remains a critical
reference point for our societies.
The modern history of Iraq is punctuated by a series of successive
and radical ruptures (coups d'etat, changes of regime, military
adventures and foreign invasions) whose chronological markers are
relatively easy to identify. Although researchers cannot ignore
these ruptures, they should also be encouraged to establish links
between the moments when the breaks occur and the longue duree, in
order to gain a better understanding of the period.Combining a
variety of different disciplinary and methodological perspectives,
this collection of essays seeks to establish some new markers which
will open fresh perspectives on the history of Iraq in the
twentieth and twenty-first centuries, and suggest a narrative that
fits into new paradigms. The book covers the various different
periods of the modern state (the British occupation and mandate,
the monarchy, the first revolutions and the decades of Ba'thist
rule) through the lens of significant groups in Iraq society,
including artists, film-makers, political and opposition groups,
members of ethnic and religious groups, and tribes.
Violence has been a central political issue in many Middle Eastern
countries during the past two decades, either episodically (Syria,
Iran) or continually (Turkey, Egypt, Algeria, Iraq, Afghanistan,
and Israel/Palestine). This groundbreaking new study sheds light on
the dynamics of this phenomenon by going beyond factors usually
cited as the root causes--economy, religion, and culture--and
investigating the political structure that actually triggers this
violence. Violence seems to be treated by some groups during their
initial stages as a rational instrument for changing contested
power relations. In their later stages, these movements often
weaken and spawn fragmented and privatized forms of
violence--warlords are one example--and in some situations the
violence metamorphoses into nihilistic, sacrificial, and/or
messianic forms. This book explores the ways in which the
criminalization of political, ethnic, and sectarian identities has
contributed to the formation of a "tragic mind" that perceives
violence as the surest provider of justice and hope. The author's
in-depth analysis, which combines approaches from the cognitive,
social, and religious sciences, can help us to understand the logic
behind these forms of violence.
The Cambridge History of the Kurds is an authoritative and
comprehensive volume exploring the social, political and economic
features, forces and evolution amongst the Kurds, and in the region
known as Kurdistan, from the fifteenth to the twenty-first century.
Written in a clear and accessible style by leading scholars in the
field, the chapters survey key issues and themes vital to any
understanding of the Kurds and Kurdistan including Kurdish
language; Kurdish art, culture and literature; Kurdistan in the age
of empires; political, social and religious movements in Kurdistan;
and domestic political developments in the twentieth and
twenty-first centuries. Other chapters on gender, diaspora,
political economy, tribes, cinema and folklore offer fresh
perspectives on the Kurds and Kurdistan as well as neatly meeting
an exigent need in Middle Eastern studies. Situating contemporary
developments taking place in Kurdish-majority regions within
broader histories of the region, it forms a definitive survey of
the history of the Kurds and Kurdistan.
Violence has been a central political issue in many Middle Eastern
countries during the past two decades, either episodically (Syria,
Iran) or continually (Turkey, Egypt, Algeria, Iraq, Afghanistan,
and Israel/Palestine). This groundbreaking new study sheds light on
the dynamics of this phenomenon by going beyond factors usually
cited as the root causes - economy, religion, and culture - and
investigating the political structure that actually triggers this
violence. Violence seems to be treated by some groups during their
initial stages as a rational instrument for changing contested
power relations. In their later stages, these movements often
weaken and spawn fragmented and privatized forms of violence -
warlords are one example - and in some situations the violence
metamorphoses into nihilistic, sacrificial, and/or messianic forms.
This book explores the ways in which the criminalization of
political, ethnic, and sectarian identities has contributed to the
formation of a ""tragic mind"" that perceives violence as the
surest provider of justice and hope. The author's in-depth
analysis, which combines approaches from the cognitive, social, and
religious sciences, can help us to understand the logic behind
these forms of violence.
|
|