Manuscript and Print in the Islamic Tradition

This volume explores and calls into question certain commonly held assumptions about the nature of writing and technological advancement in the Islamic tradition. In particular, it challenges the idea that mechanical print naturally and inevitably displaces handwritten texts as well as the notion that the so-called transition from manuscript to print is unidirectional

Manuscript and Print in the Islamic Tradition

This volume explores and calls into question certain commonly held assumptions about the nature of writing and technological advancement in the Islamic tradition. In particular, it challenges the idea that mechanical print naturally and inevitably displaces handwritten texts as well as the notion that the so-called transition from manuscript to print is unidirectional

The Transformation of Calligraphy from Spirituality to Materialism in Contemporary Saudi Arabian Mosques

Contemporary discourses by both Western and Muslim scholars on the subject of Islamic philosophy and art, especially the influence of globalisation on Islamic Art in general and the art of calligraphy in particular, have drawn attention to the new architectural styles of mosques in Saudi Arabia and the representation of calligraphy in them. The present study aims to analyse the impact of globalisation on the transformation of calligraphy in Saudi Arabian mosques, and investigate the paradoxical nature of authenticity in relation to the art of calligraphy. In this study, the historical, theoretical and qualitative data were amassed as part of the methodology. A qualitative descriptive method to a case study approach was the primary approach for data collection. The main aim was to understand the historical mapping of the origin and development of calligraphy, analysing its outcomes in the context of the contemporary mosques in Saudi Arabia. The results section focuses on the answers obtained from a questionnaire directed at artists and calligraphers, and in the interviews conducted with experts in calligraphy. The discussion section focuses on the detailed analyses of the answers. The study demonstrates the process of change and the misrepresentation of calligraphy and its applications inside the mosques selected for study, including forces that have been influencing such change. Consequently, the results show that there is a remarkable transformation of calligraphy in its form and function in contemporary mosques in Saudi Arabia. This transformation has been caused by due to several dominant factors including the way of representing calligraphic patterns, the impact of the local culture, and spread of the culture of materialism and globalisation

Local Portraiture

Photography is clearly not a mirror of daily life: that images are constructions is especially obvious in19th-century studio portrait photography. This book explores how indigenous Iranian photographers constructed their own realities in contrast to how foreign photographers constructed Iranians’ realities. Through an in-depth comparative visual analysis of 19th-century Iranian portrait photography and Persian painting, the author arrives at the insight that aesthetic preferences correlate with socio-cultural habits and practices in writing, reading and looking. Subsequently, she advocates for a place in a global history of photography for those unknown, local photo histories (such as the Iranian one) and for the indigenous photographers who produced them

The doctoral research abstracts. Vol:11 2017 / Institute of Graduate Studies, UiTM

Foreword: Congratulation to IGS on the continuous effort to publish the 11th issue of the Doctoral Research Abstracts which highlights the research in various disciplines from science and technology, business and administration to social science and humanities. This research abstract issue features the abstracts from 91 PhD doctorates who will receive their scrolls in this 86th UiTM momentous convocation ceremony. This is a special year for the Institute of Graduate Studies where we are celebrating our 20th anniversary. The 20th anniversary is celebrated with pride with an increase in the number of PhD graduates. In this 86th convocation, the number of PhD graduates has increased by 30% compared to the previous convocation. Each research produces an innovation and this year, 91 research innovations have been successfully recognized to have made contributions to the body of knowledge. This is in line with this year UiTM theme that is “Inovasi Melonjak Persaingan Global (Innovation Soars Global Competition)”. Embarking on PhD research may not have been an easy decision for many of you. It often comes at a point in life when the decision to further one’s studies is challenged by the comfort of status quo. I would like it to be known that you have most certainly done UiTM proud by journeying through the scholarly world with its endless challenges and obstacles, and by persevering right till the very end. Again, congratulations to all PhD graduates. As you leave the university as alumni we hope a new relationship will be fostered between you and UiTM to ensure UiTM soars to greater heights. I wish you all the best in your future endeavor. Keep UiTM close to your heart and be our ambassadors wherever you go. / Prof Emeritus Dato’ Dr Hassan Said Vice Chancellor Universiti Teknologi MAR

