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This is a study of two compilations that originated in western Iran before the Mongol conquest. The research contributes to the ongoing discussion of the organization and preservation of knowledge in literate societies. The Muḥāḍarāt al-udabā’ wa-muḥāwarāt al-shuʿarā' wa'l-bulaghā' (Conversations among Men of Letters and Debates between Men of Poetry and Rhetoric) is a major anthology of literary Arabic, ascribed to the lexicographer and philosopher Abū al-Qāsim al-Rāghib al-Iṣfahānī (d. before 1050?). The Rāḥat al-ṣudūr wa-āyat al-surūr (Comfort of Hearts and Wonder of Delights) is a Persian miscellany about the Great Seljuq sultanate that Muḥammad al-Rāwandī (d. after 1209), an obscure calligrapher and theologian, compiled in the first decade of the thirteenth century in Hamadan to petition the Rum Seljuq sultan Kay Khusrau (ruled 1192-1197 and 1205-1211) in Konya. Both works are single-subject encyclopedias, designed as comprehensive textbooks. The circulation of manuscripts and imprints provides a diachronic perspective on the diffusion of knowledge. These textbooks circulated largely between Isfahan and Istanbul. Rāghib’s anthology is a propaedeutic work for a general audience, and is still in print in contemporary Middle Eastern societies. In contrast, Rāwandī’s miscellany is a personalized curriculum of Great Seljuq politics and courtly etiquette, and thus became obsolete in the sixteenth century. The biographical data on their authors offer the complementary synchronic perspective on the geography of knowledge in pre-Mongol Iran. The contents of the Muḥāḍarāt and the Rāḥat illustrate how their authors utilized well-established conventions of transmitting knowledge to compile an anthology of literary Arabic and a miscellany about the Great Seljuq sultanate. The arrangement of their contents is the most original aspect of these textbooks. On the macro-level, the sequence of parts, chapters, and sections follows a principle of associative order of topics and disciplines. The textbooks are witnesses to societal dependence on literacy. The oral transmission of knowledge had lost its monopoly, yet writing was less a replacement than a supplement to the oral tradition. The contents and structure of the Muḥāḍarāt and the Rāḥat document the continued prestige and use of oral practices within a literate society.

Thesis (M.A.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 2002. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [152]-169).

<p> The Roman-Sasanian War of the seventh century CE was the last conflict of late antiquity. <i>&Scaron;ahan&scaron;ah</i> Xusr&omacr; II nearly conquered the Roman Empire. James Howard-Johnston has studied the war extensively. Walter Kaegi has produced a biography of Xusr&omacr; II's opponent, Heraclius, while Geoffrey Greatrex and Touraj Daryaee have written articles focusing on Xusr&omacr; II. Scholars, however, have not attempted a major study of him. This dissertation seeks not only to understand how different authors depicted Xusr&omacr; II but to understand the man's personality. </p><p> Roman authors who witnessed the war sought to highlight only the negative aspects of Xusr&omacr; II. He was, according to the Romans, an enemy of God. Fear of Xusr&omacr; II was the basis for these depictions. Pseudo-Seb&emacr;os, an Armenian historian, depicted Xusr&omacr; II as an arrogant, blasphemous ruler. Pseudo-Seb&emacr;os, however, did not write anything positive about the Romans, either, because both the Romans and Sasanians wanted to control Armenia. </p><p> Christians living under Xusr&omacr; II's rulership also seemed to despise him. They portray Xusr&omacr; II as wicked because, in an attempt to punish them, he did not let allow them to elect a ruler. A careful reading of these sources, however, suggests these authors were aware of how Xusr&omacr; II took care of Christians in his realm. Finally, Arab and Persian sources differ in their portrayals of Xusr&omacr; II because both groups, although both Muslim, were competing for legitimacy in the post-Islamic conquest of Iran, due to ethnic tensions. Arab authors emphasized Xusr&omacr; II's faults. Persian authors, on the other hand, presented his good qualities. </p><p> Ultimately, all of these different depictions of Xusr&omacr; II demonstrate that he possessed a fierce will and embraced a vision of how to rule. Xusr&omacr; II wanted to conquer the Romans and extend his domain and be remembered forever. Xusr&omacr; II's drive might have made him seem arrogant to the authors studied in this dissertation, and they depicted him accordingly. We should not, however, lose sight of the man he truly was: a man who dared to dream.</p>

