Description
About the Author
Nerina Rustomji is an Associate Professor of History at St. John's University. She specializes in the intellectual and cultural formation of Islamic societies and the Middle East. Her first book The Garden and the Fire: Heaven and Hell in Islamic Culture narrates a history of heaven and hell in Islamic texts, material cultures, and book arts from the seventh century C.E. project. The Beauty of the Houri received fellowship support from the American Council of Learned Societies, the American Center of Oriental Research in Amman, Jordan, and The New York Public Library.
Reviews
The Beauty of the Houri is a meticulously researched, elegantly written gem that offers much more than a survey of houris in the Muslim past. Drawing on sources from the Qur'an and Hadith, European poetry, and Islamist recruitment videos to US news items, Rustomji weaves analysis of texts with profound theoretical insights into gender constructions, changing eschatological expectations, text criticism, and contemporary US and Muslim politics. * J. Hammer, CHOICE *
In this revealing history... the overall sweep convinces. This comprehensive work will help scholars of Islam understand the evolving history of a powerful image. * Publishers Weekly *
In the Jesuit Spiritual Exercises, one reflects on the teaching that 'The profane is not divorced from the spiritual.' Rustomji has created a small masterpiece, meticulously researched and beautifully written, which helps us to understand both the spiritual and the profane elements of the Houri. * Amir Hussain, Chair and Professor of Theological Studies, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles *
In The Beauty of the Houri, a meticulously researched and elegantly written book, Rustomji offers us much more than a survey of houris in the Muslim past. Drawing on sources from the Qur'an and hadith, European poetry, and Islamist recruitment videos to US news items, the author weaves together analysis of texts with profound theoretical insights into gender constructions, changing eschatological expectations, text criticism, and contemporary US and Muslim politics. Highly recommended. * Juliane Hammer, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, UNC Chapel Hill *
This vivid, enthralling study offers readers a unique point of entry into a fascinating global history of feminine ideals of beauty, imagined by men and women, for this world and the next. The author traces the fluidity of this image, not just among Muslims, but also as it once impacted European -- and American -- Christians. A rare treat for those intrigued by gender and religion within and beyond the Islamic world. * Denise A. Spellberg, author of Thomas Jefferson's Qur'an: Islam and the Founders *
Book Information
ISBN 9780190249342
Author Nerina Professor Rustomji
Format Hardback
Page Count 248
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 399g
Dimensions(mm) 145mm * 211mm * 20mm