The period of Muslim occupation in Spain represents the only significant contact Islam and Europe was ever to have on European soil. In this important as well as fascinating study; Watt traces Islam's influence upon Spain and European civilization - from the collapse of the Visigoths in the eighth century to the fall of Granada in the fifteenth; and considers Spain's importance as a part of the Islamic empire. Particular attention is given to the golden period of economic and political stability achieved under the Umayyads. Without losing themselves in detail and without sacrificing complexity; the authors discuss the political; social; and economic continuity in Islamic Spain; or al-Andalus; in light of its cultural and intellectual effects upon the rest of Europe. Medieval Christianity; Watt points out; found models of scholarship in the Islamic philosophers and adapted the idea of holy war to its own purposes while the final reunification of Spain under the aegis of the Reconquista played a significant role in bringing Europe out of the Middle Ages. A survey essential to anyone seeking a more complete knowledge of European or Islamic history; the volume also includes sections on literature and philology by Pierre Cachia. This series of "Islamic surveys" is designed to give the educated reader something more than can be found in the usual popular books. Each work undertakes to survey a special part of the field; and to show the present stage of scholarship here. Where there is a clear picture this will be given; but where there are gaps; obscurities and differences of opinion; these will also be indicated. Full and annotated bibliographies will afford guidance to those who want to pursue their studies further. There will also be some account of the nature and extent of the source material. The series is addressed in the first place to the educated reader; with little or no previous knowledge of the subject; its character is such that it should be of value also to university students and others whose interest is of a more professional kind.
#573074 in Books Ingramcontent 2016-04-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.50 x 1.20 x 9.30l; .0 #File Name: 0199978484320 pagesThe Lost White Tribe Explorers Scientists and the Theory That Changed a Continent
Review
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Race to the bottomBy David WinebergAh; race. It feeds dreams; nightmares; and an unending stream of unfounded theories. The Lost White Tribe; while nominally historical; is really about race: the search to prove one race or another was dominant; significant and living proof of something or other beyond the theories of the day. In this case; a tribe of whites in Central East Africa.The book settles on three general theories:-Indo-Europeans descended from Europe to Africa into Asia and South America and left evidence of advanced societies among the primitives-Noah’s son Ham; banished and cursed; fathered a tribe of whites in Central East Africa (and possibly Persia and even India and maybe China)-Aryan pure whites from northern Europe roamed the world; improving everything before totally disappearing.The central character here is Henry Stanley; of Dr. Livingstone I presume fame. Stanley was a journalist who returned to Africa again and again on publisher’s grants; feeding his passion for exploration. We can look back from the 21st century of GPS and Google Earth and be amazed how many decades it took for him to nail down the source of the Nile. But in his day; there was nothing more exciting and sensational. He was the talk of the western world. In the 1870s; some time after publishing his accounts; he suddenly claimed to have encountered a tribe of whites while in Africa. But neither he nor anyone else ever found them again. The book begins by following Stanley; and delves deeply into his history and his psyche. But then like a good Aryan; he simply disappears as Michael Robinson takes us to Rhodesia; Persia; India; China and the Americas for other racial explorers and their theories. Stanley appears again in the epilogue to wrap things up.We learn that Caucasians are whites named for the Caucasus Mountains area where a German doctor claimed the most perfect skulls came from. It was he who applied the name to all European whites; causing confusion ever since. We learn of theories that human races are all different species; that evolution began with whites; or with blacks; or with Adam and Eve; who seem to have been white; at least in the paintings. We learn that scientists; archaeologists; historians; doctors and psychologists followed slender threads to advance their own theories of race. It was a festival of racial nonsense for about a century. It wasn’t until 1950 that a UN agency finally declared that all humans are the same species. And still today; groups and individuals glom onto obscure discoveries and suspect evidence to claim proof that Noah’s son Ham is evident in Africa. The Lost White Tribe is a bizarre history lesson.David Wineberg2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. In search of OphirBy James D. CrabtreeA very interesting book. Robinson discusses 18th and 19th century theories on race; which evolved from Biblical theories regarding Moses; his sons and the repopulation of the world following the Deluge. This was superseded by more "scientific" theories regarding biometrics; archeology; linguistics and the results of European exploration of previously isolated areas.The intellectual gymnastics that 19th century authorities had to go through in order to justify European domination of Asian and African peoples (whether in the form of colonization or slavery) is explored in the book; but the most interesting part for me were the theories where Caucasian races MUST have had their own civilization in Africa (in the case of Zimbabwe) or explained the mound builders in America. These theories all had the same basis in that they believed Asia was the wellspring of the Human race and NOT Africa; which we now know is the case.These theories are significant in that the Nazis later bought into the idea of an "Aryan race" (which in fact was a common Aryan language; NOT a race) and in popular culture the idea of a lost white civilization somewhere in Africa found its way into literature and movies. An interesting topic!
