Power in the Portrayal: Representations of Jews and Muslims in Eleventh- And Twelfth-Century Islamic Spain by Brann, Ross

Power in the Portrayal: Representations of Jews and Muslims in Eleventh- And Twelfth-Century Islamic Spain (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780691146737)

Vendor: Ross Brann
Product type: Books
Format: Paperback
$35.00
$35.00
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Subtotal: $35.00
Power in the Portrayal: Representations of Jews and Muslims in Eleventh- And Twelfth-Century Islamic Spain by Brann, Ross

Power in the Portrayal: Representations of Jews and Muslims in Eleventh- And Twelfth-Century Islamic Spain

$35.00
Power in the Portrayal: Representations of Jews and Muslims in Eleventh- And Twelfth-Century Islamic Spain by Brann, Ross

Power in the Portrayal: Representations of Jews and Muslims in Eleventh- And Twelfth-Century Islamic Spain

$35.00
Format: Paperback
Description
Description
x

Power in the Portrayal unveils a fresh and vital perspective on power relations in eleventh- and twelfth-century Muslim Spain as reflected in historical and literary texts of the period. Employing the methods of the new historical literary study in looking at a range of texts, Ross Brann reveals the paradoxical relations between the Andalusi Muslim and Jewish elites in an era when long periods of tolerance and respect were punctuated by outbreaks of tension and hostility.

The examined Arabic texts reveal a fragmented perception of the Jew in eleventh-century al-Andalus. They depict seemingly contradictory figures at whose poles are an intelligent, skilled, and noble Jew deserving of homage and a vile, stupid, and fiendish enemy of God and Islam. For their part, the Hebrew and Judeo-Arabic texts display a deep-seated reluctance to portray Muslims in any light at all. Brann cogently demonstrates that these representations of Jews and Muslims--each of which is concerned with issues of sovereignty and the exercise of power--reflect the shifting, fluctuating, and ambivalent relations between elite members of two of the ethno-religious communities of al-Andalus.

Brann's accessible prose is enriched by his splendid translations; the original texts are also included. This book is the first to study the construction of social meaning in Andalusi Arabic, Judeo-Arabic, and Hebrew literary texts and historical chronicles. The novel approach illuminates nuances of respect, disinterest, contempt, and hatred reflected in the relationship between Muslims and Jews in medieval Spain.

Author: Ross Brann
ISBN-10: 069114673X
ISBN-13: 9780691146737
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Language: English
Published: 01/10/2010
Pages: 208
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.66lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.44d
By Ross Brann
By Ross Brann
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Ross Brann is the Milton R. Konvitz Professor of Judeo-Islamic Studies and the Chair of Near-Eastern Studies at Cornell University. His books include The Compunctious Poet, recipient of the 1992 National Jewish Book Award in Sephardic Studies. He wrote Power in the Portrayal with the support of the Guggenheim Foundation.

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