false 1202177 1 In this innovative combination of anthropology, history, and postmodern theory, Brinkley Messick examines the changing relation of writing and authority in a Muslim society from the late nineteenth century to the present. The creation and interpretation of texts, from sacred scriptures to administrative and legal contracts, are among the fundamental ways that authority is established and maintained in a complex state. Yet few scholars have explored this process and the ways in which it changes, especially outside the Western world.<br>Messick brings together intensive ethnography and textual analysis from a wealth of material: Islamic jurisprudence, Yemeni histories, local documents. In exploring the structure and transformation of literacy, law, and statecraft in Yemen, he raises important issues that are of comparative significance for understanding political life in other Muslim and nonwestern states as well. 1190341 29 12 1992 The Calligraphic State: Textual Domination and History in a Muslim Society (Comparative Studies on Muslim Societies) total:3|5:1|4:1|2:1| 3 11 5 1 4 0 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Thu Jun 14 10:02:26 -0700 2007 Thu Jun 14 10:02:26 -0700 2007 0 0 false false Sat Oct 18 08:51:19 -0700 2008 Sat Oct 18 08:51:25 -0700 2008 2 0 false false Mon Jul 14 22:29:17 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 14 22:29:17 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Mon Jul 14 11:48:12 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 14 11:48:12 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2005 Tue Sep 25 07:55:11 -0700 2007 Tue Sep 25 07:55:11 -0700 2007 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=1202177