Storyville was New Orleans' infamous red light district from 1897 to 1917. Its inhabitants, principally sex workers, were captured on film by one of the city's photographers, E.J. Bellocq. His work br
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
The 1943 battle to free the Soviet Black Sea port of Novorossiisk from German occupation was fought from the beach head of Malaia zemlia, where the young Colonel Leonid Brezhnev saw action. Despite wi
With the end of the First World War, the centuries-old social fabric of the Ottoman world—an entangled space of religious co-existence throughout the Balkans and the Middle East—came to its definitive
The emergence of a 'new' democratic South Africa under Nelson Mandela was regarded as a high watermark for international ideals of human rights and democracy. Much was expected of the ANC in power, pa
The activities of pro-Israel pressure groups and lobbyists in the US are well-known. But the pro-Israel lobby in Europe is less prominent in both academic and media accounts. In a unique account, Elvi
As a result of the various reforms of the Tanzimat era, Ottoman authority in Iraq was much stronger and better administered by the 1870's than it had been when the Ottomans imposed direct rule over th
The new South Asia differs fundamentally from the old South Asia of the Cold War era. Undeniably, the region's geopolitical, geostrategic and security landscape have undergone a major transformation f
In the midst of political decline and burgeoning financial problems in the late nineteenth century, the Ottoman Empire became embroiled in a borrowing frenzy, which eventually resulted in the financi
Across central and eastern Europe after World War II, the newly established communist regimes promised a drastic social revolution that would transform the world at great pace and pave the way to a so
What did commercialized sex really amount to in the ancient and medieval Eastern Mediterranean? This groundbreaking book challenges many stereotypical views about the historical practice of prostituti
The 'Albanian question' remains one of the major unresolved questions in south-eastern Europe, with the potential to disrupt the region, with grave consequences for the international community. The ex
With perceptive insights into the history of contemporary Muslim-Christian dialogue, this book will be invaluable for all those interested in inter-faith relations, comparative religious studies, Nort
After the fall of the Sassanian Empire and with it the gradual decline of Middle Persian as a literary language, New Persian literature emerged in Transoxiana, beyond the frontiers of present-day Iran
The end of World War II intensified Morocco's nationalist struggle against French colonial rule, with the establishment of the Istiqlal (independence) party and the Moroccan sultan's emergence as a na
The economic regeneration and post-war reconstruction of West Germany is one of the most remarkable success stories of the 20th century. However, little is known about the processes and debates that f
Hasan Ali Shah, also known as Muhammad Hasan al-Husayni and, more generally, as the Aga Khan (1804– 1881), was the 46th Imam of the Niziri Ismailis and the first Ismaili Imam to bear the title of Aga
Nuclear power has for the most part dominated Western media and academic analyses concerning Iranian foreign policy in recent years. This focus, however, can be misleading, especially as regards the e
Film noir has been understood as a genre exclusive to Hollywood. But classical US noir's downbeat sensibility also finds expression in later films from Japan, South Korea and greater China (including
'Play art' or interactive art is becoming a central concept in the contemporary art world, disrupting the traditional role of passive observance usually assumed by audiences, allowing them active part
In a 'Europe without borders' that prides itself on multiculturalism while struggling desperately with racism, populated by ghettoized communities, refugee camps and zones of exclusion, two opposing p
The current Syrian crisis has its roots in the sectarian nature of the country’s multi-religious society. Since Ottoman times, the different religious communities have enjoyed the right to regulate an
Cities are responsible for three-quarters of the world’s energy consumption. If we are to reduce our demands on the planet’s resources how can we make our urban areas more energy efficient? One way is
The Ottoman East—what is also called ‘Western Armenia’, ‘Northern Kurdistan’ or ‘Eastern Anatolia’—compared to other peripheries of the Ottoman Empire, has received very little attention in Ottoman hi
Since the establishment of the State of Israel in May 1948, more than 40,000 Iranian Jews have moved to Israel, with the last big wave arriving after the Iranian Revolution of 1978/79. As the governme
Love stories have always been at the heart of French cinema, but romantic comedies have, until recently, been absent from it. In 2001, the global success of Amelie catalysed a major development in the
In recent years, the ways in which digital technologies have come to shape our experience of the world has been an immensely popular subject in the horror film genre. Contemporary horror cinema reflec
Few deny that in the Muslim world religion and law are intimately linked. However, local legal realities mean that Islamic law is often pushed out of the picture by customary law, which is usually tri
The Mesopotamian campaign during World War I was a critical moment in Britain’s position in the Middle East. With British and British Indian troops fighting in places which have become well-known in t
Wealth in the Ottoman and Post-Ottoman Balkans demonstrates the economic and social transformations wrought by the Ottoman Empires withdrawal from the Balkans. As a new middle class emerged, and the p
Today Russia and human rights are both high on the international agenda. Since Putin returned to the presidency in 2012, domestic developments—from the prosecution of Pussy Riot to the release of Khod
The Palestine Exploration Fund, established in 1865, is the oldest organization created specifically for the study of the Levant. It helped to spur evangelical tourism to the region in the late 19th a
Ours is an age of great upheaval where change sometimes appears to be the only constant. Three of the most important forces driving such change are globalization, regionalization and democratization.
This is a penetrating critique of international relations theory within the historical framework of US-Iranian relations from the early reign of the Shah to the revolution under the Ayatollah Khomeini
Black Sea Politics presents a variety of experiences of civil society, looking at representation, participation and power relations in countries such as Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, and the Caucasus ar
The challenge of maintaining dictatorial regimes through control, co-option and coercion while upholding a facade of legitimacy is something that has concerned leaders throughout the Middle East and b
Long before Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Deneuve, the French cinema produced a host of glamorous female stars designed to rival their Hollywood counterparts. This book examines how these stars influe
Does patriotic pride inevitably develop into nationalistic aggression? Is this exacerbated by the global outreach of the media? And what is the relationship between mainstream politics and increasingl
