Reading the Islamic City offers insights into the implications the practices of the Maliki school of Islamic law have for the inhabitants of the Islamic city; the madinah. The problematic term madinah fundamentally indicates a phenomenon of building; dwelling; and urban settlement patterns that evolved after the 7th century CE in the Maghrib (North Africa) and al-Andalusia (Spain). Madinah involves multiple contexts that have socio-religious functions and symbolic connotations related to the faith and practice of Islam; and can be viewed in terms of a number of critiques such as everyday lives; boundaries; utopias; and dystopias. The book considers Foucault’s power/knowledge matrix as it applies to an erudite cadre of scholars and legal judgments in the realm of architecture and urbanism. It acknowledges the specificity of power/knowledge insofar as it provides a dominant framework to tackle property rights; custom; noise; privacy; and a host of other subjects. Scholars of urban studies; religion; history; and geography will greatly benefit from this vivid analysis of the relevance of the juridico-discursive practice of Maliki Law in a set of productive or formative discourses in the Islamic city.
#1911480 in eBooks 2011-11-29 2011-11-29File Name: B0073SY954
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The Pain of Following Your DreamBy BirkeThis book makes you feel the physical exhilaration of dance. as well as the overwhelming pain. Characters are vivid. like Daniela who jumps out a window to become the Firebird of Russian lore. Fortunately. she recovers like a Phoenix from the ashes. The funniest character is the Freudian quack. Dr. Hagen. who demands that girl Friday Renee DAoust ghostwrite a conference paper for her. Renee holds down 8 part-time jobs at once. including as a bathroom attendant for a catering company. She witnesses the tearful grief of a mother. whose daughter marries a rich man who does not love her. However. it is Renees passion for modern dance which drives this powerful memoir. Anyone who has avidly pursued a dream can identify with the sacrifice. frustration. and occasional triumphs depicted here.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A Western Girl in New York CityBy Brent MannOccasionally Ill be channel surfing and Ill come across a dance performance on PBS. and when this happens. I always keep right on surfing. because. frankly. I have absolutely no interest in watching dance of any kind. As an art form or even as a form of entertainment. dance -- be it modern. ballet. tap. ballroom -- has never spoken to me and it never will. And yet. here is this memoir by Renee DAoust called "Body of a Dancer" that really speaks to me. Why is that? Because. for me. this highly readable book is not about dance at all. its about daily life in New York City. and thats a topic that never fails to grab my attention as a reader.What Im saying is this: here is a book that on its surface would seem to only have appeal to readers with a deep interest in dance (especially Modern Dance). but the dance aspect is. at least for me. pretty much beside the point -- this is a book with appeal whether youre a dance fan or not. Sure. I definitely got a solid look into what its like to study Modern Dance in Manhattan at the famous Martha Graham Center. and that was fascinating reading. But more than that. I received excellent insight into what it was like for a young woman from the West Coast to arrive in New York City in the early 1990s and make a go of it -- the unusual temp jobs. the long walks to save subway fare. dancing/busking outdoors in a park with friends on a humid day."Body of a Dancer" is among the best memoirs Ive ever read. and I particularly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in reading about day-to-day life in New York City.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Fascinating glipse into a dancers worldBy ambivalentmaybeLike a previous reviewer. I am not myself terribly interested in either ballet or modern dance. Still. I found this book fascinating. The author does an incredible job communicating in subtle ways the constant awareness of ones body that. together with the grueling workouts. constant injuries. and need to completely subjugate ones will. makes being a dancer so exhausting. Its not a lament. though. The author also does an excellent job evoking the thrill of dancing as movement. Its not something I ever really thought could be done as well in writing. but DAoust makes you feel the emptiness and exhaustion of a professional dancers life. and yet still want to dance. Its an amazing book. whether youre interested in dance or not.