This dissertation analyzes everyday talk about livelihoods, or about the challenges of work and getting by, among displaced Kurds in the city of Diyarbakır in southeastern Turkey. Over the past two decades, Diyarbakır has grown dramatically with the influx of tens of thousands of displaced and dispossessed rural Kurds uprooted by state policies of forced migration. These policies were designed with two strategic aims in mind: eliminating rural support networks for the Kurdish armed rebellion (the PKK), and concentrating populations in less dispersed and thus theoretically more easily policed spaces. However, it is argued here that while the former ambition has perhaps succeeded, the displacement and dispossession of rural Kurds throughout the 1990s, rather than suppressing dissent, has generated new fields and new forms of political struggle. Based on two years of fieldwork in Diyarbakır, this study explores the ways in which ordinary talk about livelihoods, about how to make a living and pay the bills, is, in this context, about more than ‘the economy’ alone. The interplay of people’s efforts to rebuild life and livelihood and the semiotic interpretation of these efforts is analyzed as a rich and under-appreciated site for the everyday practical generation of the political in Kurdish Turkey. This study contributes to the anthropology of Kurdish Turkey and of the Middle East, as well as to theories of displacement and dispossession, evaluative discourse, and the pragmatics of political stance. / Anthropology

<p> <u>Objectives.</u> Despite a child restraint system (CRS) law in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (K.S.A.), compliance has been minimal. We explored the salient behavioral, normative and control beliefs, which may predict intentions of CRS use in K.S.A; identified which of them independently predicted attitude, subjective norms (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC); and tested the effect of attitude, SN, and PBC on the intent for CRS use. </p><p> <u>Methodology.</u> This study was conducted in two stages. During the qualitative stage two focus groups were conducted (n=25). The identified beliefs were incorporated into a survey following Ajzen's guidelines. 196 pregnant women completed surveys at Dallah Hospital, Riyadh during June, 2013. In a separate observation to measure the CRS usage, two nurses discretely monitored 150 women leaving hospital following maternity stay. Logistic regression was used to determine the association between intent and TPB constructs; and salient beliefs and respective composite belief scores. </p><p> <u>Results.</u> Lack of health education and law enforcement, cultural pressure, advice from family, desire to stay close to the child, family size were key factors stated. Logistic regression model with TPB constructs and covariates as predictors of CRS usage intent was statistically significant (&chi;2=64.986, p&lt;0.0001, df=11) and correctly classified 72.4% of the cases. There was an increase in odds of intent to use CRS for attitudes (31.5%, p&lt;0.05), SN (55.3%, p&lt;0.001), and for PBC (76.9%, p&lt;0.001). The logistic regression models testing the association of the relevant set of composite belief scores were also statistically significant for attitudes (&chi;2=16.803, p&lt;0.05, df=6), SN (&chi;2=29.681, p&lt;0.0001, df=5), and PBC (&chi;2=20.516, p&lt;0.05, df=8). The behavioral observation showed that none of 150 women observed used CRS for their newborn. </p><p> <u>Conclusion.</u> Attitude, SN, and PBC were significantly and independently associated with higher intent for CRS usage. Three beliefs were found to be significantly and independently associated with respective TPB constructs. While TPB appears to be useful in identifying beliefs related to CRS usage intentions in K.S.A., the results of the behavioral observation indicate that intentions may not be related to the actual usage of CRS in K.S.A. Further studies are recommended to examine this association.</p>

Interest in Joyce Mansour has centered mostly on the ambiguity and the lack of "subjective identity" in her poetic works. This dissertation proposes to investigate that notion and demonstrates that Mansour's discourse is that of a woman poet's assertive, complex, and universal voice in the realm of post-surrealism. Chapter 1 introduces Mansour's poetic corpus, and provides the theoretical approach of our study in view of various critics' interpretations of Joyce Mansour's lack of "subjective identity," as well as other recent, more positive readings of her literary production. Chapter 2 provides pertinent information about the surrealist movement and its founder, Andre Breton. It also considers the role of women and their artistic contribution to the movement. Chapter 3 expounds on the uniqueness of Mansour's assertive voice via the technique of poetic-collage, and highlights the function of eroticism as a liberating force. Georges Bataille's study of Eroticism in literature and surrealism contributes to our study. This chapter also recognizes Mansour's use of Egyptian myths as one of the pillar of her narrative structure. It will show that the poet favors a language of self-regeneration in which the dichotomies between light versus dark, and life versus death are underscored. Chapter 4 explores the role of archetypal images in Mansour's poetry. While the Mother archetypal images demonstrate the universality of her poetry, the Jungian concept of a collective unconscious further clarifies Mansour's poetic discourse. An analysis of archetypes in women literature contributes to the identification of other archetypes, (The Devil, God, and Aphrodite) present in Mansour's discourse. Chapter 5 acknowledges Mansour's pronominal gender play. Monique Wittig's approach on gender theories and our textual concordances of Mansour's poems will provide the underlying theory for discussion. The conclusion supports the notion that Mansour's discourse of plurality is that of a woman who, fearful of humanity's inevitable fate, confronted death through a literary exuberance that has become her identity and personal signature. Our conclusion reveals the existence of two texts that are not part of Mansour's published collection. These texts contribute to a better understanding of Mansour's literary contribution.

