Book reviews

Iran and the Former Soviet South, Edmund Herzig, London: Royal Institute of International Affairs, Former Soviet South Project, 1995, ix, 60 pp, £9.50

The Party of Unbelief: The Religious Policy of the Bolshevik Party 1917–1929, Arto Luukkanen, Helsinki: Societas Historica Finlandiae, Studia Historica 48, 1994, 274 pp

Russians Beyond Russia. The Politics of National Identity, Neil Melvin, London: Pinter/Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1995, 170 pp

The Russian Policy Debate on Central Asia, Irina Zviagelskaia, London: Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1995, 41 pp

From the Gulf to Central Asia. Players in the New Great Game, Anoushiravan Ehteshami (editor), Exeter: University of Exeter Press, 1994, 242 pp, £14.95

Empires in Conflict: Armenia and the Great Powers 1895–1920, Manoug J. Somakian, London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 1995, 276 pp, £39.50

Turkey and the New States of the Caucasus and Central Asia, Buent Gokay and Richard Langhorne, London: HMSO, 1996, 35 pp, £5

Central Asia, A Lonely Planet travel survival kit, John King, John Noble and Andrew Humphreys, London and Hawthorn, Australia: Lonely Planet, 1996, 539 pp, £11.99

Ornament and Amulet. Rings of the Islamic Lands, Marian Wenzel, London: the Nour Foundation in association with Azimuth Editions and Oxford University Press, 1993, 304 pp, illus., biblio., index, £135     

POLITICS WITHOUT PARTIES: AFGHANISTAN’S LONG ROAD TO DEMOCRACY

Democracy has not brought stability to Afghanistan in the almost two decades since the fall of the Taliban. But it would be wrong to conclude that the soil of Afghanistan is not conducive to the tree of democracy, when in reality it was never planted with any skill. Democracy did not fail in Afghanistan; it was never even tried.

A series of connected mistakes began with the introduction of a flawed electoral system, no insistence on a transparent register of voters, lack of proper scrutiny of polling, and a lack of support for the development of reformist political parties and other functioning civil society institutions. From the start the US did not see this as a ‘nation-building’ project, but nevertheless US officials made far-reaching decisions about the nature of Afghan democracy. These were seriously unsound, and the electoral system introduced itself operated against the development of strong democratic institutions.

This article outlines the problems inherent in the Single Non-Transferable Vote system, examines the history of Afghan political parties through the twentieth century and asks whether alternative and traditional forms of Afghan government provide any real obstacles to the development of modern politics. The 2004 constitution was the seventh since 1923: this was not a green field site in terms of institution-building as it was seen by many of the international officials who flooded in after the fall of the Taliban.     

B. Reviews and notes: Bibliographies and works of reference

A GREEK AND ARABIC LEXICON: MATERIALS FOR A DICTIONARY OF THE MEDIÆVAL TRANSLATIONS FROM GREEK INTO ARABIC. Edited by GERHARD ENDRESS and DIMITRI GUTAS. Fascicle 1. (Handbook of Oriental Studies, the Near and Middle East, XI. Band.) Leiden, Brill, 1992. 30*. 96pp. Hfl.40.‐

THE ROLE OF THE BOOK IN THE CIVILISATIONS OF THE NEAR EAST: PROCEEDINGS OF THE CONFERENCE HELD AT THE ROYAL IRISH ACADEMY AND THE CHESTER BEATTY LIBRARY, DUBLIN, 29 JUNE – 1 JULY 1988 = MANUSCRIPTS OF THE MIDDLE EAST 5 (1990–1991). Leiden, Ter Lugt Press, c1993. 136pp. Hfl 210.‐

BROCADE OF THE PEN: THE ART OF ISLAMIC WRITING. Edited by CAROL GARRETT FISHER. East Lansing, Michigan State University, 1991. 100pp. B&W illustrations and Arabic calligraphy.

AFGHANISTAN. Compiled by SCHUYLER JONES. (World Bibliographical Series, 135.) Oxford, Santa Barbara & Denver, Clio Press, 1992. xxvi+281pp.     

The Election in Iraq

Although election of the Iraqi Interim National Assembly on 30 January 2005 was a step on the path toward democracy, it is too soon to judge it a resounding success. Further, it 7is important to keep in mind that the election is significant not only regarding the democratic process for the people of Iraq but also for the US and the future of US policy toward the Middle East.

Many Iraqis strongly desired democracy and some steps toward democratization showed resemblance to the democracy movement in Europe. However, the exclusion of popular political movements and the emergence of mistrust failed the political process.

At last, with the involvement of Grand Ayatollah Sistani, the election was realized. However, the Iraqi elections do not merit unreserved acclaim. This election allows, for the first time in Iraq's history, competition among ethnic and religious factions. Different attitudes among these groups toward the election and its results may further widen the gap separating them. In fact, the most important consideration regarding the election is what happens from now on.     

The indonesian general elections 2004

The year 2004 is crucial for Indonesia's democracy. It has held a series of elections, ending on September 20 with the final round of the presidential elections.

The first election on April 5 was to elect members of Parliament (DPR), the Council of Regional Representatives (DPD) and the provincial as well as county level legislatures. Around 600 million ballots were cast that day by about 120 million voters.

The election was seen by the public and the international community as democratic, fair and peaceful. This was also the case with the first and second rounds of the presidential elections on July 5 and September 20.

They have helped to move Indonesia's democracy several notches higher and the Indonesian people should be congratulated for the process and the implementation. It showed a kind of maturity that augurs well for the future.

Encouragingly, it has been a democratic process, where Indonesians are exerting their political right to make their choice without being influenced or feeling pressured by their social and political groupings.

The voters showed their displeasure with PDI-P whose votes declined from 34% in 1999 to 19% in 2004. Recent experience also showed that personal popularity is an important factor in the election of the president. In addition, despite being the biggest Muslim country, the Muslim parties that are proponents of the Sharia got only 23% of the votes. Two out of the five presidential candidates representing Muslim organizations were eliminated after the first round.

The final round on September 20 was a competition between SBY (Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono), who was the most popular candidate, and Megawati, the incumbent. She has slightly improved her image and was able to build a coalition among the three biggest parties in parliament. The competition was thought to be a close one, but in the end it showed that popularity was the more decisive factor.     

A US-Japan Foreign Policy Alliance for Myanmar

Rarely before has such a large and potentially consequential country tried to reform itself politically and economically as Myanmar is now attempting, following an extended period of extreme isolation and amid unprecedented international and digital connectedness that exists today. This is a challenge not only for Myanmar, but also for the United States and Japan as they try to facilitate this transformation in productive ways, in a coordinated fashion, and consistent with their own foreign policy and commercial interests. A pertinent question, therefore, is whether or not Washington and Tokyo are inclined and prepared to address Myanmar's transition as an alliance issue, and if they are, then what is an efficient and effective way to go about this task.

