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For those of us involved in research on the neural mechanisms that relate tissue damage to pain. it is becoming more evident that the sensation of pain and suffering could be considered as part of a mechanism that involves not only sizeable areas in the brain but also simultaneous activations of the immune and the endocrine systems as well. A consensus is growing among specialists in the field that pain involves the sharing of molecular mechanisms between the nervous, immune and endocrine systems that can interact at peripheral and, ultimately, central levels. Furthermore, chronic pain could then be looked upon as a corollary of the imbalance in the cross talk between these systems, which could lead to new treatment strategies. The aim of this book is not to deal with acute pain that serves as an alarm signal, but to attempt to explain the molecular mechanisms of chronic pains considered as a multifactorial syndrome or disease.
A scholarly volume devoted to an understanding of contemporary nomadic and pastoral societies in the Middle East and North Africa. This volume recognizes the variable mobile quality of the ways of life of these societies which persist in accommodating the ‘nation-state’ of the 20th and 21st century but remain firmly transnational and highly adaptive. Composed of four sections around the theme of contestation it includes examinations of contested authority and power, space and social transformation, development and economic transformation, and cultures and engendered spaces.
Sufism in Ottoman Damascus analyzes thaumaturgical beliefs and practices prevalent among Muslims in eighteenth-century Ottoman Syria. The study focuses on historical beliefs in baraka, which religious authorities often interpreted as Allah's grace, and the alleged Sufi-ulamaic role in distributing it to Ottoman subjects. This book highlights considerable overlaps between Sufis and ʿulamāʾ with state appointments in early modern Province of Damascus, arguing for the possibility of sociologically defining a Muslim priestly sodality, a group of religious authorities and wonder-workers responsible for Sunni orthodoxy in the Ottoman Empire. The Sufi-ʿulamāʾ were integral to Ottoman networks...
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The author approaches his subject from the perspective of a historian of Arab history and Arabic literature. Originally published in Arabic in 1988, the book is based on a lifetime of experiences with the Syrian tribes of the Arab east and decades of research in Arabic literary sources, travelers' and explorers' accounts, modern studies, and archival resources. Many sources are here utilized for the first time, and of particular note are Jabbur's extensive use of ancient Arabic poetry to convey the spirit of his subject and his many observations on parallels with Old Testament accounts. The Bedouins and the Desert has been superbly translated from the Arabic by Lawrence I. Conrad, a historian of the early-Islamic period and translator of several other classics in Arabic scholarly literature. It includes a number of corrections and revisions made by the author after the publication of the Arabic text, and is profusely illustrated with photographs taken mostly by the author and the famous Beirut photographer Manoug Alemian during visits to the Syrian desert.
Islamic conceptions of heaven and hell began in the seventh century as an early doctrinal innovation, but by the twelfth century, these notions had evolved into a highly formalized ideal of perfection. In tracking this transformation, Nerina Rustomji reveals the distinct material culture and aesthetic vocabulary Muslims developed to understand heaven and hell and identifies the communities and strategies of defense that took shape around the promise of a future world. Ideas of the afterworld profoundly influenced daily behaviors in Islamic society and gave rise to a code of ethics that encouraged abstinence from sumptuous objects, such as silver vessels and silk, so they could be appreciated...
This book offers a unique exploration of the work of Paul Bowles and Ibrahim Alkoni, and reveals timely insights into the relationship between the West and the Orient, showing that they both challenge and extend existing scholarship on this subject. It builds on a sound theoretical platform which serves as a solid foundation for the analysis of the overarching theme. Theories of place, representation, Orientalism and post-colonialism are discussed in depth and are linked to the deconstruction and analysis of the selected literary texts, helping the reader understand the various quests and motivations of the protagonists of the works of Bowles and Alkoni. The first part of the book looks into...
This new edition provides biographical information on 2,000 prominent and distinguished persons in Lebanon, including foreign residents, who by virtue of their achievements in their respective fields or by the influential positions they hold, have gained recognition in public life or in private sections.
In Unruly Visions Gayatri Gopinath brings queer studies to bear on investigations of diaspora and visuality, tracing the interrelation of affect, archive, region, and aesthetics through an examination of a wide range of contemporary queer visual culture. Spanning film, fine art, poetry, and photography, these cultural forms—which Gopinath conceptualizes as aesthetic practices of queer diaspora—reveal the intimacies of seemingly disparate histories of (post)colonial dwelling and displacement and are a product of diasporic trajectories. Countering standard formulations of diaspora that inevitably foreground the nation-state, as well as familiar formulations of queerness that ignore regiona...