The Black Death in the Middle East and Central Asia

By Stuart Borsch[1] This analysis of the Black Death in the Middle East and Central Asia consists of two sections: SECTION ONE sums up results found via (1) Table of … Continue reading The Black Death in the Middle East and Central Asia

A Tale of Two Contagions: Science, Imperialism, and the 1883 Cholera in Egypt

By Christopher Rose At Cairo, sanitary matters are nearly at a standstill; the executive administration cannot enforce their orders. On Saturday last, the bad feeling … nearly stirred up a … Continue reading A Tale of Two Contagions: Science, Imperialism, and the 1883 Cholera in Egypt

“It was a Memorable Day” – Plague Gatherings and their Critics

By Younus Mirza The Grand Umayyad mosque in Damascus played an instrumental role in the various responses to droughts and plagues. It is here that the great hadith collection of … Continue reading “It was a Memorable Day” – Plague Gatherings and their Critics

Economic Impact and Consequences of the Plagues on the Medieval Middle East      

By Şevket Pamuk * This is a summary of an article co-authored by Şevket Pamuk & Maya Shatzmiller, Plagues, Wages and Economic Change in the Islamic Middle East, 700-1500, 74 The Journal … Continue reading Economic Impact and Consequences of the Plagues on the Medieval Middle East      

Against “flattening the [curve of] diversity of approaches” to Muslim understandings of contagion in a time of pandemic :: Part Two

By Justin Stearns Part Two: Diversity and Change in Scholarly Approaches to the Plague Jurists’ ongoing engagement with how to respond to epidemics speak to the vibrancy of this ongoing … Continue reading Against “flattening the [curve of] diversity of approaches” to Muslim understandings of contagion in a time of pandemic :: Part Two

Against “flattening the [curve of] diversity of approaches” to Muslim understandings of contagion in a time of pandemic :: Part One

By Justin Stearns Part One: Sources and Approaches The global spread of the coronavirus COVID-19 during the first months of 2020 exposed Muslims to a contagious pandemic on a scale … Continue reading Against “flattening the [curve of] diversity of approaches” to Muslim understandings of contagion in a time of pandemic :: Part One