The answer is mixed, for despite their pursuit of many common interests, the policy priorities and policy making environments in the United States and Japan differ significantly. In simple terms, the United States has a “democracy first” agenda in Myanmar that sometimes limits its options, while Japan takes a more flexible approach in order to maximize engagement and business opportunity. Still, President Obama and Prime Minister Abe provided a mandate in April 2014 to strengthen alliance cooperation in Southeast Asia (and in Myanmar in particular), and the two countries have complementary strengths and local networks that can be leveraged more effectively for the benefit of all.

Despite US concerns about stalled political liberalization and human rights abuses in Myanmar, Washington should take a longer-term horizon for evaluating reforms and consider enhancing its leverage with Myanmar through more effective policy coordination with Japan (which is a major player in the country), rather than the maintenance or reapplication of sanctions.     

Book reviews

Pride of Small Nations: The Caucasus and Post‐Soviet Disorder Suzanne Goldenberg London: Zed Books, 1994, xv, 233 pp, 1 map

The North Caucasus: Minorities at a Crossroads Helen Krag and Lars Funch Report of The Minority Rights Group International, 94/5, 45 pp (incl. map), 1994, £4.95

The Legacy of History in Russia and the New States of Eurasia. The International Politics of Eurasia Vol 1 Series editors, S. Frederick Starr (editor), Bruce Parrott and Karen Dawisha Armonk, New York: M. E. Sharpe, 1994, xiii, 328 pp, $49.95 hb, $19.95 pb

Central Asia Reader: The Rediscovery of History H. B. Paksoy (editor) Armonk, New York: M. E. Sharpe, 1994, ix + 206 pp $60 hb, $21.95 pb

National Identity and Ethnicity in Russia and the New States of Eurasia. The International Politics of Eurasia Vol 2 Roman Szporluk (editor) Series editors, Bruce Parrott and Karen Dawisha Armonk, New York: M. E. Sharpe, 1994, xiii, 328 pp, $49.95 hb, $19.95 pb

Muslim Communities Reemerge: Historical Perspectives on Nationality, Politics, and Opposition in the Former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia Andreas Kappeler, Gerhard Simon and Georg Brunner, editors of the German edition: Edward Allworth, editor English edition Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press, 1994, Caroline Sawyer, trans., xiv, 365 pp, $54.95 hb, $24.95 pb

The Making of Iran's Islamic Revolution Mohsen M. Milani Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1994, 268 pp

Torture and Modernity: Self, Society, and State in Modern Iran Darious M. Rejali Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1994, 289 pp

China's Minorities: Integration and Modernization in the Twentieth Century Colin Mackerras Hong Kong and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994, viii, 341 pp, $79.00

High Tartary Owen Lattimore New York, Tokyo, London: Kodansha International, 386 pp, illus, £11.99

Turkestan Reunion Eleanor Holgate Lattimore New York, Tokyo, London: Kodansha International, 323 pp, illus, £10.99

Islamic Urban Studies: Historical Review and Perspectives Masashi Haneda and Toru Miura (editors) London: Kegan Paul International, 1995, 365 pp, index, biblio, £55     

The autobiography of struggle

Long Walk to Freedom. The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela.

Randburg, Macdonald Purnell. 1994. 630 pp.

’Armed and Dangerous’: My Undercover Struggle against Apartheid by Ronnie Kasrils.

Oxford, Heinemann Educational. 1993. x plus 374 pp.

Revolutions in My Life by Baruch Hirson.

Johannesburg, Witwatersrand University Press. 1995. xviii plus 365 pp.     

A: reviews: general

BETWEEN MARRIAGE AND THE MARKET: INTIMATE POLITICS AND SURVIVAL IN CAIRO. By Homa Hoodfar. Berkeley, Los Angeles, London, University of California Press, 1997. xviii, 302 pp.

THE COURT OF THE IL‐KHANS 1290–1340. Edited by J. Raby and T. Fitzherbert. Oxford Studies in Islamic Art (XII), Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1996. 218 pp., 84 black and white illustrations, ISBN 0–19–728022–6. £35 (hb)

COMMODITY AND EXCHANGE IN THE MONGOL EMPIRE: A CULTURAL HISTORY OF ISLAMIC TEXTILES. By Thomas T. Allsen. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1997. 137 pp. ISBN 0521–58301–2, £30.00 (US$49.95).

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA AND AMERICAN CULTURE: THE MAKING OF A TRANSATLANTIC LEGEND. By JOEL C. HODSON. Contributions to the Study of Popular Culture, No. 47. Westport, Connecticut, Greenwood Publishing, 1995. xiii + 183 pp., Index, $45.00.

THE CAMBRIDGE ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD. Edited by Francis Robinson. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1996. xxiii, 328 pp., maps, illustrations, £24.95.

THE HOLY WAR IDEA IN WESTERN AND ISLAMIC TRADITIONS. By James Turner Johnson. Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State University Press, 1997. 185 pp.

MUSLIMS AND CHRISTIANS FACE‐TO‐FACE. By Kate Zebiri. Oxford, Oneworld, 1997. 258 pp., £14.99.

JINNAH, PAKISTAN AND ISLAMIC IDENTITY: THE SEARCH FOR SALADIN. By Akbar S. Ahmed. London and New York, Routledge, 1997. 274 pp., 18 plates, 4 maps, £45.00 (hb) £12.99 (pb).

YEZIDISM — ITS BACKGROUND, OBSERVANCES AND TEXTUAL TRADITION. By Philip G. Kreyenbroek. (Texts and Studies in Religion, Vol. 62). Lewiston, New York, Edwin Mellen Press, 1995. 349 pp.

GENDERING THE MIDDLE EAST: EMERGING PERSPECTIVES. Edited by Deniz Kandiyoti New York, Syracuse University Press, 1996. 177 pp.

DORIA SHAFIK, EGYPTIAN FEMINIST: A WOMAN APART. By Cynthia Nelson. Gainesville, University Press of Florida, 1996. xxvi + 322 pp., illustrations, $49.95.

THE MOBILIZATION OF MUSLIM WOMEN IN EGYPT. By Ghada Hashem Talhami. Gainesville, University Press of Florida, 1996. 192 pp., £36.00.

KNOWLEDGE AND SOCIAL PRACTICE IN MEDIEVAL DAMASCUS, 1190–1350. By Michael Chamberlain. (Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization) Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1994. xii + 199 pp., maps.

EGYPTIENS ET FRANÇAIS AU CAIRE 1798–1801. By André Raymond. Cairo, Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale, Bibliothèque Générate, 18, 1998. 391 pp.

THE STRUCTURE OF CENTRAL AUTHORITY IN QAJAR IRAN: 1871–1896. By A. Reza Sheikholeslami. Atlanta, Georgia, Scholars Press, 1997. 246 pp.

