There is a scarcity of sociological literature on the role and place of sport within the Arab World and the Middle East that centralizes a critical Muslim perspective. This is significant given both their immense geographical scope and the continued and emerging social and political issues within the Muslim world, in which sport and physical cultures play an important role. This timely edited collection responds to an ongoing need for a critical Muslim studies approach to sport and physical cultures in the Arab World, the Middle East, and North Africa.

In the tradition of a critical Muslim studies approach and bringing together a diverse community of scholars, both established and emerging, the chapters utilize sport and physical cultures as its entry point to interrogate and critique Orientalist, Eurocentric, and positivist understandings of Arab and Middle Eastern cultures and communities, engage with intersectional, postcolonial, and decolonial epistemologies to advance this mission, and illuminate and legitimize the sporting knowledge and experiences of those from physical cultures in these regions.

Prioritizing sociological analyses from sport scholars from regions which tend to be omitted within Western sport scholarship, Arab and Middle Eastern Sport situates both the scholars and communities discussed in the sociology of sport literature. Boasting a wide range of analyses, it is appealing to sport scholars from diverse interdisciplinary and methodological backgrounds.

This pioneering book presents a comprehensive overview of the role of women in Brunei's economy, society and public domain, from the historical and contemporary perspective.

Making an important contribution to the study of women in Asia by focusing on Brunei, a country with many distinctive features, including governance by an Islamic sultan, guidance by a national philosophy of 'Malay Islamic Monarchy', and a unique intermingling of Malay and Chinese traditions and practices. Featuring contributions by Brunei women academics based in local tertiary institutions, it portrays the lives of women's in Brunei from their own perspective. It covers women's agency through several lenses, including the growing digital activism on issues of sexual harassment, women's empowerment, women entrepreneurship, agency in Chinese Bruneians' contemporary literary narratives and the recent role of women in Islamic development in Brunei. Some of the challenges and concerns raised by the authors might have policy implications.

Bringing detailed and insightful scholarship on issues and themes of local concerns with a Brunei perspective, this book will appeal to students and scholars of Women's studies, Asian studies, Southeast Asian studies, and Islamic Studies.

Now in its seventy-second edition, this title continues to provide the most up-to-date geopolitical and economic information for this important world area.

Key Features:

- covers the Middle East and North Africa from Algeria to Yemen

- includes topical contributions from acknowledged experts on regional affairs

- accurately and impartially records the latest political and economic developments

- provides comprehensive data on all major organizations active in the countries of the region.

Calendar of Political Events

- A calendar of events provides a convenient reference guide to the year's main political developmentsGeneral Survey

- introductory essays written by leading experts cover a wide range of topics relating to the region as a whole.

Country Surveys

Individual chapters on each country incorporating:

- essays on the physical and social geography, recent history and economy

- an extensive and up-to-date statistical survey of economic and social indicators, which include area and population, health and welfare, agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, industry, finance, trade, transport, tourism, communications media and education

- a full directory with names, addresses and contact details covering the government, legislature, political organizations, election commission, diplomatic representation, judiciary, religious groups, the media, finance, trade and industry (including petroleum and natural gas), tourism, defence and education

- a country-specific bibliography, providing suggestions for further research.

Regional Information

- includes all major international organizations active in the Middle East and North Africa, their aims, activities, publications and principal personnel; a detailed survey of major commodities in the region; a directory of research institutes specializing in the region; select bibliographies of books and periodicals covering the region; and an index of regional organizations.

Scholarship on the Muslim world has recently begun to pay increased attention to non-literary genres of documentation as sources for historical research.

Genealogical writings are one form of such documentation that has demonstrated significant potential for addressing a wide range of research concerns, particularly for topics that receive little attention in historical chronicles and other state-centered narrative sources. However, while genealogical documentation has received some attention in scholarship on the Arab world, it remains mostly unstudied in scholarship on Persianate societies. The chapters in this book offer reflections on theoretical and methodological issues concerning the study of genealogical documentation, combined with case studies based primarily on previously unpublished, unstudied source materials. The topics explored span the full breadth of the Persianate world, from Anatolia to the Ferghana Valley in Central Asia to the Gujarat region of India, utilizing sources dating from the fourteenth to the twentieth century. The book will be of significant interest to scholars and students of Islamic history and the Persianate ecumene as well as readers in other fields interested in comparative research demonstrating the use of genealogical documentation as historical sources.

