Category Archives: News

Jun 2 2012

Afsaneh Najmabadi discusses her Qajar Iran digital archive project at the White House

Source: http://cmes.hmdc.harvard.edu/node/3189

On May 30, 2012, Professor Afsaneh Najmabadi gave a presentation on her project Women’s Worlds in Qajar Iranat an event at the White House titled “Exploring Communities of Muslim Women Throughout History.” Hosted by the White House Office of Public Engagement and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the event showcased NEH-funded scholarship that explores places and moments in time when communities of Muslim women have flourished. Professor Najmabadi was joined by Professor Mounira Charrad of the University of Texas, who discussed her forthcoming book examining family law reform in Morocco in 2004 and 1950’s Tunisia. The event was moderated by Professor Azizah Al-Hibri, founder of KARAMAH and law professor at the University of Richmond.

Afsaneh Najmabadi is the Francis Lee Higginson Professor of History and of Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Harvard and a member of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies Steering Committee. With help from a NEH grant, Professor Najmabadi and a team of scholars and students have created Women’s Worlds in Qajar Iran, a visually stunning and historically expansive digital archive of artifacts from women living during the time of the Qajar dynasty in Iran (1796–1925). The online archive is unique in that the objects and materials it contains are not physically collected or housed in single museum or institution; instead they have been gathered by researchers on the ground from a variety of private and family collections around the world.

More information is available on the White House’s blog: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/05/30/exploring-communities-muslim-women-throughout-history

Jun 2 2012

Middle East Studies Association Criticises New York Times

Recently the Middle East Studies Association released a letter to The New York Times, criticising it for refusing to run a letter to the editor by 151 faculty members objecting to an ad that the newspaper did run. The ad  identified 14 “professors of hate” who the center said advocate a boycott of Israel. The ad called for these professors to be “publicly shamed” and urged alumni and students to contact the presidents of the professors’ universities. The opening of the ad noted that boycotts of Jewish stores were an early tactic of the Nazis. In response to the ad, 151 professors wrote a letter to the editor of the Times, arguing that the ad unfairly linked their criticism of Israel to the Nazis, distorting their views. Eileen M. Murphy, vice president of corporate communications at the Times, told Inside Higher Ed via e-mail that the letter was rejected based on policy. “The decision not to run this particular letter to the editor was based on the fact that our letters space is reserved for comment about our journalism, both news and opinion, not about paid advertisements,” she said. The Middle East Studies Association’s letter questions that logic. “With this decision, the Times has failed in its duty to act in the public interest by fostering the open and vigorous exchange of ideas and opinions and by giving those who have been subjected to defamation by means of a paid advertisement a reasonable opportunity to respond,” the letter said. “We call on The New York Times to offer the scholars and teachers who have been personally attacked, and those who support them, the opportunity to respond to the vicious allegations made against them by an organization which, unlike those of us in the academic world, seems to possess both the desire and the means to engage in character assassination in the pages of The New York Times.” A spokesman for the Horowitz Center said that the group had not yet responded to the Middle East Studies Association letter. Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2012/05/18/middle-east-studies-group-blasts-new-york-times#ixzz1wgKk8qJX Inside Higher Ed

May 3 2012

A Gulf of Potential: a review of Boom amid Gloom by Allan Jacob

Boom amid Gloom The Spirit of Possibility in the 21st Century Persian Gulf
Boom amid Gloom: The Spirit of Possibility in the 21st Century Gulf
by N. Janardhan
Ithaca Press, ISBN: 9780863723933, Hardback, August 2010, 250pp

A Gulf of potential
Allan Jacob

5 August 2011, 7:25 PM

Silver linings abound in this book on Middle Eastern Studies by N. Janardhan, a Dubai-based researcher. The Gulf Cooperation Council countries are making their presence felt on the global stage, leaving their historical reticence behind. Changes may be slow in coming, but they are happening nevertheless, says the author who has 
witnessed the transformation of the region.

