To be honest, when I was leafing through the books I had just purchased for the semester and I saw the book Imperial Harem I laughed a little bit. My family and I, (mainly my mom and myself) referred to our neighbor's home as The Harem mainly because they had 6 daughters and frequently you could hear parties coming from the house. Now obviously this is not a harem but nonetheless it was how I have associated with the term for quite sometime. Pretty naive for a history major I think.
In reading this book, I came to understand not only the origin and the history of harems but their larger purpose as well. I find it fairly easy to generalize the nature of such things like this and find it even more convenient to fantasize as to the nature of the many women living there, much as the Europeans of the 17th and 18th centuries had done. In reality these women wielded a stick of immense power, holding influence in an empire that stretched throughout the Middle East. These women came from having a slave's background and then through beauty, cunningness, and a little bit of fate were able to infiltrate into the good graces of the Sultan (the ruler of the Ottomans) In competing for the heart of the Sultan, they were holed up in Kafes, which could have been mistaken for a large jail cell, with its metal bars enclosing the ladies.
In the event that the women were able to win the heart of the Sultan their power would become immense. Not unlike many of the Victorian Era rulers that dominated Europe during the same time period, the women that would become the Queen Mother (mother to the sultan) would have say in policy, the schooling of her children, and lest we forget how one can influence one in their own bed chambers. Overall, the book Imperial Harem had good substance, but was a dry read, making it the opposite of a page turner. As a history major, it appealed to me but i doubt that the general public would be so enamored with this publication.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Understanding culture and Islam
Technically this blog is a week late, but I am going to space this one from the third one by a couple days so it should not be too bad. Looking through my notes from last week, a lot of what we had discussed in class had to do with the history of the Middle East and more specifically the spread of Islam and its political affect on the region. It is undeniable that its effect has been felt, Islam is currently the 3rd most practiced religion in the world with close to 800 million people. Throughout history, the world from Europe to the United States have felt the impact of the Middle East and its distinct culture and values. It is seeped in tradition and makes it specifically unique more so than many other places in the world.
One of the most elementary of characteristics one notices is the impact of Islam. Many of the countries in the region today are Parliamentary Theocracies. This means that these countries practice Sharia Law (Islamic Law) as a way of governing over the people. Notable countries that practice this philosophy include Iran and Saudi Arabia which double as two of the more progressive economically in the region. Iran has long been trying to modernize and Saudi Arabia has always been a hub for culture and business with its vast amount of wealth derived from the OPEC and the oil trade.
Having taken Islam as a world religions minor, I love being able to relate much of what we study historically with the Middle East, into how religion may have affected these events. The Middle East represents an area of religious conflict as three major religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) all have roots in the region. From the Crusades to the sacking of Constantinople, to the present-day Israel-Palestine conflict these events represent examples of these conflicts and it will be interesting to see how various viewpoints interpret these events.
One of the most elementary of characteristics one notices is the impact of Islam. Many of the countries in the region today are Parliamentary Theocracies. This means that these countries practice Sharia Law (Islamic Law) as a way of governing over the people. Notable countries that practice this philosophy include Iran and Saudi Arabia which double as two of the more progressive economically in the region. Iran has long been trying to modernize and Saudi Arabia has always been a hub for culture and business with its vast amount of wealth derived from the OPEC and the oil trade.
Having taken Islam as a world religions minor, I love being able to relate much of what we study historically with the Middle East, into how religion may have affected these events. The Middle East represents an area of religious conflict as three major religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) all have roots in the region. From the Crusades to the sacking of Constantinople, to the present-day Israel-Palestine conflict these events represent examples of these conflicts and it will be interesting to see how various viewpoints interpret these events.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Intro Video
Thurday January 22nd.
Today in class we watched a video (which unfortunately I forgot to write down the title of) that profiled the Israel/Palestine conflict. Obviously much of the world's attention has been focused on the region for quite some time when the land that Israel now occupies was given to them by a coalition of nations. They felt that it was proper retribution for the horrors survived by many of the Jewish people of Europe and around the world who had been victims of antisemitism, acts against humanity, and an overall practice of diaspora that has spanned for centuries. The video was very pro-Palestine in that it focused on the bias nature of the media in America in its coverage of the more recent conflicts. Some of the most interesting information that was shown in the documentary to me was how there are media checkpoints and certain words to "puff" up the pieces and depict the conflict in a certain way. One example of this is the frequent news reports that depict Israel as a victim. There was always stories that are released that describe the acts of Palestine as heinous, suicidal acts that are constantly trying to inflict more and more suffering onto the people of Israel. There is now arguing that the American media is slanted towards the support of Israel. While we are on the subject of American media bias, did you know that Israel receives over 6 BILLION in aid per-year from the American government...
Personally, even more so as someone who was raised Jewish, I find myself in support of land being given back to Palestine and some sort of arrangement being reached that allows for BOTH an independent Israel and an independent Palestine. It may be just a pipe dream as many mediators from presidents to media celebrities have tried to bridge the political and ideological gaps between the two groups with not so much success. With Iran undergoing internal modernization both politically and militarily and Hamas having control of missiles, there is always going to be a threat for Israel and with America standing behind them like a big brother, this hurtful game of words, is soon enough going to snowball and become a major military conflict if the rest of the Islamic world decides to fight for their sacred land and protect their "brothers". It may have only been the first class, but I envision this scene as a constant theme in my Modern Middle East and North Africa class and look forward to learning more not only about the history, but on what steps have been made to remedy this gap in political ideology in the past and more importantly with the recent outburst of violence, what will be done in the future.
-Ben
Today in class we watched a video (which unfortunately I forgot to write down the title of) that profiled the Israel/Palestine conflict. Obviously much of the world's attention has been focused on the region for quite some time when the land that Israel now occupies was given to them by a coalition of nations. They felt that it was proper retribution for the horrors survived by many of the Jewish people of Europe and around the world who had been victims of antisemitism, acts against humanity, and an overall practice of diaspora that has spanned for centuries. The video was very pro-Palestine in that it focused on the bias nature of the media in America in its coverage of the more recent conflicts. Some of the most interesting information that was shown in the documentary to me was how there are media checkpoints and certain words to "puff" up the pieces and depict the conflict in a certain way. One example of this is the frequent news reports that depict Israel as a victim. There was always stories that are released that describe the acts of Palestine as heinous, suicidal acts that are constantly trying to inflict more and more suffering onto the people of Israel. There is now arguing that the American media is slanted towards the support of Israel. While we are on the subject of American media bias, did you know that Israel receives over 6 BILLION in aid per-year from the American government...
Personally, even more so as someone who was raised Jewish, I find myself in support of land being given back to Palestine and some sort of arrangement being reached that allows for BOTH an independent Israel and an independent Palestine. It may be just a pipe dream as many mediators from presidents to media celebrities have tried to bridge the political and ideological gaps between the two groups with not so much success. With Iran undergoing internal modernization both politically and militarily and Hamas having control of missiles, there is always going to be a threat for Israel and with America standing behind them like a big brother, this hurtful game of words, is soon enough going to snowball and become a major military conflict if the rest of the Islamic world decides to fight for their sacred land and protect their "brothers". It may have only been the first class, but I envision this scene as a constant theme in my Modern Middle East and North Africa class and look forward to learning more not only about the history, but on what steps have been made to remedy this gap in political ideology in the past and more importantly with the recent outburst of violence, what will be done in the future.
-Ben
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