An extensive, all in one guide to the key features of the most important text type of the Hebrew Bible, the Masoretic Text. The contributors examine all aspects of the Masoretic Text: its origins, transmission, history and textual forms.

The handbook traces the development of the text type from ancient manuscripts found in the Judean Desert, through to the pointed medieval codices and the Second Rabbinic Bible. It outlines the main aspects of ancient and medieval scribal practice, including a brief history of the Tiberian School of scribes, the development of the vowel and cantillation system, introduction to the marginal Masorah notes, and provides descriptions of the major codices. The contributors examine the features of the Masoretic Text in the books of the bible. The volume also includes an extensive bibliography to enable further detailed study.

The Nature of Empire exposes the central role of modern imperialism in the development of contemporary environmentalism and environmental science. It builds this case through an investigation of five major modern empires: Britain, France, Russia, the Ottoman Empire, and Japan.

This book offers readers a global environmental history of modern imperialism that actively engages Western-based and non-Western based empires. As this study shows, imperialism ultimately transformed human perceptions of nature and the environment in significant, lasting, and conflicting ways. It both inspired modern conservationist practices and fueled opposition to environmental policies in colonial contexts. It also spurred the development of climate science, which helped reveal the environmental toll of imperial exploitation and drive efforts to fight it. The environmental and political legacies of empire remain evident today through unmitigated anthropogenic climate change and the increasing incidence of extreme weather, which tends to disproportionately impact marginalized peoples.

This book stands as a useful and accessible resource for students, scholars, and all those seeking to better understand environmental history, imperial legacies, and the roots of contemporary climate challenges.

How have South Asian traditions responded to plurality and difference? The question lies at the centre of this collection, inviting us to challenge established conceptions of pluralism and understand South Asian ways of thinking about difference, diversity, and 'the other'.

This diverse collection is the first in-depth treatment of the variety of ways that South Asian traditions theorise plurality. Bringing together case studies across South Asia's distinctive religious landscape, it marks a significant contribution to re-thinking pluralism in the 21st century.

Islam and Islamicate South Asia have generated interest since 9/11 as never before. However, Islamic Minorities, specifically, is still a relatively neglected area of study in South Asian Islam. It may be due to the reason that there has been a tendency to look at Islam as a monolithic faith and Muslims as a monolithic population to the western world.

This book focuses on such Islamic Minorities as the Shias (dominant Isna Ashari/Twelver Shias), Ismaili Khoja, Dawoodi Bohra, and Ahmedia/Qadiyani communities and looks at them from the perspective of their interaction with Hindu cultures and traditions. Written in lucid language from a sociological perspective, it should be an important contribution to the field of "Lived Islam" or "Islam in Practice."

This book will be invaluable to all those interested in the religion, society, and culture of Muslim South Asia.

Using Palestine as a case study, Recognition Politics in Settler Colonial States shows how recognition politics operate to legitimize long-standing colonial power structures.
In existing scholarship, recognition has been seen as an asset coveted by indigenous communities. This book forwards a new, theoretically ground-breaking perspective. Emile Badarin shows that in colonial contexts, settlers use recognition to legitimize and normalize the dispossession and elimination of Indigenous people. More than this, settler-colonial states themselves actively pursue recognition, employing it as a means to further the elimination of the indigenous societies they seek to replace. In making the case, the book critically examines the Euromodern categories of race, racism and racial hierarchies and draws new conclusions about the interplay between colonialism, racism and Zionism. Central to this analysis is how anti-Zionism has been strategically equated with anti-Semitism, and effectively used as a tool for the advancement of both settler-colonialism in Palestine and Israel's recognition on the international stage. The book delves into indigenous normative resistance against colonial recognition politics through the lens of the Palestinian practice of ?umud (steadfastness), extracting its philosophy of liberation as a pathway towards a decolonial future for all in Palestine and beyond.

British Consul with a long-standing interest in archaeology Thomas Sandwith's account of his two months travelling in Egypt provides a valuable new primary source on a dynamic period in Egyptian history. In January 1893 he began a diary in which he recorded his journey on the Nile aboard a dahabiya. Possessing a keen interest in antiquities and experience in acquiring them during his consular career, he recounts visiting newly discovered archaeological sites and meetings with Egyptologists, providing a unique snapshot of the 'golden age' of Egyptology. His astute descriptions of his journey from Cairo to Aswan and back give a vivid new perspective on the growth of European tourism in British-occupied Egypt and early Egyptian industry.

