Christoph Schumann

Thomas Philipp

Articles presented at the third conference on Bilad al-Sham, held in Erlangen, Germany.

From the Syrian Land to the States of Syria and Lebanon

François-Xavier Amherdt

Jörg Schwaratzki

Anselm Grün ist ein Phänomen: Mit 18 Mio. Büchern in mehr als 30 Sprachen ist er der wirkmächtigste lebende Zeuge der Glaubensbotschaft im deutschsprachigen Raum. Eine theologische Auseinandersetzung mit Grün steht aus. Die Beiträge dieses Bandes möchten an Grüns Theologie und Sprache wertschätzend und kritisch beleuchten, was Christentum und Theologie, die unter Sprachlosigkeit und Enge des kirchlichen Ghettos leiden, von Grün lernen können.

Theologie und Sprache bei Anselm Grün

Thomas Philipp's study of Acre combines the most extensive use to date of local Arabic sources with commercial records in Europe to shed light on a region and power center many identify as the beginning of modern Palestinian history. The third largest city in eighteenth-century Syria—after Aleppo and Damascus—Acre was the capital of a politically and economically unique region on the Mediterranean coast that included what is today northern Israel and southern Lebanon. In the eighteenth century, Acre grew dramatically from a small fishing village to a fortified city of some 25,000 inhabitants. Cash crops (first cotton, then grain) made Acre the center of trade and political power and linked it inextricably to the world economy. Acre was markedly different from other cities in the region: its urban society consisted almost exclusively of immigrants seeking their fortune. The rise and fall of Acre in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Thomas Philipp argues, must be seen against the background of the decay of central power in the Ottoman empire. Destabilization of imperial authority allowed for the resurfacing of long-submerged traditional power centers and the integration of Arab regions into European and world economies. This larger imperial context proves the key to addressing many questions about the local history of Acre and its peripheries. How were the new sources of wealth and patterns of commerce that remade Acre reconciled with traditional forms of political power and social organization? Were these forms really traditional? Or did entirely new classes develop under the circumstances of an immigrant society and new commercial needs? And why did Acre, after such propitious beginnings as a center of export trade and political and military power strong enough to defy Napoleon, give way to the dazzling rise of Beirut in the nineteenth century? For centuries the object of the Crusader's fury and the trader's envy, Acre is here restored to its full significance at a crucial moment in Middle Eastern history.

The Rise and Fall of a Palestinian City, 1730-1831

Acre

Jurji Zaidan was one of the leading thinkers of the Arab renaissance. Through his historical novels, his widely read journal, al-Hilal, which is still published today, and his scholarly works, he forged a new cultural Arab identity. In this book, Philipp shows how Zaidan popularized the idea of society that was based on science and reason, and invoked its accessibility to all who aspired to progress and modernity. In the first section, Philipp traces the arc of Zaidan’s career, placing his writings within the political and cultural contexts of the day and analyzing his impact on the emerging Arab nationalist movement. The second part consists of a wide selection of Zaidan’s articles and book excerpts translated into English. These pieces cover such fields as religion and science, society and ethics, and nationalism. With the addition of a comprehensive bibliography, this volume will be recognized as the authoritative source on Zaidan, as well as an essential contribution to the study of Arabic cultural history.

Jurji Zaidan and the Foundations of Arab Nationalism

Birgit Schäbler

"Der Band behandelt das geographische Syrien im 18. und 19. Jh. Dieser Zeitraum war von tiefgreifenden wirtschaftlichen Ver�nderungen gepr�gt, insbesondere der allm�hlichen Integration des Osmanischen Reiches in den Weltmarkt. Die hier vorgestellten neuen Fragen und Forschungsrichtungen, die zu einem differenzierteren Bild der osmanischen Herrschaft beitragen, beziehen wesentliche Impulse aus sozial- und wirtschaftsgeschichtlichen Ans�tzen. ... Je ein Index fuer Personen- und Ortsnamen sowie Begriffe runden den Band ab. Man kann nur hoffen, da� diese Art der sozial- und wirtschaftshistorischen Nahostforschung, die sich bislang weitgehend im anglo-amerikanischen und arabischen Raum entwickelt hat, auch in Deutschland weitere Verbreitung finden wird." Orientalistische Literaturzeitung "�the book is a major contribution to the study of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Syria. The authors, the editors, and the publisher are to be commended for producing this important publication." Journal of Near Eastern Studies .

Thomas Philipp

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