Islam

by Bulliet, Richard W.

• ISBN13: 9780231082198
• ISBN10: 0231082193
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1995-10-01
• Publisher: Ingram Pub Services

Summary

This concise revisionist account of the historical evolution of Islamic society breaks new ground by going beyond the caliph and the capital. Bulliet abandons the historian's typical habit of viewing Islamic history "from the center," that is, focusing on the rise and fall of imperial dynasties. Instead, he derives a lucid and accurate understanding of how and why Islam became -- and continues to be -- so rooted in the social structure of the vast majority of people who lived far from the political locus and did not see the caliphate as essential in their lives. Focusing his research on Iran, and especially the cities of Isfahan, Gorgan, and Nishapur, Bulliet presents a new and fuller consideration of religous conversion, migration and demographic trends, education and its role in defining cultural norms, and the changing functions and fortunes of cities and urban life, as well as the roots and meaning of religious authority. Islan: The View from the Edge elucidates for the first time the role and history of this complex religion in everyday life.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(12)
1. Orality and Authority	13	(10)
2. Prophet, Quran, and Companions	23	(14)
3. The View from the Edge	37	(30)
4. Islamic Urbanization	67	(14)
5. Question and Answer	81	(20)
6. Ulama	101	(14)
7. Caliph and Sultan	115	(14)
8. Cities in Crisis	129	(16)
9. Iranian Diaspora	145	(24)
10. New Center, New Edges	169	(16)
11. The View from the Edge Today	185	(24)
Notes	209	(20)
Index	229