Sandwith's decades-long interest in archaeology and familiarity with the Levant mean this diary - until now on the long-hand pages as he wrote them on the boat - is thus unique among contemporary travel accounts. It is a valuable primary source for scholars interested in the history of the British in the Middle East, the history of travel in the Middle East and the history of archaeology and Egyptology.

While humanitarian organizations and media outlets often reduce Syrian refugees to statistics or brief anecdotes, the real story of displacement unfolds in the intimate spaces of family life. Through the interwoven narratives of five middle-aged sisters from Damascus, Lines of Flight, Assemblages of Home reveals how Syrian women navigate war, exile, and the profound transformation of their families and identities.

Drawing on extensive interviews conducted between 2015 and 2017, this book follows an extended Sunni Muslim family as they flee their homes in Damascus's Eastern Ghouta suburbs and scatter across Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, and eventually Europe. As these women move through an increasingly hostile landscape of border controls, refugee camps, and human trafficking networks, they must reinvent themselves-from stable middle-class mothers to resourceful survivors, from guardians of tradition to architects of change. Their journeys challenge conventional assumptions about refugee experiences, revealing how displacement reconfigures family networks, religious practices, and gender roles.

Leila Hudson's intimate portrait of Syrian displacement offers vital insights for researchers and practitioners working in humanitarian assistance, refugee resettlement, and forced migration. It provides essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how ordinary families navigate extraordinary circumstances, and how women in particular bear both the burdens and opportunities of displacement.

The Invention of the Eastern Question recounts the gripping and dramatic history of how the Russian Empire's invasion of Ottoman Crimea reshaped global politics at the dawn of the nineteenth century. Through the lives of Scottish diplomat Sir Robert Liston and his wife Henrietta (nee Marchand) Liston, the book follows the emergence of the Eastern Question- the most dangerous, enduring and complex international relations issue of the century that would claim millions of lives until the 1920s. Drawing on the Listons' official and private letters, personal diaries and a trove of Austrian, British, Dutch, French, Ottoman, and Russian archives, Ozan Ozavci reveals the importance of the art of negotiation in the age of revolutions, showing how the choices of a few people shaped empires, stirred tensions, and left a legacy that would haunt global imperial relations long after the Listons left the world stage.

Providing a new analysis of Euro-Ottoman relations at a crucial historical juncture, the book will be of great interest to scholars of history and International Relations.

An illuminating and comprehensive interrogation of the impacts of corruption on state structures and institutions in Africa from two expert African scholars.

Focusing on a variety of institutions and establishments - from the judiciary to the legislature, civil service to religion, tertiary education to national economies - and drawing on key countries across the continent, including Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, the book explains why national, continental and global initiatives addressing corruption have achieved such limited success. This provides a much-needed nuanced understanding of corruption which rejects stereotypical depictions of Africa as a corruption-ridden continent and also offers new insights into the international community's role in making and sustaining corrupt systems in Africa.

This book offers a genuinely interdisciplinary engagement with the future of paid and unpaid work in the context of the twin challenges of decarbonisation and the growing impacts of an unstable climate.

It is innovative in its grounding of such discussions in the everyday realities of workers' experiences with an empirical focus on skill, occupational shifts and technological change at the workplace level. Part I: Skills and Training delves into how workers gain crucial skills across their lifetimes. From survivalist "preppers" to local microgrid operators, the chapters reveal practical and often unrecognised but essential expertise. Case studies include air-conditioning technical educators and construction trades leveraging tacit knowledge of sustainable practices. Part II: Industrial Transformation draws on empirical studies from coal mining, manufacturing, defence and construction to highlight workers' experiences of climate shifts, heat and industrial transition. Theoretical contributions explore novel legal strategies such as fossil fuel "cessation" and examine the role of health and safety frameworks in addressing worker democracy and climate-change mitigation.

This collection will resonate with scholars, students, policymakers and trade unionists interested in environmental labour studies, just transitions and the future of work. It offers vital lessons for navigating complex industrial transformations.

Key features:

• Detailed case studies in critical sectors such as energy, construction, defence and manufacturing;
• A dynamic interdisciplinary fusion of human geography, political economy, sociology, industrial relations and law;
• Emphasis on worker agency, practical skill and grassroots adaptability amid intensifying climate impacts.

