During this past few days, history in the middle east class has been very demanding, the readings, source analysis and all of the assignments are getting more complex that in previous classes. In today's class we learned about the Muhtasib. It is an older version of what we now call inspectors. It might be health, food, social or merchant inspector. Muhtasib was in charge of many different task that required a lot of effort and time to do. Muhtasib was important during the Mamluk empire to preserve the order and to control the trade in between merchants. They were very detail oriented in engaging their job.
If they suspect something was going on in a residence, they can suddenly beak in and check that everything is OK and in order. they had the authority of execute anyone that had been braking the law or just tried to take advantage of someone. Overpricing and mishandling anything from food to behavior was severely punishable under Islamic law.
It is a remarkable difference that this type of people had done in the course of history. Also note how punishment was enforced, most of the people accused of any wrong doing was hanged or not in most cases a physical punishment was enough.
The Muhtasib made a great difference in the course of history and how it is perceived from different points of view around the world.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Imperial Harem
The reading assignment of this book is a remarkable difference in history courses approach. What normally focus on males role and male decision making, the assignment and understanding of the imperial harem is a different approach to another structure of the functions of the harem and the role of women in the Ottoman society how they can build their own structure of government, gather themselves, like the Januaries and how they can keep wealth amongst themselves.
The book is hard to read but interesting. on my own experience I had to return 3 or sometimes 4 times to a paragraph to understand it , the use of names and different family levels made the reading difficult. The reading is very explicit and very detail oriented. It would be faster and easier if the book provides a family map where to relate the different names used in the literature.
Besides the complexity of this novel, the language it uses is complicated. To relate and pronounce a name correctly takes a quite few minutes and after that remember who use that name for gets complicated.
It helped me to reestablish the normal point of view of an empire. I realize that woman played an important role, often ignore, in the incidents of man and its roles in history. She is like the back up plan, when options are extinct they seem to have the solution.
The book is hard to read but interesting. on my own experience I had to return 3 or sometimes 4 times to a paragraph to understand it , the use of names and different family levels made the reading difficult. The reading is very explicit and very detail oriented. It would be faster and easier if the book provides a family map where to relate the different names used in the literature.
Besides the complexity of this novel, the language it uses is complicated. To relate and pronounce a name correctly takes a quite few minutes and after that remember who use that name for gets complicated.
It helped me to reestablish the normal point of view of an empire. I realize that woman played an important role, often ignore, in the incidents of man and its roles in history. She is like the back up plan, when options are extinct they seem to have the solution.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Thinking and thinking. What should i write on my blog?
It might get absurd but there is so much to write about history that in fact there is sometimes nowhere to start.
But, going through the class notes i can figure many things and understand what the ideology of people is and it might be based on their past. There is so many incidents, events and interaction of the people of this region that is not only political but mostly religious disputes that have been evolving in each other for generations. In a movie, i remember, that one of the actors said, "the past is the key to the future", It sound a bit philosophical but taking this history courses made me realize the meaning,origin and structure of that phrase. Even, in geology classes the phrase is 100% applicable t hat we know so much about earth just by analyzing the rocks and minerals and studying the formation of the different levels of rock formation and fusion that scientific can tell how old the rock is by analyzing the minerals and formation process it had.
So far, i have seen videos in class, witness the news and analyzing the filters that a cover story that i watch on my scree had been through before it gets to me. A few days ago, checking my email, i read an email from my history professor inviting me to watch a movie about Iran and its revolution, the involvement of woman in this movement and her influence in Iran as well as outside. I had the opportunity to watch how labels are established on Iranies, especially woman, and what they can do and what they should not do but still do. The movie shows aspects of the family values, the struggle to overthrown a tyrannic power and the cruel way of justice. the ridiculous way of enforcing the law, and how kids, as young as 13, are on the streets enforcing the law.
The purpose of the movie is clear. It shows to people the dimensions of the conflict, the purpose of the revolution and the outcome of it.
Many people died during this period of transition and evolution, protecting and fighting for what they believe was just, but was all of that really necessary? Why can they just get along??????
It might get absurd but there is so much to write about history that in fact there is sometimes nowhere to start.
But, going through the class notes i can figure many things and understand what the ideology of people is and it might be based on their past. There is so many incidents, events and interaction of the people of this region that is not only political but mostly religious disputes that have been evolving in each other for generations. In a movie, i remember, that one of the actors said, "the past is the key to the future", It sound a bit philosophical but taking this history courses made me realize the meaning,origin and structure of that phrase. Even, in geology classes the phrase is 100% applicable t hat we know so much about earth just by analyzing the rocks and minerals and studying the formation of the different levels of rock formation and fusion that scientific can tell how old the rock is by analyzing the minerals and formation process it had.
So far, i have seen videos in class, witness the news and analyzing the filters that a cover story that i watch on my scree had been through before it gets to me. A few days ago, checking my email, i read an email from my history professor inviting me to watch a movie about Iran and its revolution, the involvement of woman in this movement and her influence in Iran as well as outside. I had the opportunity to watch how labels are established on Iranies, especially woman, and what they can do and what they should not do but still do. The movie shows aspects of the family values, the struggle to overthrown a tyrannic power and the cruel way of justice. the ridiculous way of enforcing the law, and how kids, as young as 13, are on the streets enforcing the law.
The purpose of the movie is clear. It shows to people the dimensions of the conflict, the purpose of the revolution and the outcome of it.
Many people died during this period of transition and evolution, protecting and fighting for what they believe was just, but was all of that really necessary? Why can they just get along??????
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