The Middle East on the Eve of Modernity: Aleppo in the Eighteenth Century (Study of the Middle East Institute Ser)

In This Innovative Historical Portrait Of Society In The Premodern Middle East, Abraham Marcus Takes Us On A Guided Tour Of A Past World, Revealing Its Inner Workings And Throwing New Light On Its Realities During The Crucial Century Before The Onset Of Modernization In The Region. Focusing On The Great Syrian City Of Aleppo, He Pieces Together Aspects Of Life Ranging From Business And Family To Disease And Popular Pastimes. This Work Of Social History Shows How Many Of The Accepted Notions And Assumptions About What Is Commonly Called Premodern, Islamic, Or Traditional Society Are Inaccurate Or Unfounded, And Draws Our Attention To The Intricacies Of A World That May Appear Alien And Exotic But Was By No Means Simple, Primitive, Or Static. The Place : Setting And Local Consciousness -- The People : Groups, Classes And Social Contrasts -- Order And Disorder : Power, Politics, And The Law -- Economic Welfare : The External Sources Of Wealth -- Economic Welfare : The Market, Family, And Charity -- The Mind : Religion, Learning, And Popular Culture -- The Body : Health, Disease, And Death -- The Urban Experience : Space, Services, And Public Spirit -- The Urban Experience : Neighborhood Life And Personal Privacy. Abraham Marcus. A Study Of The Middle East Institute. Includes Bibliographical References. Frontmatter (page N/A) Illustrations (page xi) Preface (page xiii) Introduction (page 1) 1. The Place: Setting and Local Consciousness (page 13) 2. The People: Groups, Classes, and Social Contrasts (page 37) 3. Order and Disorder: Power, Politics, and the Law (page 73) 4. Economic Welfare: The External Sources of Wealth and Subsistence (page 121) 5. Economic Welfare: The Market, Family, and Charity (page 155) 6. The Mind: Religion, Learning, and Popular Culture (page 219) 7. The Body: Health, Disease, and Death (page 252) 8. The Urban Experience: Space, Services, and Public Spirit (page 277) 9. The Urban Experience: Neighborhood Life and Personal Privacy (page 314) Conclusion (page 329) Appendix A Note on Population (page 337) Notes (page 343) Glossary (page 387) Bibliography (page 389) Index (page 401) An historical portrait of society in the pre-modern Middle East, which focuses on the great Syrian city of Aleppo, piecing together aspects of life from business and family to leisure and medicine. It attempts to throw new light on events in 18th-century Ottoman history.