SOAS Research Online

Abstract

Arabic, like Latin, was a language of empire, and, like Latin, when empire retreated, Arabic remained. The language of the Quran became that of Islamic law, at the same time developing into a language of courtly life, poetry and letters, and, eventually, of popular culture. These are the areas covered by the five pieces in this special issue, the first ever collection of articles on emotion and the history of emotion in Arabo-Islamic culture. Previous publications on Arabic emotions are scattered, and none engage with the historicity of emotion or with methodological and theoretical issues specific to the Arabic sources. The driving idea behind this special issue is that it will function as a practical introduction to a selection of major text genres and culture-specific notions and problems for those working in cultural studies and the history of emotions across fields. The five articles cover four areas: scripture (Karen Bauer), legal scholarship (Marion Katz Holmes), adab or high culture (Julia Bray and Karen Moukheiber), and popular literature (Helen Blatherwick). They all concentrate on texts, rather than documentary sources, reflecting the fact that Arabic documentary sources for lived experience have not, until very recently, been much noticed or received sophisticated scholarly attention.