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Book/Printed Material Difference and disability in the medieval Islamic world : blighted bodies

About this Item

Title

  • Difference and disability in the medieval Islamic world : blighted bodies

Summary

  • Outlines the complex significance of bodies in the late Medieval central Arab Islamic lands. Did you know that blue eyes, baldness, bad breath and boils were all considered bodily 'blights' by Medieval Arabs, as were cross eyes, lameness and deafness? What assumptions about bodies influenced this particular vision of physical difference? How did blighted people view their own bodies? Through close analyses of anecdotes, personal letters, biographies and autobiographies, erotic poetry, non-binding legal opinions, diaristic chronicles and theological tracts, Kristina Richardson brings the cultural views and experiences of disability and difference in the medieval Islamic world to life. This title investigates the place of physically different, disabled and ill individuals in medieval Islam. It is organised around the lives and works of 6 Muslim men, each highlighting a different aspect of bodily difference. It addresses broad cultural questions relating to social class, religious orthodoxy, moral reputation, drug use, male homoeroticism and self-representation in the public sphere. It moves towards a coherent theory of medieval disability and bodily aesthetics in Islamic cultural traditions.

Names

  • Richardson, Kristina L.

Created / Published

  • Edinburgh : Edinburgh University Press, [2012]
  • ©2012

Headings

  • -  Sociology of disability--Middle East--History--To 1500
  • -  Disabilities--Social aspects--Middle East--To 1500

Notes

  • -  Based on author's dissertation.
  • -  Includes bibliographical references (pages 138-156) and index.
  • -  Description based on print version record; resource not viewed.

Medium

  • 1 electronic resource (ix, 158 pages )

Call Number/Physical Location

  • HV1559.M626

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2019667537

Rights Advisory

Access Advisory

  • Unrestricted online access

Online Format

  • image
  • pdf

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

The books in this collection are licensed under open access licenses allowing for the reuse and distribution of each book following the terms described in each license. Researchers should consult the Rights Advisory statement for each title and the accompanying license details for information about rights and permissions associated with each of the licenses.

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Richardson, Kristina L. Difference and disability in the medieval Islamic world: blighted bodies. [Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, ©, 2012] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2019667537/.

APA citation style:

Richardson, K. L. (2012) Difference and disability in the medieval Islamic world: blighted bodies. [Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, ©] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2019667537/.

MLA citation style:

Richardson, Kristina L. Difference and disability in the medieval Islamic world: blighted bodies. [Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, ©, 2012] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2019667537/>.