Last issue:
Transnational Shia Politics. Religious and Political Networks in the Gulf, by Laurence Louër

Laurence Louër, author of Hurst's critically acclaimed To Be An Arab in Israel, brings her extensive knowledge of the Middle East to an analysis of the historical origins and present situation of militant Shia transnational networks. She focuses on three key countries in the Gulf: Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, whose Shia Islamic groups are the offspring of various Iraqi movements that have surfaced over recent decades. Louër explains how these groups first penetrated local societies by espousing the networks of Shiite clergymen. She then describes the role of factional quarrels and the Iranian revolution of 1979 in defining the present landscape of Shiite Islamic activism in the Gulf Monarchies.
The reshaping of geopolitics after the Gulf War and the fall of Saddam Hussein in April 2003 had a profound impact on transnational Shiite networks. New political opportunities encouraged these groups to concentrate on national issues, such as becoming fierce opponents of the Saudi monarchy. Yet the question still remains: How deeply have these new beliefs taken root in Islamic society? Are Shiites Saudi or Bahraini patriots?
Louër's book also considers the transformation of Shia movements in relation to central religious authority. She argues that the Shia will one day achieve political autonomy, especially since, in order to retain transnational religious authority, the marja needs to avoid meddling in the domestic political affairs of other countries.

Started in 1999, this series consists of noteworthy publications in the social sciences emanating from CERI. It focuses on the transformation of politics and society by domestic and transnational forces, ranging from the evolution of ethnic and religious identities, migrations, to the balance of power in the postbipolar world and the impact of globalization.States are more open to external influence than ever before. This phenomenon serves to accelerate social and political change the world over. In seeking to understand and interpret these changes, this collection give as much priority to social movements as to the role of states

C. Hurst & Co. (Publishers) Ltd.
41 Great Russell Street - London WC1B 3PL
Email: hurst@atlas.co.uk Website : www.hurstpub.co.uk/

2008

Transnational Shia Politics. Religious and Political Networks in the Gulf, by Laurence Louër
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The Politics of Chaos in the Middle East, by Olivier Roy
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2007

The Enigma of Islamist Violence, edited by Amélie Blom, Laetitia Bucaille, and Luis Martinez
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The Libyan Paradox, by Luis Martinez
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Purify and Destroy. The Political Uses of Massacre and Genocide, by Jacques Semelin
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Qigong Fever. Body, Science and Utopia in China, by David A Palmer
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Iran and the Bomb. The Abdication of International Responsibility, by Thérèse Delpech
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Cultures of Voting. The Hidden History of the Secret Ballot, edited by Romain Bertrand, Jean-Louis Briquet and Peter Pels
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To be an Arab in Israel, by Laurence Louër
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2006

Peace Operations Seen from Below. UN Missions and Local People, edited by Béatrice Pouligny
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The Resilience of the State. Democracy and the Challenges of Globalisation, edited by Samy Cohen
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2005

Revisiting Nationalism.Theories and Processes, edited by Christophe Jaffrelot and Alain Dieckhoff
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The Illusion of Cultural Identity, by Jean-François Bayart
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Revolution Unending. Afghanistan : 1979 to the Present, by Gilles Dorronsoro
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2004

Globalised Islam. The search for a new ummah, by Olivier Roy
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Privatising the State, edited by Béatrice Hibou
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2003

Islamist Networks. The Pakistan-Afghan Connection, by Mariam Abou Zahab and Olivier Roy
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Indian's Silent Revolution. The rise of the lower castes in North India, by Christophe Jaffrelot
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The invention of a nation. Zionist Thought and the Making of Modern Israël, by Alain Dieckhoff
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2002

Japan. The Burden of Success, by Jean-Marie Bouissou
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2001

The New International Relations. Theory and Practice by Marie-Claude Smouts
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2000

The Algerian Civil War 1990-1998, by Luis Martinez
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1999

Being Modern in Iran, by Fariba Adelkhah
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