Although the thought of the Andalusian Sufi Muhyi al-Din ibn ‘Arabi (d.1240) has become increasingly popular in the West during the last century,only very recently has there been any attempt to analyze his contemporary reception.Isobel Jeffery-Street’s recent study on Ibn ‘Arabi in the West – withits dual focus on the Beshara School “for the study...Read More

At the time Tambar wrote The Reckoning of Pluralism, there was a briefopening in Turkish political life during which ethnic and sectarian pluralitywas both imaginable and debatable. This opening, initiated by the ruling AKP,attempted to create an official conversation about the Alevis and the Kurds.This move indicated that those who have state power were willing...Read More

The Arab Spring, which began in December 2010, mobilized the Arab massesto depose once-uncontestable autocratic rulers. Many observers predicted thatthis regional uprising would move the Arab world from autocracy to democracyin no time. However, the present scenario speaks to the contrary. Althoughmany are struggling to understand its long-term effects, one thing iscertain: This ongoing event...Read More

Anthropologist Karin van Nieuwkerk’s latest book-length study addresses thephenomenon, widely discussed in Egyptian media since the 1990s, of celebratedsingers, actors, and dancers who withdraw from their professions to liveaccording to what they believe are Islamically sound principles. The author of“A Trade Like Any Other”: Female Singers and Dancers in Egypt (Austin:University of Texas Press, 1995),...Read More