Featuring Immanuel Wallerstein; Joseph Massad; Marnia Lazreg; and other well-known and emerging new authors; this book seeks a more accurate understanding of Islam and Islamic societies' role and relations to global cultural and economic realities. The book confronts a trend today of analyzing Islam as a "cultural system" that stands outside of; and even predates; modernity. The authors see this trend as part of a racist discourse unaware of the realities of contemporary Islam. Islamic societies today are products of the world capitalist system and cannot be understood as being separate from its forces. The authors offer a more carefully constructed and richer portrait of Islamic societies today and forcefully challenge the belief that Islam is not part of; nor much affected by; the modern world-system.
#2037301 in Books Down The Shore Publishing 2012-07-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 6.00 x .75l; .82 #File Name: 1593220626240 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A Compelling Memoir of Her Gifted MotherBy Susan F. FalknorMargaret Thomas Buchholtz has made available to us the life and writings of her mother; Josephine Lehman; who lived from 1898 to 1959. The writing style of both mother and daughter is clear; vigorous; and witty - while the angular bones of the narrative ride comfortably just beneath the rich story details. Hailing from Michigan; Jo in 1917 got herself a job in in the War Department in Washington; D.C. Her diary; as edited by her daughter Margaret; details the life of a Government Girl of the early Twentieth Century -- painstaking work; living in a boarding house; attending dances; entertaining wounded soldiers at Walter Reed hospital; and of course flirtation. In the summer of 1919; our paths crossed - well; sort of. Jo spent time in the village of Bluemont; Virginia; on the Blue Ridge. And; 82 years later; my husband and I made our home in Bluemont. World War I over; Josephine came to Bluemont to assist author Frank Carpenter and his wife Joanna. They all stayed in a gracious stone house on the top of the Blue Ridge christened "Joannasberg" - from whose veranda visitors could see across into four states : Virginia; West Virginia; Maryland; and Pennsylvania. In another connection; Jo's diary recalls visits to Joannasberg for betting on shooting pool from young Dr. Henry Plaster; father of my current neighbor; also named Henry Plaster. Beyond the Bluemont connection; as a young woman I too earned my bread with editorial work in Washington; D.C. -- and I too had a Midwestern mother for whom writing came as easily as talking. Expectedly; the first few chapters of this book fascinated me - but then I found the rest of the story just as engaging. In 1929; as a researcher for the lionized author Lowell Thomas ; Jo lived for a time brushing shoulders with the wealthy and powerful; even cruising the Caribbean in the capacious yacht of a German count. In 1930; she met Reynold Thomas ("Tommy"--no relation to Jo's employer); marrying the next year. Tommy; who had been "shell shocked" during World War I; had been advised to work outdoors - hence he became a commercial fisherman in the seaside town of Harvey Cedars; New Jersey. The long depression takes a toll on the couple - stealing any value of family investments settled on the young pair and throwing them back on their own resources. They lived a hard but loving family life in the 1930s; until privation eased for them; as for most other American families; in the 1940s and 1950s. I strongly recommend this excellent read.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. The Poignant Journey of a Remarkable WomanBy LouiseJosephine Lehman's story begins in Michigan where she was born in 1898 and grew up on a farm. When the bright young Jo becomes a reporter for the local paper; the reader senses that her adventures are soon to follow. In 1918; she takes a giant leap and heads for Washington DC to work for the Department of War. She was not alone; many girls who had never been away from home became "government girls." But Jo; a gifted writer; took the time to record her experiences in her diary and letters to her family. Thanks to Josephine's daughter; author Margaret Thomas Buchholz; we are privileged to read Jo's thoughts and enjoy lively accounts of her activities. Children love the thrill of discovering dusty old letters and scrapbooks that are private and forbidden. We feel the adult Margaret's childish wonder surfacing when she comes across her mother's papers in the window seat and attic of her Jersey Shore home on Long Beach Island. Jo had saved almost everything! Over a period of years; the author painstakingly pieced together the remnants of her mother's life; creating an articulate memoir that is a joy to read. The clicking of typewriter keys and waving of flags transport us back to the nation's capital during The Great War. Jo roomed with other young women in boardinghouses. Always conscious of her height (the statuesque Jo was 5'10"); she tells of her "Adventures with Boys" and how she volunteers to "cheer up" wounded soldiers at a hospital. The accounts of her dates and the morality of the era are especially fun to read. In 1919; Jo takes a job in Washington as assistant to the aging and wealthy travel writer Frank Carpenter. Her accounts of the time she spends at the Carpenter family's vacation retreat in Bluemont; Virginia; are delightful. Later; Jo lands a position as a researcher and ghostwriter with the famous adventurer and broadcaster Lowell Thomas. She travels to faraway places; rides in an airplane; goes on a Caribbean cruise; interviews U-boat captains for a book; and fits right in with the spirited lifestyle of the Roaring Twenties. Josephine: From Washington Working Girl to Fisherman's Wife is like two distinct books joined at the hip. Jo's life as a single young writer and her time as a housewife and mother after she marries Reynold Thomas (no relation to Lowell) in 1931 represent very different worlds. We learn that he's a loving and hardworking man; a former marine. Jo and Tom (Reynold) were married secretly and we wonder why. But; in fact; author Buchholz doesn't even know the answer. After Jo moves to the desolate but rapidly developing Long Beach Island; she adjusts to a plainer life. Her husband works as a commercial fisherman and later runs a dredging business. She penned a beautiful essay called "Fisherman's Wife" that was published in Scribner's magazine in 1933. The money from that piece helped the family during the hard times of the Great Depression. (It's retold in an illustrated version published in 2008 and in this book). As a busy mother of two; Margaret and her younger brother Michael; Jo cooks; bakes; sews and takes meticulous care of the kids but longs to write. She says; "Here I live; piling up the most marvelous material for writing; but it's almost impossible to find the time or strength to do it. I still write all the time in spirit; and in another two years; when Michael is in school; I don't see why I can't put in at least five mornings a week at steady work." Life on the island is vividly recalled not only by Jo in letters to her sister; but also by Margaret. Both mother and daughter write for a seasonal island newspaper. Margaret is not just the keeper of her mother's memoirs; she evolves as a major player in the book. It is Margaret; affectionately nicknamed "Pooch" (a name she didn't like but it has stuck with her); who mesmerizes the reader with descriptions of bleak winters; devastating hurricanes; and a personal tragedy. The omnipresent voice of author Margaret is evident throughout the book. She comments and pulls everything together with her skill as a fine journalist and paints a realistic portrait of her mother. She researched background material and visited places where her mother lived to get the facts. However; Margaret's sensitivity shines through; becoming increasingly strong as the book progresses. She has carefully planned what to write and yet she is undeniably emotional. Without her tears; this memoir would be lacking in depth. It's hard to put this marvelous book down. The details are so rich that even the endnotes are fascinating. Vintage photographs provide added interest and each chapter begins with a significant excerpted quote that grabs the reader's attention. I highly recommend Josephine: From Washington Working Girl to Fisherman's Wife. It's both a well-crafted memoir/biography that recreates a remarkable woman's life and the story of a mother-daughter relationship packed with intensity. Perhaps we cannot truly know our mothers until they are gone. Time helps to sort things out. Maybe writing a memoir is the best path to understanding.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Beautiful storyBy Lily F.I love Long Beach Island and have spent two weeks there for most of my 47 years of life. It was lovely to hear of the way it used to be many years ago and how WW2 affected the inhabitants of LBI. Josephine was an amazing woman and to read about the time she lived in and how things were then was fascinating. The writing is superb. I loved the book!