BALAT: ETUDE ETHNOLOGIQUE D'UNE COMMUNAUTE RURALE. By Jacques Hivernel, Cairo, Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale du Caire, 1996. 204 pp. bibliography, illustrations, maps and pictures.

A BLOOD‐DIMMED TIDE. DISPATCHES FROM THE MIDDLE EAST. By Amos Elon New York, Columbia University Press, 1997. 332 pp., Index £19.95 ($29.00).

RELIGIOUS RADICALISM IN THE GREATER MIDDLE EAST. Bruce Maddy‐Weitzman and Efraim Inbar (eds). Ilford, Essex, Frank Cass, 1997. 264 pp., ISBN 0–7146–4769–1 (hb), 0–7146–4326–2 (pb).

THE SCROLL OR THE SWORD? DILEMMAS OF RELIGION AND MILITARY SERVICE IN ISRAEL. By Stuart A. Cohen. Amsterdam, Harwood Academic Publishers, 1997. xx + 148 pp.

ISLAM IN A CHANGING WORLD: EUROPE AND THE MIDDLE EAST. Edited by A. Jerichow and J. Bæk Simonsen. Richmond, Surrey, Curzon Press, 1997. 190 pp.

ISLAMISCHE WIRTSCHAFTS‐UND WOHLFAHRTSEINRICHTUNGEN IN ÄGYPTEN ZWISCHEN MARKT UND MORAL. By Steffen Wippel. (Studien zur Volkswirtschaft des Vorderen Orients. Bd. 9). Münister, LIT Verlag, 1997. xlii + 391 pp., 88.80 DM.

ARAB AWAKENING AND ISLAMIC REVIVAL: THE POLITICS OF IDEAS IN THE MIDDLE EAST. By Martin Kramer. New Brunswick, Transaction Publishers, 1996. 286 pp., index.

ISRAEL AND THE WESTERN POWERS: 1952–1960. By Zach Levey North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press, 1997. 203 pp., $39.95.

BUILDING A PALESTINIAN STATE: THE INCOMPLETE REVOLUTION. By Glenn E. Robinson. Bloomington, Indiana, Indiana University Press, 1997. 228 pp., £12.50.

MANDATE DAYS: BRITISH LIVES IN PALESTINE 1918–1948. By A. J. Sherman. London, Thames and Hudson, 1997. 245 pp., 61 illustrations, short who was who, £16.95.

THE DECLINE OF THE ARAB‐ISRAELI CONFLICT: MIDDLE EAST POLITICS AND THE QUEST FOR REGIONAL ORDER By Avraham Sela. New York, SUNY Press, 1998. xv + 423 pp.

MAKING PEACE WITH THE PLO: THE RABIN GOVERNMENT'S ROAD TO THE OSLO ACCORD. By David Makovsky. Boulder, Colorado, Westview Press, 1996. 239 pp.

ISRAEL ON THE ROAD TO PEACE: ACCEPTING THE UNACCEPTABLE By Ziva Flamhaft. Boulder, Colorado, Westview Press, 1996. 252 pp.

REMAKING THE MIDDLE EAST. Edited by Paul J. White and William S. Logan. Oxford and New York, Berg, 1997. 340 pp.

THE COLD WAR AND THE MIDDLE EAST. Edited by Yezid Sayigh and Avi Shlaim. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1997. 303 pp., map.

US‐ISRAELI RELATIONS AT THE CROSSROADS. Edited by Gabriel Sheffer. London, Frank Cass, 1997. 242 pp., £32.50.

LIBYA: THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF OIL. By Judith Gurney. Oxford, Oxford University Press (For Oxford Institute for Energy Studies), 1996. 244 pp., £29.50 (hb).

NOTES FROM THE MINEFIELD. UNITED STATES INTERVENTION IN LEBANON AND THE MIDDLE EAST, 1945–1958. By Irene L. Gendzier. New York, Columbia University Press, 1997. 300 pp., maps, illustrations, £32.00.

IRAN‐SAUDI ARABIA RELATIONS AND REGIONAL ORDER. By Shahram Chu‐bin and Charles Tripp. London, IISS/Oxford University Press, 1996. 88 pp., £13.99.

THE UNITED STATES AND IRAN: IN THE SHADOW OF MUSADDIQ. By James Goode. London, Macmillan, 1997. ISBN 0–333–67831–1.

DIR IRANISCHE SCHIA UND DIE ISLAMISCHE EINHEIT 1979–1996. By Wilfried Buchta. Hamburg, Deutsches Orient‐Institut, 1997. 427 pp.

THE MAKING OF IRAQ 1900–1963: CAPITAL, POWER AND IDEOLOGY. By Samira Haj. SUNY Press, 1997. viii + 150 pp.

THE AGONY OF ALGERIA. By Martin Stone. London, Hurst, 274 pp., £14.95 (pb).

FROM TRUCIAL STATES TO UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. NEW EDITION By Frauke Heard‐Bey. London, Longman, 1996. xxvi + 540 pp.

ARABIAN DIVERSIONS: STUDIES ON THE DIALECTS OF ARABIA. By Bruce Ingham. Reading, Ithaca Press, 1997. xv + 193 pp. £35.

THE VERB IN LITERARY AND COLLOQUIAL ARABIC. By Martine Cuvalay‐Haak. Berlin and New York, Mouton de Gruyter, 1997. xx + 278 pp., DM 158.

LITERARY CRITICISM IN MEDIEVAL ARABIC‐ISLAMIC CULTURE. THE MAKING OF A TRADITION. By Wen‐Chin Ouyang. Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press, 1997. viii + 257 pp.

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ARABIC LITERATURE. Edited by Julie Scott Meisami and Paul Starkey. London and New York, Routledge, 1998. Two volumes, 857 pp., ISBN 0–415–06808–8 (set).

IBN ‘AQIL: RELIGION AND CULTURE IN CLASSICAL ISLAM. By George Maqdisi. Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press, 1997. 292 pp., £50

THE SIRDAR: SIR REGINALD WINGATE AND THE BRITISH EMPIRE IN THE MIDDLE EAST. By M. W. Daly. American Philosophical Society, 1997 xvii + 345 pp.

ISLAM: A VERY SHORT INTRODUCTION. By Malise Ruthven. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1997. 162 pp., 14 illustrations, 3 maps, £5.00.

THE QURAN: A NEW INTERPRETATION — TEXTUAL EXEGESIS. Muhammad Baqir Behbudi translated by Colin Turner. Richards Curzon Press, 1997. 720 pp.

THE FORMATION OF THE SUNNI SCHOOLS OF LAW, 9–10TH CENTURIES CE. By Christopher Melchert. (Studies in Islamic Law and Society, No. 4). Leiden, E.J. Brill, 1997. 244 pp.

HISTORY OF ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY. Edited by Seyyed Hossein Nasr and Oliver Leaman. London, Routledge, 1996. 1211 pp.

