Suchergebnisse

The American public came to know Iran through its missionaries who had lived among the Persians. For their part, Iranians grew familiar with Americans through interactions with these missionary pioneers as well. While American Presbyterians quickly established and expanded their institutional presence in the country, it became abundantly clear to them that Muslim converts to Protestantism remained few and far between. Missionary perceptions of Iranian Muslims, however, left an indelible imprint on American public understanding of Iran and its people. The paper argues that religious ideology frequently colored perceptions and influenced policy-making. Even after more than a hundred years of interaction, cultural representations were refracted through religious difference and similarity. Despite the increasingly secular cultures of Iran and America in the early twentieth century, religion remained a salient ideology for the public in both societies—one that has had a profound impact on the nature of US–Iranian relations. Thus, it is important to analyze the origins and impact of this contact beginning in the nineteenth century.

This essay provides a historical analysis of Iranian experiences with disability. I will begin by reviewing the literary application of the term in various contexts. Next, I will examine the social milieux in which local observers, medical professionals, and policy makers talked about and treated disability. As state-run institutions emerged to address disability needs, health professionals often drew a distinction between physical disability and intellectual or psychological disability, raising ethical and legal questions about the status of the disabled in modern Iranian society. Finally, an attempt will be made to situate disability politics in contemporary Iran, where the disabled population has increased significantly as a consequence of the Iran–Iraq War (1980–88). Although this paper concentrates on Iranian experiences with disability, comparisons can be drawn with other Islamic societies.

Long before the French Revolution, an anonymous geographer of the 10th century had already imagined the "boundaries of the world"—(ḥudūd al-ʿālam)—as comprising distinct regions. According to this unknown figure, each territory varied from another "First, by the difference of water, air, soil, and temperature (garma-va-sarma). Secondly, by the difference of religion, law (sharīʿat) and beliefs (kīsh). Thirdly, by the difference of words (lughāt) and languages. Fourthly, by the difference of kingdoms (padshāʾī-hā)." These criteria, as well as natural barriers—mountains, rivers, deserts—allowed the author of this work to divide the world into tracts much like nation-states today.

The controversy over the selection of a national language & the course of Arabization in postcolonial Algeria is examined. The independence movement that originated under the leadership of Abd al-Qadir & concluded with the formal declaration of separation in July 1962 is documented. It is suggested that early educational policies that instituted the teaching of Arabic in French elementary schools commenced the Arabization process; however, the paucity of qualified Arabic instructors delayed the realization of change. It is noted that Arabization resembled a socialist nationalist movement rather than focusing on the promulgation of religious or cultural ideology. An analysis of Kateb Yacine's Le Polygone Etoile ([The Polygon Star] 1966) reveals the linguistic alienation experienced by many Algerians; nonetheless, Yacine's preference for writing in a French dialect confounded attempts to establish an Algerian literary tradition. The novels of Assia Djebar are explored to demonstrate the problematic of being both Algerian & female in a patriarchal postcolonial Algeria. It is concluded that Algerian intellectuals viewed the process of Arabization as a reaffirmation of Arabo-Islamic heritage, rather than an absolute denial of their French past. J. W. Parker