In his book Boom Amid Gloom, he attempts to strike a balance on what the Persian Gulf has achieved over two decades, the potential it possesses and the regenerative process driven by the youth who are growing in numbers.

Political, social and economic reforms are generally keeping pace with the changing times, according to the author, who is averse to promoting a Western vision of democracy. He is of the firm view that political reforms must come from within the system, without outside intervention. The six countries that make up the GCC, are making strides in reinventing themselves politically, so let them be, is Janardhan’s refrain.

Economically, the group, with its large oil resources and wealth, are a potent force globally. They have turned barren deserts into world-class commercial hubs to match the best in the world. They are attracting talent in the form of professionals across sectors, investments are pouring in and infrastructure is booming.

Their purchasing power abroad has grown with stakes in several firms. They have fine-tuned their diplomatic prowess, which is now second to none, according to Janardhan. However, economic integration for the group like the EU appears to be a distant.

The Gulf countries have created a framework for larger pursuits, according to the author. This sense of dynamism and ability to beat the recent downturn despite Dubai’s financial troubles proves the resilience of the region.

But there have been glitches along the way that cannot be glossed over. Education is one, women’s empowerment another. The environment and demographic imbalances are also proving to be tricky obstacles 
to surmount.  All GCC countries are dealing with these issues in their own unique way and time is on their side. In an era of growth for Gulf countries, it is imperative they grab opportunities that come their way. The writer looks at the promise of a rising Asia led by China and India, and how the region can benefit through cooperation, while taking stock of ebbing US influence over the course of events. The book is a good reference point for those seeking the spirit of possibility.

allan@khaleejtimes.com

http://www.ithacapress.co.uk/sites/default/files/imagecache/product/97808637239331.jpg

May 2 2012

Nonviolent resistance mapped – A review on Refusing to be Enemies, by Maxine Kaufman-Lacusta

Refusing to be Enemies – Palestinian and Israeli Nonviolent Resistance to the Israeli Occupation.  Maxine Kaufman-Lacusta.  Ithaca Press (Garnet Publishing, Reading, UK), 2011.

Source:

When Maxine Kaufman-Lacusta came to live in Israel more than twenty years ago, there was little awareness of the idea of nonviolent resistance in the peace movement here. There were sometimes those to whom the practice of nonviolent resistance came naturally, but there was no underlying vision.

Beate Zilversmidt

Maxine had a long background in the Quaker movement. She was quite unique as a Jewish Quaker. Maybe she hoped to bring the nonviolent resistance idea to the Israelis, but she was too wise to do that in the form of preaching. Energetically she threw herself into all kinds of actions, and soon had many Israeli friends. In conversations with Maxine, I’ve learned a few things. For example, that nonviolent resistance is something other than simply demonstrating in a civilized way. But shouting abuse at police officers who arrest activists is also not consistent with the idea of nonviolence. Verbal abuse is also violence. Nonviolent resistance is not an easy thing. Civil disobedience takes courage, and self-control and perseverance, not to mention sacrifice.

When, in the nineties, Maxine returned to Canada for family reasons, she left behind also many Palestinian friends. In particular, her departure was a blow to the Jahalin Bedouin whose existence in the West Bank was under pressure from the ever-advancing Ma’ale Adumim settlement.

But Maxine had not really gone. One time she came back to attend a Jahalin event. Another time she explained that she had begun writing a book for which she had to interview many Israeli and Palestinian activists. That book became a years-long project, for which she always had to do more interviews. I was certainly not the only one who doubted whether the book would ever come about.

Meanwhile nonviolent protest became the trademark of the weekly demonstrations against the wall—in Bil’in, but also in many other farming villages that saw their land confiscated—a weekly procession of Palestinians, Israelis and other friends, who always approached the hated wall closer than the soldiers would have it, not shrinking back from clouds of tear gas (weekly) or bullets (sometimes fatal); continuing with resolve week after week, year after year, always with another playful element assuring it of continued media interest. (Once, the musical protest of the Dutch pianist Jacob Allegro-Wegloop did the job.) Had Maxine come too early or had she gone away too soon?