THE SELF‐DISCLOSURE OF GOD: PRINCIPLES OF IBN AL‐'ARABI'S COSMOLOGY. By William C. Chittick (SUNY Series in Islam). Albany, New York: State University of New York Press, 1998. XL + 483 pp., $24.95 (pb).

‘AZIZ NASAFI. By Lloyd Ridgeon. (Curzon Sufi Series.) Richmond, Curzon Press, 1998. xiv + 234 pp., £35 (hb), £14.99 (pb).     

Book Reviews

Arabs and Islam in Uzbekistan. History of Middle (Central) Asia from the ruling dynasties to today Buribai Ahmedov and Zahidulla Munavvarov Nematulla Ibrahimov (editor) Beirut‐Lebanon: Sharikat al‐matbu at li al‐Tawzi va al‐Nashr, 1996, 464 pp (in Arabic)

Central Asia: Conflict or Stability and Development Shirin Akiner London: Minority Rights Group, 1997, 51 pp ISBN 1 897693 36 2, £4.95

Uzbekistan: The Golden Road to Samarkand Calum Macleod and Bradley Mayhew Hong Kong: Odyssey Guides/London: Hi Marketing Ltd/Lincolnwood, Illinois, US: Odyssey Passport, 1997, 328 pp, Illus, £14.95, A$29.95

Bihzad: Master of Persian Painting Ebadollah Bahari London: I. B. Tauris, 1996, 272 pp, index, illus. £65

Traditional Jewelry of India Oppi Untracht London: Thames and Hudson, New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc, 1977, 431 pp., Illus, Biblio, Index, £55

Security Politics in the Commonwealth of Independent States: The Southern Belt Mehdi Mozaffari (ed.) New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997, xiv, 234 pp., £42.60

Minorities, Mullahs and Modernity: Reshaping Community in the Former Soviet Union Mark Saroyan (Edward W. Walker, ed.), with Gail W. Lapidus Berkeley, California: International and Area Studies, Research Series, No. 95, 1997, 231 pp., $22.95

Energy Choices in the Near Abroad: The Haves and Have‐Nots Face the Future Robert E. Ebel Washington, DC: Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1997, VII, 376 pp., $39.95     

Reviews

The Possessed and the Dispossessed: Spirits, Identity and Power in a Madagascar Migrant Town by Lesley A. Sharp.

University of California Press, Berkeley and London. 1993. xx plus 345 pp. including maps, illustrations, tables, notes, bibliography and index.

Marketing Africa's High Value Foods edited by S. Jaffee and J. Morton. World Bank, Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, Iowa. 1995. 503 pp. including bibliography and index.

Democratisation and Demilitarisation in Lesotho: The General Election of 1993 and its Aftermath edited by Roger Southall and Tsoeu Petlane. Africa Institute of South Africa, Pretoria. 1995. xvii plus 193 pp. R60 ($30).

A Culture of Censorship: Secrecy and Intellectual Repression in South Africa by Christopher Merrett.

David Philip, Cape Town; University of Natal Press, Pietermaritzburg and Mercer University Press, Macon (Georgia). 1994. xv plus 296 pp. including notes and index. Paperback. Price R54,95.

The Eritrean Question: The Conflict Between the Right of Self‐Deter‐mination and the Interests of States by Eyassu Gayim.

Iustus Förlag AB, Uppsala (Sweden). 1993. 716 pp. including figures, tables, notes, maps, annexures bibliography and index. Paperback.

The Rwanda Crisis 1959–1994 — History of a Genocide by G. Prunier. Hurst & Co. London. 1995. xiii plus 389 pp. Paperback. Price £12.50.

Entrance into Reproductive Life: A Demographic Expression of Socio‐Economic Changes in a Senegalese Rural Area by Valérie Delaunay. Centre Français sur la Population et le Développement (CEPED), Paris. 1994. Les Etudes du CEPED No 7. xxii plus 326 pp. including figures, maps, tables, appendices and bibliography. Paperback. Price 90FF.

Verso un Nuovo Sudafrica: Dall'Apartheid allo Stato Multietnico by Chiara Robertazzi.

Milan: Francoangeli. 1995. 130 pp. Paperback.     

A: Reviews: general

BYZANTIUM AND THE EARLY ISLAMIC CONQUESTS. By WALTER E. KAEGI. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1992. xiii, 313pp. 5 maps, 2 pp. of plates. £45.00 (hb).

STUDIES IN EARLY MUSLIM JURISPRUDENCE. By NORMAN CALDER. Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1993. xiv, 257pp. £35.00.

GOLDEN ROADS: MIGRATION, PILGRIMAGE AND TRAVEL IN MEDIAEVAL AND MODERN ISLAM. Edited by IAN RICHARD NETTON. Richmond (Surrey), Curzon Press, 1993. xvii, 193pp. £35 (hb), £16.99 (pb).

SULEIMAN THE MAGNIFICENT: THE MAN, HIS LIFE, HIS EPOCH. By ANDRE CLOT [trans. from the French]. London, Saqi Books, 1992. viii, 399pp.

POPULAR CULTURE IN MEDIEVAL EGYPT. By BOAZ SHOSHAN. (Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization.) Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1993. 148pp. $49.95.

HOLYMEN OF THE BLUE NILE: THE MAKING OF AN ARAB‐ISLAMIC COMMUNITY IN THE NILOTIC SUDAN, 1500–1850. By NEIL MCHUGH. (Northwestern University Press Series in Islam and Society in Africa.) Evanston, Illinois, Northwestern University Press, 1994. xii, 280pp. 3 maps.

OTTOMAN MANUFACTURING IN THE AGE OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION. By DONALD QUATAERT. (Cambridge Middle East Library 30.) Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1993. xvii, 224pp. 5 maps, 5 illustrations. £35.

ESTRANGED BEDFELLOWS: BRITAIN AND FRANCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR. By AVIEL ROSHWALD. (Studies in Middle Eastern History.) New York and Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1990. 315pp. Index.

ELUSIVE DEVELOPMENT: FROM DEPENDENCE TO SELF‐RELIANCE IN THE ARAB WORLD. By YUSIF SAYIGH. London, Routledge, 1991. xi, 270pp. £40.

THE MIDDLE EAST AND PROBLEMS OF DEMOCRACY. By HEATHER DEEGAN. Philadelphia, Open University Press, 1993. 135pp. Notes, bibliography, index.

THE MIDDLE EAST AND EUROPE: AN INTEGRATED COMMUNITIES APPROACH. Edited by GERD NONNEMAN. Federal Trust for Education and Research, 1992. 305pp. £30.

STEPPES D'ARABIES. ETATS, PASTEURS, AGRICULTEURS ET COMMERÇANTS: LE DEVENIR DES ZONES SECHES. Edited by RICCARDO BOCCO, RONALD JAUBERT and FRANÇOISE METRAL. Paris, Presses Universitaires de France; Geneva, Cahiers de l'I.U.E.D., 1993. 401pp. n.p.

