Islamic History: A Very Short Introduction by Adam Silverstein

Abstract

BOOK REVIEWS / COMPTES RENDUS 367 Islamic History: A Very Short Introduction, Adam Silverstein, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010. This slim volume introduces the reader to ‘Islamic History’, a somewhat contentious term in and of itself, which the author wisely interrogates in the introduction, defining it ultimately as history ‘in which Islam was a politically, religiously or culturally dominant force’. (p. 3) In other words, this is a history of Islamic civilisation rather than a history of the religion of Islam. Although ‘Islamic history’ is a term used frequently in academia, in this case it conjures a disquieting sense of ‘Islam’ versus the ‘West’ as a result of the phrasing of the preface. That being said, the thematic chapters which follow masterfully incorporate and distill a vast amount of information on the history of the Islamic world. The first chapter reviews the basic ‘story’ and presents the chronological subdivisions used throughout, 600-800; 800-1100; 1100-1500; 1500-present. Although inevitably selective, this chapter gives a handy summary of major events and dynasties. Chapter two moves on to ‘peoples and cultures’ and explores the role played by the Arabs, Persians, Turks and others in the formation and maintenace of Islamic civilisation. Chapter three looks at institutions but introduces only the mosque, jihad and the caliphate/imamat - a selection which is not really explained but appears predicated on contemporary western concerns rather than the flow of Islamic history. Chapters four and five are geared towards historians in that they review the sources and different historical approaches. It is refreshing to see Muslim historians such as al-Tabari and Ibn Khaldun introduced here alongside modern, frequently western, scholars. The last two chapters look at the modern religious and political significance of historical events to Muslims, and make the important point that history is a point of reference for Muslims in a way it rarely is for non-Muslims, or at least non-Muslim westerners. While helpful and informative in many ways, the style and organisation of the book are unlikely to be to everyone’s taste. It is presumably intended to be witty and accessible, but on occasion it seems to take this too far and make analogies and comparisons which are neither relevent nor appropriate. It also makes extensive use of asides in brackets which can distract from the narrative flow. More seriously, the division of materials and diachronic approach of some sections, whilst understandable from the perspective of historians familiar with the field, risks losing the general reader. Chapter four on the sources is an example of this. This is unfortunate as it is obvious that the author is intelligent and well-informed albeit perhaps too ambitious on this occasion. In sum, this book is a handy addition to the Oxford Very Short Introduction Series but the first half – which provides a chronological account – works better than the more thematic second half. AMIRA K BENNISON ...