But now there is the book. A portrait of Palestinian and Israeli nonviolent resistance against the occupation, based on conversations, continued over the years, with more than one hundred individuals. Maxine Kaufman-Lacusta ordered the material thematically, and it sometimes made my head spin when pieces of many conversations were placed side by side [yet] again. But continuing to read, I became gradually aware that the peace movement had rarely been written about so vividly, so intelligently, and so from within.

In the years that Maxine has no longer lived here, the radical groups in particular have undergone significant development. But she has witnessed these developments nonetheless, through her conversations with many unique individuals, Israeli and Palestinian, each with a different story, who together form the movement of the dreamers. Dreamers who take their dreams very seriously, and dedicate their lives to them.

All those conversations, and Maxine’s thinking about them –of which you find a lot in the book—the careful description of the dilemmas, interspersed with personal anecdotes, make this book a historiography of the movement which constituted the only glimmer of hope in hard times, the movement of those who refuse to be enemies—or to take the occupation and the lack of rights of Palestinians for granted. Where is the Palestinian Gandhi? you hear people ask who look for excuses. Anyone who has read this book has at least something to say to them.

Maxine Kaufman-Lacusta: Refusing to be Enemies: Palestinian and Israeli Nonviolent Resistance to the Israeli Occupation, Ithaca Press 2011, ISBN: 9780863723803

Mar 27 2012

Syrian government accepts Annan peace plan

Syria’s government has agreed to accept the peace plan put forward by the United Nations and Arab League envoy, Kofi Annan, his spokesman has said.

Annan’s six-point peace plan

1. Syrian-led political process to address the aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people

2. UN-supervised cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties to protect civilians

3. All parties to ensure provision of humanitarian assistance to all areas affected by the fighting, and implement a daily two-hour humanitarian pause

4. Authorities to intensify the pace and scale of release of arbitrarily detained persons

5. Authorities to ensure freedom of movement throughout the country for journalists

6. Authorities to respect freedom of association and the right to demonstrate peacefully

In other developments:

  • Clashes between Syrian security forces and armed rebels have spilled across the border with Lebanon, witnesses and Lebanese security officials say
  • Syria’s opposition groups are meeting in Istanbul to try to achieve a more united front
  • President Assad has visited former rebel stronghold Baba Amr in Homs
  • Yakin Erturk has resigned from a UN panel investigating human rights abuses, citing lack of access to Syria
  • Turkish Airlines is stopping flights to Syria after Turkey’s closure of its embassy in Damascus.

Read more

Richard Peres (Photo: Today's Zaman, Mehmet Ali Poyraz)
Mar 13 2012

An Interview with Richard Peres, author of the forthcoming Ithaca Press publication The Day Turkey Stood Still.

Researcher, writer: Richard Peres: Feb. 28

The author of The Day Turkey Stood Still: Merve Kavakci’s Walk into the Turkish Parliament

process isn’t over
11 March 2012 / YONCA POYRAZ DOĞAN , İSTANBUL
What are the facts surrounding the affair of Merve Kavakçı, who was kicked out of Parliament due to her headscarf in 1999 following the “post-modern coup” of Feb. 28, 1997?

The answer to this question and more comes in a book written by Richard Peres, who is an American researcher and writer. In the book, “The Day Turkey Stood Still: Merve Kavakci’s Walk into the Turkish Parliament” he notes that Turkey’s National Security Council (MGK), beginning on Feb. 28, defined Islamic movements as internal enemies.

Kavakçı was elected a deputy for the Virtue Party (FP) in the 1999 elections, but she was no ordinary lawmaker as she wore the headscarf, considered a violation of the principle of secularism in politics. Long before the oath ceremony, discussions in the media heated up as to whether Kavakçı would come to Parliament wearing a headscarf. Kavakçı, indeed, appeared in a headscarf to take the oath in Parliament on May 2, 1999. She was not only dismissed from Parliament, but was also stripped of her citizenship in 2001.