OIL MONARCHIES: DOMESTIC AND SECURITY CHALLENGES IN THE ARAB GULF STATES. By F. GREGORY GAUSE III. New York, Council on Foreign Relations Inc. xii, 237pp. Map, tables. $16.95 (pb).

SAUDI ARABIA: GOVERNMENT, SOCIETY AND THE GULF CRISIS. By MORDECHAI ABIR. London, Routledge, 1993. xvi, 269pp. £40 (hb).

KUWAIT AND IRAQ: HISTORICAL CLAIMS AND TERRITORIAL DISPUTES. By RICHARD SCHOFIELD. London, Middle East Programme, Royal Institute of International Affairs, 2nd edition, 1993. xv, 207pp. Maps, index. £15.00 (pb).

TERRITORIAL FOUNDATIONS OF THE GULF STATES. Edited by RICHARD SCHOFIELD. London, UCL Press, 1994. (SOAS/GRC Geopolitics Series, 1). xi, 256pp. Maps, index.

KING ABDUL‐AZIZ AND THE KUWAIT CONFERENCE 1923–1924. By MOUDI M. ABDUL‐AZIZ. Translated from Arabic by Basil Hatim with Ron Buckley. London, Echoes, 1993. 169pp. Notes, bibliography, index.

KUWAIT: FALL AND REBIRTH. By MOHAMMED ABDULRAHMAN AL‐YAHYA. London, Kegan Paul International, 1993. x, 130pp. £35.

CONTEMPORARY SYRIA: LIBERALIZATION BETWEEN COLD WAR AND COLD PEACE. Edited by EBERHARD KIENLE. London, British Academic Press in association with the Centre for Near and Middle Eastern Studies, SOAS, 1994. 187pp.

COEXISTENCE IN WARTIME LEBANON: DECLINE OF A STATE AND RISE OF A NATION. By THEODOR HANF. London: Centre for Lebanese Studies in association with I.B. Tauris, 1993. 646pp.

JUDAISM AND MODERNIZATION ON THE RELIGIOUS KIBBUTZ. By ARYEI FISHMAN. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1992. 202pp. £32.50.

THE NEGEV BEDOUIN AND LIVESTOCK REARING: SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL ASPECTS. By AREF ABU‐RABIA. (Mediterranean Series.) Oxford, Berg Publishers, 1994. 139pp. illustrations, maps, charts, index. £29.95.

THE KURDS OF IRAQ: TRAGEDY AND HOPE. By MICHAEL M. GUNTER. New York, St Martin's Press, 1992. 175pp. Map. £29.95.

Alavi, Hamza, ‘India and the Colonial Mode of Production’, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol.X, Nos.33–35, August 1975.

Althusser, L. and Balibar, E. Reading Capital. London, New Left Review, 1970.

Foran, John, ‘The Modes of Production Approach to Seventeenth‐century Iran’, International Journal of Middle East Studies, Vol.20, No.3, August 1988.

Foster‐Carter, Aidan, ‘The Modes of Production Controversy’, New Left Review, 107, February 1978.

Hindess, B. and Hirst, P., Mode of Production and Social Formation, London, Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1977.

Mahdi, Ali‐Akbar, ‘The Iranian Social Formation: Pre‐Capitalism, Dependent Capitalism and the World System’, PhD dissertation. Department of Sociology, Michigan State University, 1983.

Weber, Max, The Methodology of Social Sciences (E.A. Shills and H.A. Finch, eds.). New York: The Free Press, 1949.

IRAN AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. Edited by ANOUSHIRAVAN EHTESHAMI and MANSHOUR VARASTEH. London, Routledge, 1991. 191pp. $35.00.

NOMAD: A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF A QASHQA'I TRIBESMAN IN IRAN. By LOIS BECK. Berkeley and Los Angeles, University of California Press, 1991. 489pp. 4 maps, 43 photographs, 9 tables.

THE POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF NORTHERN CYPRUS. Edited by C.H. DODD. Hemingford Grey, Eothen Press, 1993. 382pp. £24.95 (pb).

ANTI‐CHRISTIAN POLEMIC IN EARLY ISLAM. ABU ‘ISA AL‐WARRAQ'S ‘AGAINST THE TRINITY’. Edited and translated by DAVID THOMAS. (University of Cambridge Oriental Publications, 45.) Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1992. ix, 218pp.

EARLY PHILOSOPHICAL SHIISM: THE ISMAILI NEOPLATONISM OF ABU YA'QUB AL‐SIJISTANI. By PAUL E. WALKER. (Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization.) Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1993. 203pp. £30.

THE SHI'IS OF IRAQ. By YITZHAK NAKASH. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ, 1994. 312pp. £25.

MAHMUD SHALTUT AND ISLAMIC MODERNISM. By KATE ZEBIRI. Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1993. viii, 200pp. £27.50.

ISLAM, ECONOMICS AND SOCIETY. By SYED NAWAB HAIDER NAQVI. London, Kegan Paul International, 1994. xxv, 176pp. £35.00.

RELIGION IN THIRD WORLD POLITICS. By JEFF HAYNES. Buckingham, Open University Press, 1993. x, 166pp. £12.99 (pb); £37.50 (hb).

A SYNTAX OF SAN'ANI ARABIC. By JANET C.E. WATSON. (Semitica Viva, 13.) Wiesbaden, Harrassowitz, 1993. xxii, 454pp.; DM 148.

AN INTRODUCTION TO PERSIAN. By W.M. THACKSTON. Revised Third Edition. Bethesda, Maryland, Iranbooks, 1993. 287pp. $25.00.

MIDDLE EASTERN LIVES: THE PRACTICE OF BIOGRAPHY AND SELF‐NARRATIVE. Edited by MARTIN KRAMER. Syracuse, Syracuse University Press, 1991. viii, 167pp. $19.95 (hb).

HAGIA SOPHIA FROM THE AGE OF JUSTINIAN TO THE PRESENT. Edited by ROBERT MARK and AHMET ?. ÇAKMAK. Cambridge and New York, Cambridge University Press, 1992. 255pp. Numerous illustrations.

THE ARMS AND ARMOUR OF ARABIA. By ROBERT ELGOOD. Aldershot, Scolar Press, 1994. ix, 138pp. £75.00.     

C. Reviews: general

THE HISTORY OF AL‐TABARI. VOL. III: THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. Translated by WILLIAM M. BRINNER. Albany, N.Y., SUNY Press, 1991. xii, 194 pp. $44.00 (hb), $14.95 (pb).

