A tale of two factions : myth, memory, and identity in Ottoman Egypt and Yemen / Jane Hathaway.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hathaway, Jane, 1962-

Series:

SUNY series in the social and economic history of the Middle East

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Egypt--History--1517-1882.

Egypt.

Yemen (Republic)--History.

Yemen (Republic).

Egypt--Economic conditions--1517-1882.

Egypt--Social conditions.

Yemen (Republic)--Economic conditions.

Yemen (Republic)--Social conditions.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (312 pages)

Place of Publication:

Albany : State University of New York, c2003.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Winner of the 2003 Ohio Academy of History Outstanding Publication AwardThis 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.

Contents:

Front Matter

contents

Abbreviations

Note on Transliteration

Illustrations

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Origin Myths of the Factions

Bilateral Factionalism in Ottoman Egypt

Bir Varmıs¸, Bir Yokmus

Sa˜d and Haram

The Yemeni Connection to Egypt’s Factions

Red and White

The Knob and the Disk—The Factions’ Standards

Selim and Sudun in the Origin Myths

The Mulberry Tree in the Origin Myths

The Competitive Feasts of Qasim and Dhu’l-Faqar Beys

Qasimi Genesis?

Faqari Genesis?

Conclusion

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. 253-275) and index.

ISBN:

9780791486108

0791486109

9781417537426

1417537426

OCLC:

56408502