Continue reading →

9780863723780
Mar 12 2012

Review of The Nabati Poetry of the UAE in The National

The Nabati Poetry of the UAE: a remarkable anthology

[The Nabati Poetry of the United Arab Emirates
Selected Poems, Annotated and Translated into English, with accompanying Audio CD

Ithaca Press, Editors: Said Salman Abu Athera , Clive Holes, 9780863723780, 235 x 155mm Binding:, Hardback Publication, April 2011, £30.00,
250pp]

Marcel Kurpershoek

Mar 9, 2012

Poetry plays an important role in the daily reality of the Arab world. Far from being a thing of the past, it has extended its sway through television and the internet to reach audiences of millions. Mixed with traditional themes such as lovers’ complaints, poetry gives voice to current social and political concerns, and charts striking shifts in people’s sensibilities. It is an artist’s blog for critique and satire, as well as for the affirmation of society’s values.

For outsiders, language can be a barrier, but that obstacle has now been removed by Clive Holes and Said Salman Abu Athera in their anthology of Emirati verse with English translations. Its variety, based on judicious choice, allows us to get to know the UAE through its most authentic voices and, at the same time, the art of Arab poetry in the Gulf in its current guise.

As in the title, the word “nabati” is used to denote the poetry circulating among the population of the Arabian peninsula in general, unlike the poetry written according to the rules of literary Arabic, for which the Quran is the supreme example. According to some, nabati may stem from the ancient Nabataeans who lived in Petra and other parts of north-western Arabia. It is commonly translated as “vernacular, popular”, but this may suggest that this type of poetry is the domain of uneducated, “backwards” segments of society, waiting to be eradicated by general progress towards modern standard Arabic. While purists may see it that way, the facts are otherwise.

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Iran's Foreign Policy: From Khatami to Ahmadinejad
Feb 13 2012

Iran’s Foreign Policy: From Khatami to Ahmadinejad, a timely publication shedding light on Iran’s foreign policy decisions and their implications

Ithaca Press is pleased to announce the publication of Iran’s Foreign Policy: From Khatami to Ahmadinejad (new paperback edition), edited by Anoushiravan Ehteshami and Mahjoob Zweiri.
The current situation in Iran is escalating, with US sanctions already in place and EU sanctions reputedly also on the table. Iran’s Foreign Minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, has warned European countries against considering these sanctions, saying ‘ I am calling to all countries in the region – please don’t let yourselves be dragged into a dangerous position.’ It was unclear whether he was referring to military or economic danger in this speech.
Iran’s Foreign Policy: From Khatami to Ahmadinejad examines the implications of the foreign policy decisions of Iran, with a new chapter addressing the current situation, particularly with regard to Iran’s unresolved dispute with the international community over its nuclear programme, and to Iran’s role within the new Middle East, which is currently in the throes of revolution and political upheaval. The editors conclude that ‘what one gleans from what has been said and done since 2011 is a better appreciation of the swiftness of the dynamics of change now gripping the Middle East. The ongoing crisis within the region, coupled with Iran’s own unique political problems and complexities, mean that the relationship between Iran’s foreign policy and the domestic balance of political power has never been more relevant or significant’.
This is a highly topical and timely collection of papers by leading academics and prominent government officials, which sheds light on the foreign policy of Iran under President Khatami and into the period of President Ahmadinejad. The book considers key aspects of Iran’s complex internal and domestic forces, such as the impact of mass communication, with its implications for global interdependence, and the desire for greater freedom and democracy. These aspects of Iran’s internal political culture are juxtaposed against its intense and unshakeable national pride, and the book assesses the ongoing impact of these contradictory forces on its external relationships and foreign policy. Iran’s Foreign Policy provides detailed analysis of Iran’s turbulent relationship with the West. The editors argue in their introduction that ‘the principles that guide Iranian foreign policy have created “enemies of Islam and Iran”, as the Islamic Republic regards the West in general and the United States in particular’. In the context of the Islamic Republic’s guiding principles of maintaining territorial and Muslim integrity and independence, the book’s contributors assess ongoing developments such as the War on Terror, the continuing conflict in Iraq, American–Iranian relations, British–Iranian relations and European–Iranian relations.

