A Tale of Two Factions: Myth, Memory, and Identity in Ottoman Egypt and Yemen (Suny Series in the Social and Economic History of the Middle East) [Paperback]

Jane Hathaway (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0791458849 | ISBN-13: 978-0791458846 | Publication Date: October 9, 2003

Reevaluates the foundation myths of two rival factions in Egypt during the Ottoman era.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

This revisionist study reevaluates the origins and foundation myths of the Faqaris and Qasimis, two rival factions that divided Egyptian society during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when Egypt was the largest province in the Ottoman Empire. In answer to the enduring mystery surrounding the factions' origins, Jane Hathaway places their emergence within the generalized crisis that the Ottoman Empire-like much of the rest of the world-suffered during the early modern period, while uncovering a symbiosis between Ottoman Egypt and Yemen that was critical to their formation. In addition, she scrutinizes the factions' foundation myths, deconstructing their tropes and symbols to reveal their connections to much older popular narratives. Drawing on parallels from a wide array of cultures, she demonstrates with striking originality how rituals such as storytelling and public processions, as well as identifying colors and emblems, could serve to reinforce factional identity.

About the Author

Jane Hathaway is Associate Professor of History at Ohio State University, the author of The Politics of Households in Ottoman Egypt: The Rise of the Qazdag¬lis, and editor of Rebellion, Repression, Reinvention: Mutiny in Comparative Perspective.

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: State University of New York Press (October 9, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0791458849
• ISBN-13: 978-0791458846
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,644,314 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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