Moshe Gil's history of Palestine from the Muslim conquest to the Crusades was the first comprehensive survey of its kind. Based on an impressive array of sources, the author examines the lives of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities of Palestine against a background of the political and military events of the period.

This was the first comprehensive history of Palestine from the Muslim conquest in 634 to that of the Crusaders in 1099. It is a 1992 translation and revised version of volume I of Palestine During the First Muslim Period which was published in Hebrew in 1983 and presents an authoritative survey of the early mediaeval Islamic and Jewish worlds. Based on an impressive array of sources including documents from the Cairo Geniza collection, the author examines the lives of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities of Palestine against a background of the political and military events of the period. Specific attention is paid to the history of Palestinian Jews under Muslim rule. An essential resource for students and specialists of mediaeval Islamic and Jewish history, religious studies and for anyone interested in the history of the Holy Land.

Krämer focuses on patterns of interaction amongst Jews and Arabs (Muslim as well as Christian) in Palestine, an interaction that deeply affected the economic, political, social, and cultural evolution of both communities under Ottoman and British rule.

From the Muslims' to the Crusaders' conquest Jerusalem is among the world's best known cities. Its most outstanding and constant feature is its shared holiness by three major confessions (Muslim, Jewish and Christian). Covering the Marwanid, the Abbasid, and the Faimid phase, this study describes not only the emergence of conceptions with which the three major confessions share this city, but also their interactions as well as the political circumstances and religious axioms which give each conception its specific shape. Looking for these conceptions of the holy area of the city the Haram has been chosen. This area of the former temple was highly significant to all three confessions. The analysis is based on a careful description of the Haram (focusing on topics like names and traditions, architecture, rituals and customs, visions and dreams), and on the establishment of as many parallels as possible. "The result is a volume of astonishing depth and comprehensiveness [�] As a compendium of sources it is unrivalled." Journal of Palestine Studies "The excellent graphics added to each section, culminating in 103 figures, deserve special mention. Also impressive is Kaplony's generous handling of space; it seems that he was aiming for the display of all the texts available to him. [�] taking into account Kaplony's treatment of the subject, one is tempted to compare it with that of the precision and care of Swiss watchmakers. Unless new sources come to light, which is not very likely, this book will be the standard work � for many years to come." Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam "This book is an excellent contribution to the growing literature on Islamic Jerusalem, and it will indubitably be of interest to scholars and students of medieval Islamic history." International Journal of Middle East Studies.

Postcolonial theory is one of the main frameworks for thinking about the world and acting to change the world. Arising in academia and reshaping humanities and social sciences disciplines, postcolonial theory argues that our ideas about foreigners, ‘the other,’ particularly our negative ideas about them, are determined not by a true will to understand, but rather by our desire to conquer, dominate, and exploit them. According to postcolonial theory, the cause of poverty, tyranny, and misery in the world, and of failed societies around the world, is Euro-American imperialism and colonialism. Previously published as a special issue of Israel Affairs, this work examines and challenges postcolonial theory. In scholarly, research-based papers, the specialist authors examine various facets of postcolonial theory and application. First, the theoretical assumption and formulations of postcolonial theory are scrutinized and found dubious. Second, the deleterious impact on academic disciplines of postcolonial theory is demonstrated. Third, the distorted postcolonial view of history, its obsession with current events to the exclusion of the historical basis of events, is exposed and corrected. Fourth, an examination of Middle Eastern culture challenges the assumption that these societies have been shaped entirely, and victimized, by Western intrusion. Finally, exploring the Arab-Israel conflict, the one-sided case of postcolonial Arabism is explored and found to be faulty.