Imam Muhammad al-Husayn al-Kashif al-Ghita (1294-Dhu al-Qi'dah 18, 1373/1877-July 19, 1954), an Iraqi Shi'ah distinguished marji' (highest authority in the Shi'ah religious hierarchy), was the first marji' who introduced religious reforms in the hawzah, the traditional Shi'ah religious school at Najaf. He also introduced political reforms in Iraq, demanding political rights for the Shi'is. Moreover, he was the first Muslim who succeeded in achieving reconciliation between the Sunnis and the Shi'is. He became the symbol of Islamic unity. This dissertation proposes to discuss and analyze the contribution of Imam Kashif al-Ghita to Shi'ah thought and the impact of his thought on Shi'ism and the Shi'is. This study is divided into four chapters. The first is about the life and works of Kashif al-Ghita. The second chapter deals with the development of Twelver Shi'ism and the hawzah, because Twelver Shi'ism has been in constant development within the context of the school. The third chapter discusses the role of Imam Kashif al-Ghita in the hawzah of Najaf (1344-1373/1925-1954) and his distinctive marji'iyyah, which was sharply different from that of his contemporaries. I will also discuss the roots of conflict between him and the conservative 'ulama, who had considerable power in the school. The fourth chapter discusses the social ideas of Shaykh Kashif al-Ghita as an Islamic thinker and social reformist. I will examine his views on the means of social reform and his point of view on different social issues, such as man, religion, ethics, and Islamic ethical covenant, and his special advice to the Arabs. This chapter also discusses the views of Kashif al-Ghita on the economy and his ideas about the role of woman in society. His views on politics in general and his role as an active religious leader will be analyzed in addition to this political reforms. I will examine his ideas on Islamic unity, and his position regarding Middle Eastern political issues.

The Ammonites were an ancient people who rose to become an important local kingdom on the Central Transjordanian plateau (Ammon) during the Iron Age (ca. 1200-550 BCE). By combining analysis of archaeological and textual materials, this study traces their development from a semi-nomadic tribal people into one of the region's first small-scale states. Beyond tracing their development, this study explores possible causes for the rise of the Iron Age states of ancient Palestine, such as Ammon. The key cause of this initial rise of states was the disruption of a long standing relationship between the tribal countryside, and the less kin-based urban centers, that was characterized by alternating periods of cooperation and conflict--oscillations described by Alexander Joffe in his 1993 study as "generation, resolution, and regeneration of contradiction between the rural and urban entities that occupied this region." The source of this disruption was external; after Egypt assumed control of Palestine during the Late Bronze Age, they initiated a policy of taxation and corvee that precipitated a final break between the local urban authorities and their subjects both in the towns and in the rural countryside. The tribal sub-structure that always existed among these people enabled them to form coalitions in the hinterlands (generally mountainous areas) that, in turn, facilitated their ability to support themselves and mount an effective campaign of resistance to the oppressive urban authorities. This resistance could take either an active (military) or passive (avoidance) form. After the local urban entities finally collapsed at the end of the Late Bronze Age, these tribal coalitions formed the foundation of a new type of polity--the Iron Age tribal kingdom of Palestine. Ammon, in the relative safety of the more distant central Transjordan highlands, was one of the first of these kingdoms to emerge.

The objective of this paper will be to demonstrate in what ways medieval women (the upper-class women) of the Middle East made themselves visible and wielded influence or power over affairs of the state. Because of the limiting aspect of the thesis, the area that I will discuss will be limited both in geography and time. This paper will concentrate on the eastern area of the Islamic world from approximately the eighth century to the thirteenth century. The main body of the paper will deal with this time period. However, first, I will need to discuss the situation of women before Islam, Islam's rise and the changes it brought to women in the early years of its existence. And then I will cover Islam's spread into other areas, how it changed there, and thus how women were able to exert their influence within the framework of these changes.