Local Portraiture

Photography is clearly not a mirror of daily life: that images are constructions is especially obvious in19th-century studio portrait photography. This book explores how indigenous Iranian photographers constructed their own realities in contrast to how foreign photographers constructed Iranians’ realities. Through an in-depth comparative visual analysis of 19th-century Iranian portrait photography and Persian painting, the author arrives at the insight that aesthetic preferences correlate with socio-cultural habits and practices in writing, reading and looking. Subsequently, she advocates for a place in a global history of photography for those unknown, local photo histories (such as the Iranian one) and for the indigenous photographers who produced them

Variations on a Persian Theme: Adaptation and Innovation in Early Manuscripts from Golconda

Scholarship on the earliest known illustrated manuscripts produced in the sultanate of Golconda has tended to describe these objects as the products of the extension of a powerful influence from Iran over this small kingdom in the Deccan. While this assessment rightly acknowledges the importance of Persianate visual traditions in early Golconda manuscripts and paintings, it oversimplifies the nature of these remarkable objects and the context of their production. In addition, it misrepresents the role of the artists involved in the manuscripts' creation. This dissertation provides a more nuanced consideration of these objects and their making. It offers the first in-depth discussion of six manuscripts produced in Golconda between 1570 and 1610, demonstrating a previously unrecognized sophistication and creativity in the process of their creation. It also presents a newly discovered manuscript, one which significantly alters prevailing understandings of early manuscript painting in the Qutb Shahi sultanate. These studies identify several interrelated modes of engagement with Persianate forms, rather than a single stylistic progression towards local artistic "independence." In addition, they reveal how these various modes were calibrated towards different goals, sometimes using Persianate forms as a platform from which to explore various ways of constructing and illustrating narrative and poetic texts, while at other times using these forms to make claims of cultural sophistication or for the legitimating of new and local cultural phenomena

Local Portraiture : Through the Lens of the 19th-Century Iranian Photographers

Photography is clearly not a mirror of daily life: that images are constructions is especially obvious in19th-century studio portrait photography. This book explores how indigenous Iranian photographers constructed their own realities in contrast to how foreign photographers constructed Iranians' realities. Through an in-depth comparative visual analysis of 19th-century Iranian portrait photography and Persian painting, the author arrives at the insight that aesthetic preferences correlate with socio-cultural habits and practices in writing, reading and looking. Subsequently, she advocates for a place in a global history of photography for those unknown, local photo histories (such as the Iranian one) and for the indigenous photographers who produced them. International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS) prize winner 20119789400600775 (eisbn

Contemporary, emigrant, Middle Eastern art

The thesis focuses on those artists who have emigrated from their Middle East homelands since the middle of the Twentieth Century. The first Chapter proposes that the artists form an identifiable group, through the use of common themes deriving from their heritage. The second chapter debates if Post-Colonial theories of alienation, hybridity and ‘third space’ are useful concepts and tools for these artists. The last chapter discusses the different approaches to the concept of universalism, which is frequently used in the presentations of the work of these artists. Chapter One identifies the themes of calligraphy, literature, nostalgia/longing and politics which are common to the group of artists. These themes demonstrate a clear cultural memory, with each artist using one or more of these characteristics. Chapter Two questions the usefulness and relevance of Post-Colonial concepts of alienation, hybridity and ‘third spaces’ in the analysis of the artists’ work. The individuality and complexity of the artists, their lack of clear alienation from either or both of East and West and the absence of predictability in their output makes it difficult yo apply these concepts as analytical tools. The third chapter shows the way in which contemporary Middle Eastern art has taken over from the earlier, Western based, Orientalism. The resulting work has frequently attracted the label of Universalism but this term has different connotations for Western viewers and curators compared to the Middle Eastern artists and their patrons. The former results in differentiation, the latter claims to transcend boundaries and geographies. The Conclusion, thereafter, draws together the discussions and attempts to position Middle Eastern art within the current international art scene, rather than as an ‘other’ which is outside a usually Western mainstream. The Middle East expatriates are seen as part of a growing but incomplete globalism, within which localism can co-exist