Histories of the Middle East Studies in Middle Eastern Society, Economy, and Law in Honor of A. L. Udovitch By Roxani Eleni Margariti, Adam Sabra, and Petra M. Sijpesteijn, eds. (Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers, 2010. 282 pages.)

Abstract

This collection of papers, presented at a Princeton University conference held
in May 2008, opens with an extensive bibliography of Abraham L. Udovitch’s
works and a preface detailing his scholarship on the medieval Islamic world’s
economic institutions, social structure, legal theory, and practices. The preface
also highlights Udovitch’s role and scholarly contributions, prolific publications
and international academic collaboration, his respect for interdisciplinary
examination and combination of various methods, as well as the diversity of
his intellectual pursuits and teachings. The editors praise his visionary approach
of focusing on seemingly unconnected texts to uncover the past, such
as combining normative legal texts with narratives from diverse sources and
genres. His students, as demonstrated in this volume, have adopted these methods.
Udovitch’s role in changing the writing of medieval Islamic history is
lauded, as is his encouragement to explore new techniques and methodologies
as well as his attention to the human experience within history.
Mark Cohen, whose introduction examines Udovitch’s many roles (viz.,
scholar, leading historian, activist, and teacher) provides a biography focused
on the professor’s life and projects. The nine essays, loosely grouped into four
unmarked categories, discuss the main areas of Udovitch’s interests: (1) “Economic
History” highlights the intersections between the legal theory of commerce
and the commercial practices of institutions. It includes contributions
by Petra Sijpesteijn and Michael Bonner; (2) “Social History” relates economic
and social actions, underlines their thematic and methodological commonalities,
and comprises essays by Adam Sabra and Jonathan Berkey; (3)
“Mediterranean and Indian Ocean” deals with “Middle Eastern History in its
Geographic contexts” and coalesces around what has been termed Udovitch’s
“Mediterraneanist” concerns, namely, interdenominational relations and negotiations
bridging the gap between “rigid principles and supple accommodation.”
This includes contributions by Olivia Remie Constable, Yossef
Rapaport, and Hassan Khalilieh; and (4) “Urbanism,” the study of cities as
sites of economic exchanges and interactions between individuals and groups,
combining legal, political, ideological, and intellectual dimensions to form
the realities of daily life. This includes two contributions by Boaz Shoshan
and Roxani Margariti ...