The Calligraphic State: Textual Domination and History in a Muslim Society (Comparative Studies on Muslim Societies) [Hardcover]

Brinkley Messick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 29, 1992 | Series: Comparative Studies on Muslim Societies (Book 16)

In this innovative combination of anthropology, history, and postmodern theory, Brinkley Messick examines the changing relation of writing and authority in a Muslim society from the late nineteenth century to the present. The creation and interpretation of texts, from sacred scriptures to administrative and legal contracts, are among the fundamental ways that authority is established and maintained in a complex state. Yet few scholars have explored this process and the ways in which it changes, especially outside the Western world.
Messick brings together intensive ethnography and textual analysis from a wealth of material: Islamic jurisprudence, Yemeni histories, local documents. In exploring the structure and transformation of literacy, law, and statecraft in Yemen, he raises important issues that are of comparative significance for understanding political life in other Muslim and nonwestern states as well.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"Throws completely fresh light on non-colonial yet modern systems of legality and moral power. . . . The picture given of Islamic legal education and practice is one of the best available . . . a compelling read and a fine book for teaching."--Paul Dresch, Oxford University

About the Author

Brinkley Messick is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Michigan.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 324 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press (December 29, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520076052
• ISBN-13: 978-0520076051
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,620,619 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ethnograpy of the Shari'ah, June 18, 2003

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Tron Honto - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Calligraphic State: Textual Domination and History in a Muslim Society (Comparative Studies on Muslim Societies) (Paperback)

Messick's work is perhaps one of the most interesting approaches to studying the shari'ah ever written. His focus and approach is that of an anthropologist, hence the ethnographic character of the book; however, at the same time he maintains a keen understanding of both history and fiqh throughout.

The locus of this work is nearly entirely dominated by the highlands of Yemen and Ibb, the location of Messick's own ethnogrpahic study. Through the filter of Yemeni culture and the vast changes occuring there, Messick weaves a tale of what happenned theoretically, structurally, socially, politically, etc. to the practice of the Shari'ah within Yemeni society--oscillating between pre-modern, pre-bureacratic practices of the imamate, the effects of Ottoman reforms and the nationalist efforts at modernization.

As is fitting in the context, a keen regard is kept throughout the work for the dialectial aspects of textuality and orality and how as the scales increasing tip in favor of textualized, bureacratic order Yemeni society is utterly transformed. We then are able to see how the shariah was reshaped from a central discourse of the Muslim polity into "Islamic Law" as yet another component of governance have been repositioned within the framework of the nation-state.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, low quality print., March 7, 2011

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Khan1986 "Khan1986" (New York) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Calligraphic State: Textual Domination and History in a Muslim Society (Comparative Studies on Muslim Societies) (Paperback)

I just want to let everyone know that the book you will receive might say this:

"This book is a print on-demand volume. It is manufactured using toner in place of ink. Type and images may be less sharp than the same material seen in traditionally printed University of California Press editions."

Needless to say, this is an invaluable text for anyone interested in Islamic law and the anthropology of law in general. In terms of the print quality however, I would have expected something finer for the price I paid.