Religious Minorities in the Middle East ─ Domination, Self-Empowerment, Accommodation

Presented by Longva (social anthropology, U. of Bergen, Norway) and Roald (religious studies, Chr. Michelsen Institute, Norway), these 13 essays explore the social and political status of religious minorities in the contemporary Middle East, covering both non-Muslim minorities as well as minority sects within Islam. The essays aim to understand minorities as integral members of their societies and as social actors in their own rights, thereby avoiding an undue focus on moments of conflict and minorities as purely victims. Non-Muslim minorities of Lebanon, Egypt, the Israeli-occupied West Bank (i.e., Palestinian Christians, not Israeli settlers), Syria, Sudan, and Iran are discussed, as are Muslim minorities in Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, and Iran. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Anh Nga Longva is Professor in Social Anthropology at the University of Bergen (Norway). She has published extensively on minority issues in Norway, the Arab Gulf, and Lebanon. Anne Sofie Roald is Professor in Religious Studies and Senior Researcher and former head of the research program Politics of Faith at Chr. Michelsen Institute, Bergen, Norway. Her publications deal mainly with gender issues, conversion, multiculturalism, Islamism, and Arab media.Contributors include: Maurits H. van den Boogert, Nazli Cagin Bilgili, Ali Carkoglu, Gregoire Delhaye, Kais M. Firro, Bard Kartveit, Catherine Le Thomas, Anh Nga Longva, Laurence Louer, Elizabeth Picard, Annika Rabo, Anne Sofie Roald, Eliz Sanasarian, Michael Stausberg, and Margot Warburg