Read more about the book here

About the editors
Professor Anoushiravan Ehteshami is the Nasser Al-Sabah Chair in International Relations at Durham University and Director of the HH Sheikh Nasser Al-Sabah Programme in International Relations and Regional Security in its School of Government and International Affairs. He is Joint Director of the Durham-Edinburgh-Manchester Universities’ ESRC-funded Centre for the Advanced Study of the Arab Sorld (CASAW), 2007-2011.
Dr Mahjoob Zweiri is an Assistant Professor in Contemporary History of Iran and Middle East, and the Head of Humanities Department at Qatar University. He was formerly a Research/Teaching Fellow at the institute for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Durham and Director of its Centre for Iranian Studies. He also previously worked for the Centre for Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan as a senior researcher in Middle Eastern and Iranian Studies.

Reform in the Middle East Oil Monarchies
Feb 8 2012

Considerations of the Nature of Democracy and Reform in the Arabian Peninsula

Reform in the Middle East Oil Monarchies, Ithaca Press, Editors: Anoushiravan Ehteshami , Steven Wright, ISBN: 9780863723230, New Edition, Feb 2012

Oil – essential to the economy of the Middle East – is central to current unrest in the region, and is therefore inextricably linked to any consideration of wider political reform.
This collection of articles features contributions by eminent academics and government officials, through which it addresses issues surrounding reform specifically in the oil-rich countries and states of the Arabian Peninsula.
These oil-rich monarchies are frequently dismissed as having no democratic systems compared to most other regions of the world. However, recent consideration has shown that these countries and states are perhaps not as autocratic as they have traditionally been perceived to be.
Continue reading →

Feb 6 2012

The Day Turkey Stood Still

Ithaca Press has acquired the world rights to The Day Turkey Stood Still: Merve Kavakci’s Walk into the Turkish Parliament, by Richard Peres.
On May 2nd 1999, Merve Kavakci walked into the Turkish Grand National Assembly to take her oath of office as a member of Turkish Parliament, wearing her Islamic headscarf (hijab) which is banned for civil servants in secular Turkey. A near riot ensued, and the Prime Minister told the crowd to ‘put this woman in her place’. Since then, Kavakci has become an outspoken critic of Turkey’s secularization policy, traveling the globe in support of Muslim women’s rights, especially regarding the hijab, which she promotes as a symbol of female empowerment.
The Day Turkey Stood Still is a unique behind-the-scenes story of the first headscarved woman to be elected into the Turkish Parliament, and the harsh reaction against her election. It reveals for the first time what happened behind closed doors to prevent Merve Kavakci from taking her oath of office, and deconstructs her vilification by the government, military, media and political parties.
Richard Peres also uses this fascinating true story to promote greater general understanding of contemporary Turkish politics, and to illustrate the ongoing tension between Turkey’s military-secular bloc and its predominantly Islamic population. This highly accessible book will resonate with Western readers who want to know more about this fundamental issue and gain a greater understanding of women’s issues, religious conflicts, political Islam, human rights and the struggle for democracy in the Middle East. The Day Turkey Stood Still is required reading for any academic who wants to understand the dynamics and undercurrents of Turkish politics today.
Richard Peres is an experienced author, civil rights activist, adjunct professor and international businessman. He has several years’ experience of teaching Communications and International Marketing in both the US and Turkey. He has an MA in International Politics, and is a feature writer for Today’s Zaman in Turkey, and a regular contributor to Turkish Review.
Ithaca Press is planning to publish this title in June 2012