Oriental Languages and Cultures is a collection of new essays by academics who participated in the 1st international conference Oriental Languages and Cultures, held at Russian State University for the Humanities in Moscow on 22-23 November 2007. The collection presents a vivid overview of current problems in the study of the languages, literatures and cultures of the Middle and Far East. The uniqueness of this book lies in its bringing to publication a steadily growing interest in languages and culture of the Far East, as well as the East as a cultural phenomenon which has long been observed in the former Soviet Union and post-Soviet Russia. The book is divided into five sections. The first contains essays outlining new approaches in the understanding of theoretical concepts relating to oriental languages. The second section explores new directions in the field of oriental literature. The third surveys a growing Russian interest in the culture of the Far East. The fourth section provides insights that help towards understanding the nature of the tolerance and gender problem in Eastern languages and cultures; and the fifth section’s contributions address the issues of assessment and pedagogy in the teaching of Oriental languages.

Selected contents of this volume (1998), collected in honor of Anson F. Rainey, include: Daniel Sivan, "The Use of QTL and YQTL Forms in the Ugaritic Verbal System"; Edward L. Greenstein, "New Readings in the Kirta Epic"; Alan Millard, "Books in the Late Bronze Age in the Levant"; Richard S. Hess, "Occurences of "Canaan" in Late Bronze Age Archives of the West Semitic World"; Gershon Galil, "Ashtaroth in the Amarna Period"; Jun Ikeda, "The Akkadian Language of Emar: Texts Related to a Diviner's Family"; Agustinus Gianto, "Mood and Modality in Classical Hebrew"; Masamichi Yamada, "The Family of Zu-Ba la the Diviner and the Hittites"; Mario Liverani, "How to Kill Abdi-Ashirta: EA 101, Once Again"; M. Dietrich and O. Loretz, "Amurru, Yaman, und die Agaischen Inseln nach den Ugaritischen Texten"; Ran Zadok, "Notes on Borsippean Documentation of the 8th-5th Centuries B. C."; Zipora Cochavi-Rainey, "A Note on the Coordinating Particle -ma in the Old Akkadian Letter Greeting Formula"; Ignacio Marquez Rowe, "Notes on the Hurro-Akkadian of Alalah in the Mid-Second Millennium B.C.E." Israel Oriental Studies has ceased publication with volume 20.

Worlds of Knowledge rediscovers the works of authors from the eighteenth to the twentieth century and challenges the frequent focus in travel studies on English-language texts. Written by experts in a wide range of fields, this interdisciplinary volume sheds new light on the range, innovation, and erudition of travel narratives by women.

The volume consists of six parts devoted to literature, languages, history, culture, science, religions and philosophy of the Eastern World. Its aim is to portray the present-day state of oriental studies, which are here understood predominantly as philologies of Asia and Africa, but also as a field of study including other, adjacent disciplines of the humanities, not neglecting the history of oriental research. The book’s multidisciplinary content reflects the multi- and often interdisciplinary nature of oriental studies today. Part 1 (Literature) offers new insights into belles-lettres written in Arabic, Hindi, Turkish, Urdu, Persian and Japanese. Part 2 (Linguistics) contains studies on Sanskrit texts (in a stylometric approach), Japanese nominals, Japanese poetry as a linguistic source, Arabic translations of the Bible, Arabic dialect of Morocco, Arabic culinary terms of Persian origin and Turkish vocabulary of the language reform era. Part 3 (History) investigates Napoleon’s campaign in the Middle East, Middle Eastern-Russian relations in the 18th century, the history of Seljuk Empire and the works of a Moroccan historian, Ǧaʿfar Ibn Aḥmad an-Nāṣīrī as-Salawī. Part 4 (Historyof Oriental Studies) deals with the history of oriental studies in Kraków and with the problems of a critical edition of the Quran. Part 5 (Culture and Science) examines the artistic achievements of Egyptian moviemaker Yūsuf Šahīn and possible influence of the Muslim science on medieval Polish scholars. Part 6 (Religion and Philosophy) explores some philosophical concepts of the Confucian ethics and the contribution of Karīma Bint Aḥmad Al-Marwaziyya to preservation and transmission of some religious traditions of Islam.