Introduction, Chapter 5 and Chapter 7 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons [Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND)] 4.0 license.

Brunei and the British in the Nineteenth Century relates the remarkable tale of the encounter between the Sultanate of Brunei, that in 1800 possessed nominal hegemony over most of northern Borneo, and Western colonialists, particularly the British.

The study focuses on two notable protagonists: Pengiran Indera Mahkota (c. 1790s-1858), a high-born Bruneian courtier, and James Brooke (1803-1868), a former English soldier and gentleman-adventurer. Pengiran Indera Mahkota was governor (rajah) of Sarawak, then a small area of Brunei. He penned his cautionary words and counsel in a popular verse form titled, Syair Rakis, which he presented to the throne in 1847. James Brooke successfully detached Sarawak from Brunei, establishing his own dynastic "raj", ruling as the "White Rajah" of Sarawak from 1841 until his passing to be succeeded by his younger nephew, as Rajah Charles Brooke. In this book, textual analysis together with archival research present a mapping of verse (poem) and fact (history) that reveal a confluence of the two that was compatible. It shows the veracity of the forewarnings and intuitive hunches in the Syair Rakis that uncannily reflected historical developments. Although Pengiran Indera Mahkota's counsel was not acted upon, and the outcome for Brunei was unfavourable, the book argues that Pengiran Indera Mahkota was a significant figure, whose prominent and pivotal role deserves greater recognition.

This book will be of interest to historians and scholars of Southeast Asian history, Imperial and Colonial history and Malay literature.

An introduction to the art and aesthetics of southwest Nigeria using the writings of Yoruba scholars and artists who have made these subjects their special interest over the last forty years.

Barry Hallen brings together the writings of four pioneering Yoruba thinkers who write about the art and aesthetics of their own culture: J.R.O. Ojo, Babatunde Lawal, Rowland Abiodun and Wole Soyinka. All were based at the Obafemi Awolowo University, named Great Ife because of the faculty and students' conviction that it was committed to achieving all of the great things that a university community can. Each is responsible for developing indigenous concepts in which African art derives its importance and meanings in the world.

Never before has their work been set side-by-side. By treating their work as interrelated we see how when combined they offer a better and higher level of understanding of that remarkable and fascinating form of life associated with the name Yoruba. Each chapter provides a 'taste' of their philosophy as they reveal what they have to say about how they view and value their art internal to their culture.

Hallen places attention on the methodologies each of them uses to arrive at and defend their ideas. Together they tell a story about how badly things can go when human cultures believe they are categorically different from one another. They also argue that the more comprehensive one's experience and knowledge of the culture is, the better one is prepared to appreciate the conception and interpretation of its art.

This is the first book of its kind to take such a discursive and analytic approach to Yoruba art and aesthetics. Disentangling African art from Eurocentric stereotypes, it represents exciting new scholarship in the disciplines that have come to be known as African philosophy and African art history.

This book provides a comprehensive look into the development challenges and critical socio-economic issues of the Muslim communities in Uttar Pradesh-India's most populous state and home to one of its largest Muslim populations.
Well-known for its syncretic culture, benevolent kings and nawabs, Uttar Pradesh has also been a region that has historically experienced significant religious politics and communal violence. This book moves beyond these sectoral approaches and attempts to present a holistic, detailed, and contemporary perspective on the development of Muslims in the state. It traces the complex sectarian, caste-based, occupational, and regional diversities within the Muslim population in Uttar Pradesh and investigates the intersections of identity, social stratification, and development. Drawing on detailed empirical research, the volume explores critical issues such as educational and occupational mobility, health disparities, livelihood patterns, migration, and access to financial services. It highlights the persistent inequalities faced by Muslims in the state and examines how historical and contemporary processes including sectarian divides, caste hierarchies, political marginalisation, and policy shortcomings have shaped their current realities.
This book, along with its companion volume Development Challenges of Muslims in Uttar Pradesh, will be of interest to students and researchers of politics, development studies, anthropology, human geography, sociology, and minority studies. It will also be of relevance to those in development administration, civil society organizations, and the general reader interested in development and deprivation in the state or Hindu-Muslim politics.

This book identifies the factors that either encourage or discourage participation and deliberation, thereby demonstrating the potential and reality of deliberative democracy in Nepal at the local level.

