Idols in the East

Conklin Akbari Suzanne

Description

Representations of Muslims have never been more common in the Western imagination than they are today. Building on Orientalist stereotypes constructed over centuries, the figure of the wily Arab has given rise, at the dawn of the twenty-first century, to the "Islamist" terrorist. In Idols in the East, Suzanne Conklin Akbari explores the premodern background of some of the Orientalist types still pervasive in present-day depictions of Muslims-the irascible and irrational Arab, the religiously deviant Islamist-and about how these stereotypes developed over time. Idols in the East contributes to the recent surge of interest in European encounters with Islam and the Orient in the premodern world. Focusing on the medieval period, Akbari examines a broad range of texts including encyclopedias, maps, medical and astronomical treatises, chansons de geste, romances, and allegories to paint an unusually diverse portrait of medieval culture. Among the texts she considers are The Book of John Mandeville, The Song of Roland, Parzival, and Dante's Divine Comedy. From them she reveals how medieval writers and readers understood and explained the differences they saw between themselves and the Muslim other. Looking forward, Akbari also comes to terms with how these medieval conceptions fit with modern discussions of Orientalism, thus providing an important theoretical link to postcolonial and postimperial scholarship on later periods. Far reaching in its implications and balanced in its judgments, Idols in the East will be of great interest to not only scholars and students of the Middle Ages but also anyone interested in the roots of Orientalism and its tangled relationship to modern racism and anti-Semitism.

Sujets

• Islamic studies
• Comparative religion
• Globalization
• History of Europe
• Islam

Informations

• Publié par: Cornell University Press
• Date de parution: 05 avril 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780801464980
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

 IDOLS IN THE EAST

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IDOLS IN THE EAST

E UROPE AN RE PRESE NTAT I ONS OF I SL AM AND T HE ORI E NT, 1100–1450

S u z a n n e Co n k l i n A k b a r i

CORNELL UNIVERSITY PRESS Ithaca and London

Copyright © 2009 by Cornell University

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the pub lisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850.

First published 2009 by Cornell University Press

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data Akbari, Suzanne Conklin.  Idols in the east : European representations of Islam and the Orient, 1100–1450 / Suzanne Conklin Akbari.  p. cm.  Includes bibliographical references and index.  ISBN 9780801448072 (cloth : alk. paper)  1. Europe—Relations—Islamic Empire. 2. Islamic Empire—Relations—Europe. 3. Europe—Relations— Latin Orient. 4. Latin Orient—Relations—Europe. 5. Christianity and other religions—Islam. 6. Islam— Relations—Christianity. 7. Orientalism—History— To 1500. 8. Islam in literature. 9. Latin Orient— In literature. 10. East and West in literature. 11. Orientalism in literature. 12. Literature, Medieval— History and criticism. I. Title.  DS35.74.E85A43 2009  303.48'256040902—dc22

2009008264

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For Eddie

  Co nte nts

List of Illustrations ix Acknowledgments xi

Introduction: Medieval Orientalism? 1. The Shape of the World Defining the Parts 24 Defining the Center 50 2. From Jerusalem to India TheLiber Floridus 75 TheRoman de toute chevalerie 90 Kyng Alisaunder 102 3. The Place of the Jews Dispersal and Enclosure 115 Climate and the Diasporic Body 140 4. The Saracen Body The Male Saracen 159 The Female Saracen 173 The Hybrid 189 5. Empty Idols and a False Prophet The Broken Idol 203 The Place of Muhammad 221 The Filthy Idol 235 6. The Form of Heaven The Beautiful Surface 252 The Paradise Inside 262 The Place of Philosophy 269

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viii CONTENTS

Conclusion: A Glance at Early Modern Orientalism

Works Cited 289 Index 315

280

  I l lu s t r at i o n s

 1. World map in the form of a flower  2. Four views of the world  3. TO map with the sons of Noah, and modern schematic of the illustration  4. Zonal map schematic  5. Ptolemaic map with the sons of Noah  6. Psalter map  7. World map with fourth continent, Lambert of St. Omer  8. World map with fourth continent, Beatus de Lièbana

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31 32 35 39 71 73

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