New Distributed Titles Fall 2009 - Oxbow Books

Peeters Publishers
Covering the Moon
An Introduction to Middle Eastern Face Veils
by G Vogelsang-Eastwood and W Vogelsang
The subject of veiling and face veil is one of the most controversial topics in the media and the public domain today.
Most people, especially politicians and journalists in both Muslim and non-Muslim societies, seem to have a strong
opinion about it. Many books and articles have been written about the question as to why women wear a face veil
and whether or not it represents a form of oppression. In contrast, there is very little information about the veils
themselves, the various types and the regional variations. This volume describes and illustrates the history of the
face veil, from its pre-Islamic origins to the present day. It tells about the many regional variations, from Morocco in
the far west to Central Asia in the northeast. It emphasizes the role of face veils as a form of dress and identity, rather
than a garment that conceals an individual’s persona.
247p, hardback, 9789042919907, $113.00, Peeters Publishers, December 2008.
Mémoire et propagande à l’époque timouride
by M Bernardini
This volume inquires into the manipulation of the historical memory of the figure of Timur-e
Lang (Tamerlane, ca. 1330–1405), and into the uses that power-holders made of it through
political propaganda in Central Asia and Iran during the 15th century, in the Timurid empire.
Following up on Persian sources, the author analyses the discourse of chroniclers at Timur’s
court, and examines how historians of his time constructed the sovereign’s virtuous origins.
Interest is shown in this figure’s reflection in historico-literary texts, in particular in the epic
transposition of the historiographical tradition. On Timur’s tracks from Central Asia to the
Ottoman Empire in the West and deep into India in the East, the sources build up two contrasting
images of the conqueror and his actions: as a virtuous ruler and fighter for the Faith, on
the one hand, and, on the other, as a destructive war lord and demonic being. This memory,
manipulated for ideological purposes, has become a lasting part of the historical discourse
formulated in later centuries. French text.
164p, paperback, 9782910640231, $51.00, Peeters Publishers, December 2008,
Cahiers de Studia Iranica 37.
Les intérêts culturels français dans l’Empire ottoman finissant
L’enseignement laïque et en partenariat
by J Thobie
The diffusion of its language was a major tool for French imperialism in the Ottoman empire
at the beginning of the twentieth century, and religious and secular organizations cooperated
in establishing French-language educational institutions throughout the Middle East, despite
anticlerical strife in France. French text.
461p, paperback, 9789042920767, $102.00, Peeters Publishers, December 2009,
Collection Turcica 16.
middle eastern studies
The Herbedestan and Nerangestan
Vol IV: Nerangestan, Fragard 3
by D F M Kotwal and P G Kreyenbroek
The Nerangestan, the “Book of Ritual Directions”, follows the Herbedestan
in the manuscripts but is in fact a separate text, dealing with matters
of ritual where the Herbedestan is mainly concerned with religious
education. Both texts belong to the learned tradition of Zoroastrianism,
and the lengthy passages of Pahlavi commentary are often more illuminating
than the terse Avestan sentences. Still, few parts of the text
make easy reading; most Western Iranists have at best a passing acquaintance
with the various Zoroastrian rituals, while the Nerangestan
was intended to elucidate points which seemed obscure even to the
practicing priests of its time. The Second Fragard of the Nerangestan is
based on the Teachings of Sosans, but was probably written down in its
present form several generations after this great Commentator. It is by
far the longest extant chapter of the text, and the wealth of information
it contains affords new insights into several aspects of the religious and
ritual life of the Zoroastrian community.
125p, paperback, 9782910640248, $29.00, Peeters Publishers,
December 2009, Cahiers de Studia Iranica 38.
Moyen arabe et variétés mixtes
de l’arabe à travers l’histoire
Actes du Premier Colloque International
(Louvain-la-Neuve, 10–14 mai 2004)
edited by J Lentin and J Grand’Henry
This volume contains the contributions to a conference on Middle Arabic
and mixed varieties of the Arabic language through history. French text.
508p, paperback, 9789042921030, $116.00, Peeters Publishers,
December 2008, Publications de l’Institut Orientaliste de Louvain 58.
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