Focusing on the local level planning process in two municipalities, Buddhabhumi and Dhanushadham, the book examines whether decentralized elements introduced by federalism encourage participation and deliberation or whether they continue to remain a challenge. Throughout this exploration, the author explores how the debate between "common good" and "self-interest" unfolds within the context of deliberative democracy in Nepal. A blend of empirical and theoretical investigation, this book addresses the concept of common good and self-interest in deliberative democracy in the context of unequal societies in South Asia.

A pioneering contribution on Nepal, this book will be of interest to researchers studying political science, federalism, participatory democracy, deliberative democracy, and local governance in Nepal and South Asia.

This book examines the history of the press in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir under the British Raj.

Based on extensive archival data, the author meticulously traces and documents the history of freedom of the press, speech and assembly, as well as the restrictions imposed in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir during British colonialism. Structured chronologically, the book presents a historical narrative of the press in the state during the Dogra period (1846-1947) and further shows the continuities during the decade of Partition (1947-1957). It analyses a novel aspect of communication by examining symbolic resources and the communication history of the region. The book sheds light on the significant role of culture as a form of political and mass communication, particularly in the absence of newspapers, bringing forth previously undisclosed aspects to the public domain.

Presenting a comprehensive legal history of the press in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, the book will be of interest to those intrigued by the history of South Asia, Media and Communication Studies and Journalism.

I.B. Tauris in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies has published the following work as open access.

The Fatimid caliphs (297-567/909-1171), who were also the Ismaili Imams, reigned over a vast state stretching from North Africa (including Egypt) to Sicily, Syria and the Hijaz. Under Fatimid patronage, the arts and sciences flourished alongside Ismaili thought and literature.

An extensive trade network was centred on their capital, Cairo, facilitating cosmopolitan exchange across their caliphate, the Mediterranean and other lands. This led to innovation in the production of decorative arts, monumental building programmes, international commerce and significant intellectual exchange.

The original research of 22 scholars is here organised into four sections on aspects of Fatimid cosmopolitanism, covering religion and statecraft, the Fatimid legacy reconsidered, ceremony and symbolism and art and archaeology.

Contributors to this volume include Ali Asgar Hussamuddin Alibhai, Khalil Andani, Dina Ishak Bakhoum, Daniel Beben, Doris Behrens-Abouseif, Gregory Bilotto, Anna Contadini, Delia Cortese, Farhad Daftary, Valerie Gonzalez, Shainool Jiwa, Hasan al-Khoee, Juan de Lara, Ayala Lester, Bernard O'Kane, Marcus Pilz, Stephane Pradines, Jennifer A. Pruitt, Yossef Rapoport, Paula Sanders, Avinoam Shalem, Yasser Tabbaa, Jamel A. Velji and Paul E. Walker.

The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by the Institute of Ismaili Studies.

Planning for Resilient Small and Medium-Sized Cities in Ghana explores the resilience and planning dynamics and complexities of rapid urban transitions in Ghana's small and medium-sized cities (SMCs) and their implications for Africa and the Global South.

The book argues that Ghana's urban future may have more to do with the steady growth of SMCs, where urban consolidation is gradually taking a foothold. Recognizing that Ghana's primary cities are well known to be socio-ecological hotspots of risk, reactive urban planning, and entrenched inequalities of alarming proportions, this book asks: would SMCs follow these troubling realities and trajectories in large cities or leapfrog to resilient futures that work for all? Through a range of interdisciplinary perspectives, the contributions emphasize the need for integrated planning strategies to navigate socio-ecological challenges and opportunities that SMCs face in terms of infrastructure, governance, and climate resilience.

By centering overlooked and understudied SMCs in Ghana's urban scholarship, this book realigns resilience planning to the spaces and places emerging as the frontiers of socio-ecological crises. It will be of interest to students and researchers of city and regional planning, urban studies, geography, environmental studies and science, public policy, development studies, and public health, as well as urban planners, community development practitioners, geographers, environmental, disaster, and resilient personnel, and policymakers.

What is the place of Sufi and philosophical thought in Shi'ism today?

This book delves into the ongoing debate within the contemporary Shia seminary over the role of Sufi and philosophical thought in interpreting religion. It examines two opposing schools: the Sufi School of Najaf, which harmonizes philosophy, Sufism, and revelation, and the Maktab-i Tafkik (School of Separation), which rejects such integration.
Tracing their historical development from the mid-19th century to the present, the book explores how these schools emerged and spread, analyzing their contrasting approaches to religion.