THE HISTORY OF AL‐TABARI. VOL. XXXIII: STORM AND STRESS ALONG THE NORTHERN FRONTIERS OF THE ‘ABBASID CALIPHATE. Translated by C.E. BOSWORTH. Albany, N.Y., SUNY Press, 1991. xix, 239 pp. $57.50 (hb), $18.95 (pb).

THE AWAKENING OF PERSIA: THE REIGN OF NASR AL‐DIN SHAH 1848–1896. By A.J. ABRAHAM. USA, Vande Vere Publishing, 1992. 64pp. $18.95.

THE EMERGENCE OF KURDISH NATIONALISM AND THE SHAIKH SAID REBELLION, 1880–1925. By ROBERT OLSON. Austin, University of Texas Press, 1992.

THE ARAB BUREAU: BRITISH POLICY IN THE MIDDLE EAST, 1916–1920. By BRUCE WESTRATE. University Park, PA, Pennsylvania State University Press, 1992. xvi, 240 pp. $35.

DIE TÜRKEI UND ÄGYPTEN IN DER WELTWIRTSCHAFTSKRISE 1929–1933. By CAMILLA DAWLETSCHIN‐LINDER. (Studien zur modernen Geschichte, 40). Stuttgart, Franz Steiner Verlag, 1989. xviii, 187 pp. 20 tables, 6 diagrams. DM 68‐.

EGYPT FROM INDEPENDENCE TO REVOLUTION, 1919–1952. By SELMA BOTMAN. Syracuse, Syracuse University Press, 1991.

EXPULSION OF THE PALESTINIANS: THE CONCEPT OF ‘TRANSFER’ IN ZIONIST POLITICAL THOUGHT 1882–1948. By NUR MASALHA. Washington, DC, Institute for Palestine Studies, 1992. iii, 235pp. $24.95 (hb), $11.95 (pb).

TRANSITION TO SELF‐GOVERNMENT: PRACTICAL STEPS TOWARD ISRAELI‐PALESTINIAN PEACE. Report of a study group convened by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, ANN MOSELY LESCH, principal author. Indiana University Press, 1993. 160pp. £22.50 (hb), £9.99 (pb).

GREATER SYRIA: THE HISTORY OF AN AMBITION. By DANIEL PIPES. New York and Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1990. viii, 240pp.

IBN SAUD: FOUNDER OF A KINGDOM. By LESLIE McLOUGHLIN. Basingstoke, Macmillan in association with St Antony's College, Oxford, 1993. 240pp. £40.00.

THE DESPAIRING DEVELOPER: DIARY OF AN AID WORKER IN THE MIDDLE EAST. By TIMOTHY MORRIS. London, Tauris, 1991.

A MODERN CULTURAL HISTORY OF BAHRAIN. By SAMI A. HANNA. Bahrain, National Council for Culture Arts and Literature, 1991. 107pp.

THE ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF THE GULF WAR. By KAMRAN MOFID. London, Routledge, 1990. xxiv, 177pp.

EARLY ARABIC POETRY: MARATHI AND SU'LUK POEMS, Vol. 1. Edition, translation, and commentary by ALAN JONES. (Oxford Oriental Institute Monographs, 14.) Reading, Ithaca Press, 1992. ix, 270 pp. Map. £25.00.

RELIGION, LEARNING AND SCIENCE IN THE ‘ABBASID PERIOD. Edited by M.J.L. YOUNG, J.D. LATHAM and R.B. SERJEANT. (The Cambridge History of Arabic Literature.) Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1991. xxi, 587pp. £ 60.00 (hb).

THREE SHADOW PLAYS. By MUHAMMAD IBN DANIYAL. Edited by PAUL KAHLE. Critical apparatus by DEREK HOPWOOD. Introductory Essay by MUSTAFA BADAWI. (E.J.W. Gibb Memorial, New Series, 32.) Cambridge and Warminster, Gibb Memorial Trust/Aris and Phillips, 1992. 154pp. in Arabic and 30pp. in English. £12.00.

GENRE AND LANGUAGE IN MODERN ARABIC LITERATURE. By SASSON SOMEKH. Wiesbaden, Harrassowittz, 1991.

DER ARABISCHE DIALEKT DER JUDEN VON ‘AQRA UND ARBIL (Semitica Viva, 5.) By OTTO JASTROW. Wiesbaden, Harrassowitz, 1990. 438pp. DM 112.‐

1 For technical reasons, the symbol ‘e’ has been substituted for the ‘inverted e’ of the original throughout this review. [—Ed.]

WADAAN: REINFORCING READING/WRITING/FIRST LEVEL ARABIC COURSE, Vol.4. By DIONISIUS A. AGIUS, and PARWEEN N. ARIF. Leeds, University of Leeds, 1991. 65 pp.

HAYYAN BINA: KITAB AL‐TAMARIN. DRILLS/FIRST LEVEL ARABIC COURSE, Vol.5. By DIONISIUS A. AGIUS. Leeds, University of Leeds, 1991. 111 pp.

MUGHAMARAT ‘AJIBA FI QISAS MUFIDA: THIRD LEVEL ARABIC COURSE BOOK 1. By PARWEEN N. ARIF and DIONISIUS A. AGIUS. Leeds, University of Leeds, 1991. 64 pp.

UNVEILING ISLAM. By ROGER DU PASQUIER. Cambridge, Islamic Texts Society, 1992. viii, 157pp. £6.95.

CULTURAL SCHIZOPHRENIA. By DARYUSH SHAYEGAN. London, Saqi Books, 1992. vii, 188pp.     

Book reviews

’Basmatschi’, Nationaler Kampf Turkestans in den Jahren 1917 bis 1934, Baymirza Hayit, Koln: Dreisam Verlag, 1992, 464 pp

The Green Crescent Under the Red Star. Enver Pasha in Soviet Russia 1919–1922, Masayuki Yamauchi, Tokyo: Institute for Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa 1992, 395 pp, documents, biblio

Policing Soviet Society. The evolution of state control, Louise I. Shelley, London: Routledge, 1996, 269 pp, biblio, index, £15.99 paperback

Muslim Eurasia: Conflicting legacies, Yaacov Ro'i (editor), London: Frank Cass, 330 pp, index, 1995, £37.50

After Empire: The emerging geopolitics of Central Asia, Jed C. Snyder (editor), Washington DC: National Defense University Press, 1995, 233 pp

Central Asia. Emerging New Order by K. Warikoo (editor), New Delhi: Har‐Anand Publications, 1995, 352 pp, Rs395

The Transcaucasus in Transition: Nation‐Building and Conflict, Shireen T. Hunter, Washington DC: Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1994, Significant Issues Series, XVI, No. 7, xiv, 223 pp, $12.95

Islam and Politics in Central Asia, Mehrdad Haghayeghi, London: Macmillan Press, 1995, 264 pp, biblio, index, £30 hardback

The Politics of Religion in Russia and the New States of Eurasia, Armonk, Michael Bourdeaux (editor), New York: M.E. Sharpe & Co., Inc., 1995, xvi, 336 pp, $49.95 hardback, $19.95 paperback

