Assessing Islam as a truly global phenomenon, this title explains the significance of the revelation of the Prophet Muhammad and the origins of the different Sunni and Shi'a groups within Islam, givin
If science fiction stages the battle between humans and non-humans, whether alien or machine, who is elected to fight for us? In the classics of science fiction cinema, humanity is nearly always repre
If science fiction stages the battle between humans and non-humans, whether alien or machine, who is elected to fight for us? In the classics of science fiction cinema, humanity is nearly always repre
Soviet foreign policy in the Stalin era is commonly assumed to have been a direct product of either Marxist ideology or the leader's whims. Both assumptions, however, oversimplify the complex and subt
The Fatimids ruled much of the Mediterranean world for over two centuries. From the conquest of Qayrawan in 909 to defeat at the hands of Saladin in 1171, the Fatimid caliphate governed a vast area st
After centuries of neglect there is renewed interest in the life and works of Lucius Annaeus Seneca (or Seneca the Younger, c 4 BCE-65 CE). At one time an advisor at court to Nero, Seneca and his poli
The Deccan sultans left a grand architectural and artistic legacy. They commissioned palaces, mosques, gardens and tombs as well as decorative paintings and coins. Of these sultanates, the Nizam Shahs
Mapping the Holy Land provides a unique study of the cartography of the Holy Land during the formative period of its development. Through a detailed study of the work of three of the leading figures o
Today, the 80-mile long Moscow Canal is a source of leisure for Muscovites, a conduit for tourists and provides the city with more than 60% of its potable water. Yet the past looms heavy over these qu
Emerging from a period of long seclusion, the leader of the burgeoning community of Ismaili Shi'i Muslims was declared the first Fatimid Imam-caliph in the year 909. Abd Allah al-Mahdi founded the onl
Mahmoud Darwish is the poet laureate of the Palestinian national struggle. His poems resonate across the entire Arab world and, more than any other single figure perhaps since the death of Yasser Araf
For more than a century, local journalism has been taken almost for granted. But the twenty-first century has brought major challenges. The newspaper industry that has historically provided most local
The representation of gender and sexuality is well-explored territory in film studies. In Film Bodies, Katharina Lindner takes existing debates into a new direction and integrates queer and feminist t
Public relations and journalism have had a difficult relationship for over a century, characterised by mutual dependence and – often – mutual distrust. The two professions have vied with each other fo
Why is the term shari'a—the mention of which conjures up images of a politicised religion in many parts of the world—understood in the ways that it is today? For Muslims and non-Muslims alike, much is
In recent years, the effects of economic globalization and technological change in driving dissatisfaction with established political systems has led to the rise of new forms of political populism tha
Portuguese cinema has become increasingly prominent on the international film festival circuit and yet can still be described as a "small nation cinema." From box-office hit La Cage Dorée to the prest
The Xi'an Stele, erected in Tang China's capital in 781, describes in both Syriac and Chinese the existence of Christian communities in northern China. While scholars have considered the Stele exclusi
Alexander the Great (356–333 BC) was transformed into a legend by all those he met, leaving an enduring tradition of romances across the world. Aside from its penetration into every language of mediev
What makes British television crime drama so perennially popular, both in the UK and internationally? What are the attractions and pleasures of these shows? How are detectives positioned in relation t