Beyond historical narrative, it provides an in-depth analysis of the philosophical and theological arguments of each school, highlighting their differing views on the soul, divine revelation, and the interplay of reason and faith.
By examining manuscripts, historical texts, and personal memoirs, the book offers a nuanced perspective on the intellectual currents shaping today's Shia thought, inviting readers to reconsider the relationship between philosophy, Sufism, and Shia theology.

Turkey is among a league of revisionist powers who are challenging the world order. Erdogan and his Islamist movement have aimed to create the "New Turkey", preparing for a future that is less dependent on Western treaty allies.

This book is about the political ideas driving Turkey's regime change and foreign policy . It de-exceptionalizes Turkish politics, arguing that the "New Turkey" is part of a forerunner in the a global trend of far-right nationalist movements like that of Donald Trump in the United States or Narendra Modi in India. In particular, the book reveals how far-right nationalist strands in Turkey have been nurtured by an existential resentment of the West, similar to those we are seeing in Russia. In tracing this resentment and its historical roots, the book invites policymakers and experts to better understand the new relationships Turkey is building with fellow revisionists including China and Russia, as well as Turkey's involvement in the wars in Syria and Ukraine and Erdogan's grand strategy for expansion.

With a specific focus on two urban revolutions, the first emergence of the city 5,500 years ago and the urban revolution we are currently undergoing, Portugali analyzes the shift to a global population residing predominantly in urban environments. He examines these two urban revolutions from the perspective of the Israeli-Palestinian periphery, in terms of complex-cognitive, self-organized systems. Ultimately, the book addresses how urbanism is becoming the driving force behind human life and consciousness for the first time in history and expresses a new theory of ancient and modern urbanism oriented around socio-spatial evolution.

Investigating the interrelation between complexity theory and cognitive theory - and their connection to the city - this book is an enlightening read for scholars and students of urban studies, human geography, political geography and geopolitics, and urban economics. It is also a crucial resource for those researching cities and complexity.

Feminist Climate Policy in Industrialised States explores ways in which policymakers can overcome institutional barriers and conventions in pursuit of the radical changes necessary for a gender-just climate emergency response.

In 2021, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change acknowledged that addressing the climate emergency must involve social justice and equality. Feminist approaches to decision-making, policy-making, community organising and their underpinning methodologies can enable this. The authors draw critically on case studies, research and interviews with feminist practitioners, legislators and leaders who have implemented significant changes, to signal how change might be achieved and ask what lessons can be drawn. The book posits that we need to ultimately move beyond the gender mainstreaming and gender equality issues which have been integrated into existing - and failing - structures, to more transformative feminist approaches. It concludes by identifying key strands of feminist-oriented praxis that offer the potential to expedite responses to climate change across multiple levels of governance.

With industrialised states shifting rightwards to a politics which diminishes the importance and urgency of gender equality, diversity, human rights and the need for climate action, this volume will inspire, guide, and provide tools for policymakers, politicians, community activists, academics, and students to take transformative action to address the climate emergency.

The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons [Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND)] 4.0 license.

Historic littoral cities and sites of Southeast Asia that grew along the coast, seascapes, and the confluence of rivers as evolvements from Indigenous settlements linked the dynamism of trade and confluence of cultures, have defied categorization and characterization. For the first time, Jahn Kassim and Ibrahim characterize a series of sites whose historic urban-architectural core forms reflect a graded spectrum following past models of Indigenous urbanism and architecture.

Departing from past thematic discussions on historic eco-urbanism, the book present approximately 20 cities, centers and/or subregions that represent these themes and their recurring features, historically and formally condensed based on morphological, urban-architectural, and iconographical patterns and features. The underlying narrative is that despite apparent diversity and disorder, broad patterns characterize these littoral formations and inflections, and by utilizing morphology as a tool, these highly dense, yet cool, green, and bioclimatic urban patterns of the past can contribute toward the reframing of a localized, nuanced, and Indigenous dimension to sustainability in the planning, architectural, and visual expression of the region. The book departs from 16th century onward, moving through their era of colonial syncretism, and extending to their external grafting and then reverting to pre-classical earlier seeds of cities, where sustainability and identity is rooted to its earliest and most fundamental patterns of climate and culture.

A book that will appeal to scholars, academics, students, and practitioners of architecture, Southeast Asia, cultural and urban geography, design, visual arts, and urbanism fields.