Onlar Germaniyada Okugan Ediler [They Studied in Germany] Shirali Turdiev, Tashkent: Ozbekistan Respublikasi Fanlar Akademiyasi [Ozbek Republic Academy of Sciences], 1992) Fan Neshriyati, 70 p

Turkey: The Challenge of a New Role, Andrew Mango, Washington DC: Center for Strategic and International Studies, The Washington Papers, No. 163, Washington DC; and Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 1994, 152 pp, $45.00 hardback, $12.95 paperback

Islam in Modern Turkey, Religion, Politics and Literature in a Secular State, Richard Tapper (editor), London: I. B. Tauris, 1994, 314 pp, £12.95

Islamic Desk Reference. Compiled from The Encyclopaedia of Islam, E. van Donzel (editor), Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1994, 492 pp, illus, £35     

Reviews

African Historiographies: What History for Which Africa?edited by BOGUMIL Jewsiewicki and David Newbury SAGE Publications, Beverly Hills (California) and London, 1986. 320 pp. including figures, notes and bibliography. £33,00.

Rural‐Urban Migration: Aspects of Theory, Policy and Practice by FrançAlcois Theron and Johann F. Graaff University Publishers, Stellenbosch and Grahamstown, 1987. 64 pp. including tables, notes and bibliography. R7,50 paperback.

German Imperialism in Africa: From the Beginnings until the Second World War edited by Helmuth Stoecker C. Hurst and Co., London, 1986. 446 pp. including bibliography and index. £17,50.

Elections in Independent Africa edited by Fred M. Hayward Westview Press, Boulder (Colorado), 1987. xvii plus 318 pp. including maps, tables, figures, illustrations, notes, bibliography and index. $36,50 paperback.

Africa and Israel: Relations in Perspective by Olusola Ojo Westview Press, Boulder (Colorado) and London, 1988. xiv plus 181 pp. including tables, notes and index. $23,50 paperback.

Rural Transformation in Tropical Africa edited by Douglas Rimmer Ohio University Press, Athens (Ohio), and Belhaven Press, London, 1988. viii plus 177 pp. including tables, figures, references and index. $27,95.

Ethiopia: Transition and Development in the Horn of Africa by Mulatu Wubneh and Yohannis Abate Westview Press, Boulder (Colorado), and Avebury, London, 1988. xv plus 224 pp. including maps, tables, figures, illustrations, notes, appendix, select bibliography and index. $28,00.

Ethiopia: The United States and the Soviet Union, 1974–1985 by David A. Korn Croom Helm, London and Sydney, 1986. xvii plus 199 pp. including map, notes, appendices, select bibliography and index. £19,95.

Transformation and Continuity in Revolutionary Ethiopia by Christopher Clapham Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, New York and Sydney, 1988. xviii plus 284 pp. including map, tables, notes, bibliography and index. £30,00.

Politics and the Military in Uganda, 1890–1985 by Amii Omara‐Otunnu St. Martin's Press, New York, 1987. xx plus 218 pp. $35,00 paperback.

The Soviet Union, the Third World and Southern Africa by Jack Spence South African Institute of International Affairs, Johannesburg, 1988. vi plus 35 pp. including references. R10,00 paperback.

The Battlefronts of Southern Africa by Colin Legum Africana Publishing Co., New York and London, 1988. xxix plus 451 pp. including map, notes, appendices and indexes. $34,50 paperback.

The Politics of Development in Botswana: A Model for Success? By Louis A. Picard Lynne Rienner Publishers, Boulder (Colorado) and London, 1987. xiv plus 298 pp. including tables, figures, notes, select bibliography and index. $26,50.

Capitalism and Apartheid: South Africa, 1910–1986 by Merle Lipton Wildwood House, London, and David Philip, Cape Town, 1986. xi plus 473 pp. including map, tables, notes and index. $8,95 paperback.

Class, Community and Conflict: South African Perspectives edited by Belinda Bozzoli Ravan Press, Johannesburg, 1987. xx plus 573 pp. including tables, illustrations, notes and index. R35,00 paperback.

Growing Up in a Divided Society: The Contexts of Childhood in South Africa edited by Sandra Burman and Pamela Reynolds Ravan Press, Johannesburg, 1986. xvi plus 454 pp. including map, tables, figures, illustrations, references and index. R28,00 paperback.

South Africa under Apartheid: A Select and Annotated Bibliography by Jacqueline A. Kalley Shuter and Shooter, Pietermaritzburg, and Institute of Social and Economic Research, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, 1987. xiii plus 544 pp. including index. R39,00 paperback.     

Reviews

African Historiographies: What History for Which Africa? edited by Bogumil Jewsiewicki and David Newbury SAGE Publications, Beverly Hills (California) and London, 1986. 320 pp. including figures, notes and bibliography. £33,00.

Rural‐Urban Migration: Aspects of Theory, Policy and Practice by Francois Theron and Johann F. Graaff University Publishers, Stellenbosch and Grahamstown, 1987. 64 pp. including tables, notes and bibliography. R7,50 paperback.

German Imperialism in Africa: From the Beginnings until the Second World War edited by Helmuth Stoecker C. Hurst and Co., London, 1986. 446 pp. including bibliography and index. £17,50.

Elections in Independent Africa edited by Fred M. Hayward Westview Press, Boulder (Colorado), 1987. xvii plus 318 pp. including maps, tables, figures, illustrations, notes, bibliography and index. $36,50 paperback.

Africa and Israel: Relations in Perspective by Olusola Ojo Westview Press, Boulder (Colorado) and London, 1988. xiv plus 181 pp. including tables, notes and index. $23,50 paperback.

Rural Transformation in Tropical Africa edited by Douglas Rimmer Ohio University Press, Athens (Ohio), and Belhaven Press, London, 1988. viii plus 177 pp. including tables, figures, references and index. $27,95.

Ethiopia: Transition and Development in the Horn of Africa by Mulatu Wubneh and Yohannis Abate Westview Press, Boulder (Colorado), and Avebury, London, 1988. xv plus 224 pp. including maps, tables, figures, illustrations, notes, appendix, select bibliography and index. $28,00.

Ethiopia: The United States and the Soviet Union, 1974–1985 by David A. Korn Croom Helm, London and Sydney, 1986. xvii plus 199 pp. including map, notes, appendices, select bibliography and index. £19,95.

Transformation and Continuity in Revolutionary Ethiopia by Christopher Clapham Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, New York and Sydney, 1988. xviii plus 284 pp. including map, tables, notes, bibliography and index. £30,00.

Politics and the Military in Uganda, 1890–1985 by Amii Omara‐Otunnu St. Martin's Press, New York, 1987. xx plus 218 pp. $35,00 paperback.