"The Allure of the Ancient investigates how the ancient Middle East was imagined and appropriated for artistic, scholarly, and political purposes in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Bringing together scholars of the ancient and early modern worlds, the volume approaches reception history from an interdisciplinary perspective, asking how early modern artists and scholars interpreted ancient Middle Eastern civilizations-such as Egypt, Babylonia, and Persia-and how their interpretations were shaped by early modern contexts and concerns. The volume's chapters cross disciplinary boundaries in their explorations of art, philosophy, science, and literature, as well as geographical boundaries, spanning from Europe to the Caribbean to Latin America"--

"DeFrancis's book is first rate. It entertains. It teaches. It demystifies. It counteracts popular ignorance as well as sophisticated (cocktail party) ignorance. Who could ask for anything more? There is no other book like it. ... It is one of a kind, a first, and I would not only buy it but I would recommend it to friends and colleagues, many of whom are visiting China now and are adding 'two-week-expert' ignorance to the two kinds that existed before. This is a book for everyone." --Joshua A. Fishman, research professor of social sciences, Yeshiva University, New York "Professor De Francis has produced a work of great effectiveness that should appeal to a wide-ranging audience. It is at once instructive and entertaining. While being delighted by the flair of his novel approach, the reader will also be led to ponder on some of the most fundamental problems concerning the relations between written languages and spoken languages. Specifically, he will be served a variety of information on the languages of East Asia, not as dry pedantic facts, but as appealing tidbits that whet the intellectual appetite. The expert will find much to reflect on in this book, for Professor DeFrancis takes nothing for granted." --William S.Y. Wang, professor of linguistics, University of California at Berkeley

A groundbreaking critique of the West's historical, cultural, and political perceptions of the East that is—three decades after its first publication—one of the most important books written about our divided world. "Intellectual history on a high order ... and very exciting." —The New York Times In this wide-ranging, intellectually vigorous study, Said traces the origins of "orientalism" to the centuries-long period during which Europe dominated the Middle and Near East and, from its position of power, defined "the orient" simply as "other than" the occident. This entrenched view continues to dominate western ideas and, because it does not allow the East to represent itself, prevents true understanding.

This book investigates the social, political and educational role of community language education in migratory contexts. It draws on an ethnographic study that investigates the significance of Mandarin-Chinese community schooling in Britain as an intercultural space for those involved. To understand the interrelation of ‘language’, ‘culture’ and ‘identity’, the book adopts a ‘bricolage’ approach that brings together a range of theoretical perspectives. This book challenges homogenous and stereotypical constructions of Chinese language, culture and identity – such as the image of Chinese pupils as conformist and deferent learners – that are often repeated both in the media and in academic discussion.

Presenting a wide range of international case studies, the contributors to this book study the impact of Covid-19 on the risks faced by communities around the globe. Examining cases from the Americas, Europe and Asia – including Mexico, Brazil, China, India, France, and Belgium – Kuah, Guiheux, Lim and their collaborators look at how communities have coped with the social and economic impacts of the pandemic, as well as the public health concerns. Using a framework of risks, fear, and trust, they evaluate how the global health crisis has both revealed and exacerbated a deep crisis of confidence in institutions and systems around the world. In reaction to this they also look at how individuals, social groups and communities have faced fears and built trust at a more local level. The units of spatial analysis in these cases include urban cities, neighbourhoods, slum settlements, migrant camps, schools, markets and homes, for a broad spectrum of case types and rich empirical data. Essential reading for social scientists including sociologists, anthropologists and scholars of other disciplines looking to understand the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic internationally and on a multi-scalar level.