Shiʿi scholars of nineteenth-century Iraq : the ʿulamaʾ of Najaf and Karbalaʾ

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Bibliographic Information

Shiʿi scholars of nineteenth-century Iraq : the ʿulamaʾ of Najaf and Karbalaʾ

Meir Litvak

(Cambridge Middle East studies, 10)

Cambridge University Press, 1998

  • : pbk

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Note

Includes bibliographical references (p. 238-249) and index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

In the nineteenth century, the shrine cities of Najaf and Karbala in Ottoman Iraq emerged as the most important Shi'i centres of learning. In a major contribution to the study of pre-modern Middle Eastern religious institutions, Meir Litvak analyses the social and political dynamics of these communities. Tracing the historical evolution of Shi'i leadership, he explores the determinants of social status amongst the ulama, the concept of patronage, the structure of learning, questions of ethnicity, and financial matters. He also assesses the role of the ulama as communal leaders who, in the face of a hostile Sunni government in Baghdad, were often obliged to adopt a more quietest political stance than their counterparts in Iran. This is an important book which sheds light on the formation of contemporary Shi'ism and the surrounding debates.

Table of Contents

  • Acknowledgements
  • Note on transliteration
  • List of abbreviations
  • Map
  • Introduction
  • Part I. The Community: Learning and Leadership: 1. The community of learning: concept and organization
  • 2. Leadership in the age of multiple centers
  • 3. Monopolization of leadership in Najaf
  • 4. Diffusion, centralization and politicization
  • 5. Determinants of status and leadership
  • Part II. The 'Ulama' Between the Ottomans and Qajars: 6. The shrine cities, the Mamluks and Iran
  • 7. The 'ulama' and the reassertion of direct Ottoman control
  • 8. The 'ulama' and Ottoman centralization policy
  • 9. The changing political triangle, 1875-1904
  • Conclusion
  • Appendix
  • Notes
  • Glossary
  • Bibliography
  • Index.

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