The Soviet Union, the Third World and Southern Africa by Jack Spence South African Institute of International Affairs, Johannesburg, 1988. vi plus 35 pp. including references. R10,00 paperback.

The Battlefronts of Southern Africa by Colin Legum Africana Publishing Co., New York and London, 1988. xxix plus 451 pp. including map, notes, appendices and indexes. $34,50 paperback.

The Politics of Development in Botswana: A Model for Success? by Louis A. Picard Lynne Rienner Publishers, Boulder (Colorado) and London, 1987. xiv plus 298 pp. including tables, figures, notes, select bibliography and index. $26,50.

Capitalism and Apartheid: South Africa, 1910–1986 by Merle Lipton Wildwood House, London, and David Philip, Cape Town, 1986. xi plus 473 pp. including map, tables, notes and index. $8,95 paperback.

Class, Community and Conflict: South African Perspectives edited by Belinda Bozzoli Ravan Press, Johannesburg, 1987. xx plus 573 pp. including tables, illustrations, notes and index. R35,00 paperback.

Growing Up in a Divided Society: The Contexts of Childhood in South Africa edited by Sandra Burman and Pamela Reynolds Ravan Press, Johannesburg, 1986. xvi plus 454 pp. including map, tables, figures, illustrations, references and index. R28,00 paperback.

South Africa under Apartheid: A Select and Annotated Bibliography by Jacqueline A. Kalley Shuter and Shooter, Pietermaritzburg, and Institute of Social and Economic Research, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, 1987. xiii plus 544 pp. including index. R39,00 paperback.     

Building the country or rescuing the people: Ben-Gurion's attitude towards mass Jewish immigration to Israel in the mid-1950s

In mainstream scholarship, David Ben-Gurion is described as one of the main supporters and primary advocates of the policy of encouraging mass Jewish immigration to Israel (aliya) in the 1950s. The Zionist movement had two different motives for supporting aliya: Diaspora Jews’ need for a safe haven (which would require mass aliya), and the need to build a solid and stable Jewish society in mandatory Palestine/Israel (which would require selective aliya).

When Ben-Gurion, in the 1940s, came to favour mass aliya, he did so because of the immigrants’ potential contribution to the attainment of statehood and then the independent state.

In the first years after independence, when entire communities immigrated to Israel, they included old and infirm people who did not fit the image of the pioneers of pre-state aliya. Nevertheless, for Ben-Gurion, their demographic contribution outweighed the burden of their absorption. By 1952, he had changed his mind and became one of the strongest supporters of selective immigration. He continued to support selectivity even when, in 1955, the safety of Moroccan Jews and their freedom to emigrate was in jeopardy. Ben-Gurion's attitude to aliya from Morocco, in the shadow of the Czech-Egyptian arms deal, reflected his priority – a strong and secure Israel.     

A. reviews: general

WARFARE IN THE LATIN EAST, 1192–1291. By CHRISTOPHER MARSHALL. (Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought, fourth series, 17.) Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1992. xiv, 290pp. 7 figures, 9 plates.

MINORITES RELIGIEUSES DANS L'ESPAGNE MEDIEVALE [ = Revue du Monde Musulman et de la Méditerranée, 63–4]. Aix‐en‐Provence, Edisud, 1992. 292 pp. 150FF.

THE TRANSMISSION OF KNOWLEDGE IN MEDIEVAL CAIRO. By JONATHAN BERKEY. Princeton, Princeton University Press, 1992. x, 238pp. $39.50.

PRAGMATISM IN THE AGE OF JIHAD: THE PRECOLONIAL STATE OF BUNDU. By MICHAEL A. GOMEZ. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1992. xiii, 252 pp. £35.00.

THE CHURCH OF THE EAST AND THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. A HISTORY OF THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY'S ASSYRIAN MISSION. By J.F. COAKLEY. Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1992. £45.00.

WOMEN, ISLAM AND THE STATE. By DENIZ KANDIYOTI. London, Macmillan, 1991. 271pp. + index.

MARRIAGE ON TRIAL: A STUDY OF ISLAMIC FAMILY LAW. By ZIBA MIRHOSSEINI. (Society and Culture in Modern Middle East Series.) London, I.B. Tauris, 1993. 200 pp. + notes and index.

WOMEN IN THE MIDDLE EAST: PERCEPTIONS, REALITIES AND STRUGGLES FOR LIBERATION. Edited by HALEH AFSHAR and MARY MAYNARD. Basingstoke, Macmillan, 1993. xiv, 250pp.

WRITING WOMEN'S WORLDS: BEDOUIN STORIES. By LILA ABU‐LUGHOD. Berkeley, Los Angeles and Oxford, University of California Press, 1993. xxiii, 266 pp., bibliography. $30.00 (hb), $12.00 (pb).

NASSER'S BLESSED MOVEMENT: EGYPT'S FREE OFFICERS AND THE JULY REVOLUTION. By JOEL GORDON. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1992. vii, 254 pp.

WAR AND PEACE IN ISRAELI POLITICS: LABOR PARTY POSITIONS ON NATIONAL SECURITY. By EFRAIM INBAR. Boulder and London, Lynne Rien‐ner, 1991. 184pp., appendices. £21.95.

TURKEY AND THE WEST: CHANGING POLITICAL AND CULTURAL IDENTITIES. Edited by METIN HEPER, AYSE ÖNCÜ and HEINZ KRAMER. London/New York, Tauris, 1993. xiv, 289 pp.

TURKEY'S NEW GEOPOLITICS: FROM THE BALKANS TO WESTERN CHINA. By GRAHAM E. FULLER and IAN O. LESSER, with PAUL B. HENZE and J.F. BROWN. Boulder and Oxford, Westview Press, 1993. xv, 197pp.

THE SOCIALIST MOVEMENT IN TURKEY, 1960–1980. By IGOR P. LIPOVSKY. Leiden, Brill, 1992. ix, 190pp. $48.75.

ISLAM IN MODERN TURKEY: RELIGION, POLITICS AND LITERATURE IN A SECULAR STATE. Edited by RICHARD TAPPER. London/New York: Tauris, 1991. v, 314 pp.

SIBAWAYH THE PHONOLOGIST: A CRITICAL STUDY OF THE PHONETIC AND PHONOLOGICAL THEORY OF SIBAWAYH AS PRESENTED IN HIS TREATISE AL‐KITAB. By A.A. AL‐NASSIR. London and New York, Kegan Paul International, 1993. xx, 130 pp.

AL‐MADKHAL ILā TAQWīM AL‐LISāN WA‐TA'LīM AL‐BAYāN. By IBN HISHāM AL‐LAKHMī. Edited by JOSÉ PÉREZ LÁZARO. (Fuentes Arábico‐Hispanas, no. 6.) Madrid, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas & Insti‐tuto de Cooperatión con el Mundo Árabe, 1990. 2 vols. 219; 599pp.