The British Empire and the Hajj: 1865-1956 - Hardcover

John Slight

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 067450478X ISBN 13: 9780674504783

Publisher: Harvard University Press, 2015

Synopsis

The British Empire governed more than half the world's Muslims. John Slight traces the empire's complex interactions with the Hajj-the annual pilgrimage to Mecca-from the 1860s, when an outbreak of cholera led Britain to engage reluctantly in medical regulation of pilgrims, to the Suez Crisis of 1956. He gives voice to pilgrims and officials alike.

About this title

Review:

Impressively lucid, this is a must-buy addition for anyone interested in the Hajj and Western involvement in it.' - John Darwin, University of Oxford

'The ambit of this book is formidable. The British were almost everywhere, globally, between the mid-nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries, and this book tells of their activities vis-a-vis the Hajj. Slight has done a wonderful job of making a huge subject transparent and understandable.' - --Eric Tagliacozzo, Cornell University"

'This is an excellent book that falls midway between a specialised and a general readership. It will be indispensable for anyone interested in the Hajj.' - --Times Literary Supplement

'[Slight] explores this important but largely neglected history of Hajj and does so by tracing British involvement with the regulation and performance of this Islamic ritual from early 1860s until the Suez Crisis of 1956. Based on a combination of archival and secondary sources, this is an unusually informative, meticulously researched and highly readable book. This book will prove to be a useful source of reference on the subject for future researchers and writers alike.' --Muhammad Khan - Muslim News

About the Author:

John Slight is a Research Fellow in History at St. John's College, University of Cambridge.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 067450478X
• ISBN 13: 9780674504783
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 456