CALL FOR PAPERS
IJMES Special Issue in Memory of Mine Ener
Charity, Poverty, and the Politics of Benevolence in Middle Eastern and Islamic Histories
Guest editor Amy Singer with IJMES editors Beth Baron and Sara Pursley
Since the mid-1990s, the study of charity and benevolence has attracted growing attention from scholars of Islam and the Middle East. Earlier studies related to these topics had focused extensively on waqf making and its diverse impacts in specific historical situations. During the past twenty years, the topics addressed under these general rubrics have expanded, now including the social or financial implications of zakat payment, the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the contested terrain of welfare services, middle-class activism, critical assessments of humanitarianism and development, and more. A diverse range of activities located in social and economic classes that span the spectrum from rich to poor is being explored in these studies.
The work of the late Mine Ener, particularly her book Managing Egypt's Poor and the Politics of Benevolence, 1800-1952, is a landmark contribution to this direction of research. A decade after its publication, it is useful to reflect on the approaches taken by scholars exploring topics for which she helped lay the foundations: poor relief, the tensions between state and private charity, the politics of philanthropy, and the project of writing "history from below."
This special issue invites submissions from scholars exploring the history, politics, economics, and culture of charity, philanthropy, beneficence, welfare, activism, poor relief, development, and humanitarianism in Islamic and Middle Eastern societies.
The deadline for submissions is 1 September 2012. Authors should follow the regular guidelines for submitting an article manuscript to IJMES, which are detailed here. All articles in special issues must be accepted individually through the standard IJMES peer review process. Any accepted article submitted before 1 September that fits the above description may be considered for publication in the special issue.
