Islamic peoples account for one fifth of the world's population and yet there is widespread misunderstanding in the West of what Islam really is. Francis Robinson and his team set out to address this; revealing the complex and sometimes contrary nature of Muslim culture. As well as taking on the issues uppermost in everyone's minds; such as the role of religious and political fundamentalism; they demonstrate the importance of commerce; literacy and learning; Islamic art; the effects of immigration; exodus; and conquest; and the roots of current crises in the Middle East; Bosnia; and the Gulf. Throughout; emphasis is placed on the interaction between Islam and the West; from the first Latin translations of the Quran to the fatwa on Salman Rushdie. This elegant book deliberately sets out to dismantle the Western impression of Islam as a monolithic world and replace it with a balanced view; from current issues of fundamentalism to its dynamic culture and art. Francis Robinson is the editor of two outstanding reference works: Atlas of the Islamic World Since 1500 (Cambridge; 1982) and The Cambridge Encyclopedia of India (1989).
#109461 in Books John K Thornton 1998-05-13Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.98 x .51 x 5.98l; .74 #File Name: 0521596491238 pagesThe Kongolese Saint Anthony Dona Beatriz Kimpa Vita and the Antonian Movement 1684 1706
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy LSfine2 of 13 people found the following review helpful. Worst Book I've Ever ReadBy Sinead TwainThis book was painful to read. His writing style is incoherent. He saturates the text with unnecessary details; which make the book almost impossible to read. Thornton is very knowledgeable and includes a lot of good information in his book but he needs to learn how to write. He just lists fact after fact without providing enough information on specific events or people. I do not know who wrote the other reviews on this book because it is certainly not "engaging." Thornton takes a good story and muddles it with hundreds of unnecessary details. He mentions dozens of people and places on each page but he does not actually discuss them or their importance.8 of 9 people found the following review helpful. A Strong African History NarrativeBy ChimonshoJohn Thornton distills some of his prodigious research on Kongo and Angola to tell a coherent and exciting story. The result is a rare achievement; a solid full-length study of a precolonial African woman. Dona Beatriz was a young woman who inspired a religious movement against the internal wars which overwhelmed the Kingdom of Kongo in the Atlantic slave trade era. Her charismatic leadership ran afoul of civil authorities and the Catholic Church and she was executed in 1706; but echoes of the movement endured for several decades both in West Central Africa and the New World. The author answers important questions on cultural syncretism; women's political and spiritual roles; and the adaptation of world religions to indigenous settings. The main drawback is the welter of unfamiliar kiKongo place and personal names; which unavoidably frustrate some readers. A future edition could address this with more detailed maps; a glossary and list of main actors. Thornton skillfully provides more context in "Africa Africans in the Making of the Atlantic World;" and the more recent "Cultural History of the Atlantic World."
