The Politics of Iconoclasm

The Politics of Iconoclasm

Author: James Noyes

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2013-09-10

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 0857734318

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From false idols and graven images to the tombs of kings and the shrines of capitalism, the targeted destruction of cities, sacred sites and artefacts for religious, political or nationalistic reasons is central to our cultural legacy. This book examines the different traditions of image-breaking in Christianity and Islam as well as their development into nominally secular movements and paints a vivid, scholarly picture of a culture of destruction encompassing Protestantism, Wahhabism, and Nationalism. Beginning with a comparative account of Calvinist Geneva and Wahhabi Mecca, The Politics of Iconoclasm explores the religious and political agendas behind acts of image-breaking and their relation to nationhood and state-building. From sixteenth-century Geneva to urban developments in Mecca today, The Politics of Iconoclasm explores the history of image-breaking, the culture of violence and its paradoxical roots in the desire for renewal. Examining these dynamics of nationhood, technology, destruction and memory, a historical journey is described in which the temple is razed and replaced by the machine.


A Companion to Byzantine Iconoclasm

A Companion to Byzantine Iconoclasm

Author: Mike Humphreys

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2021-09-27

Total Pages: 648

ISBN-13: 9004462007

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Twelve scholars contextualize and critically examine the key debates about the controversy over icons and their veneration that would fundamentally shape Byzantium and Orthodox Christianity.


The Temptation of Graves in Salafi Islam

The Temptation of Graves in Salafi Islam

Author: Ondřej Beránek

Publisher: EUP

Published: 2018

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781474417570

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Contextualises current Salafi iconoclasm and graves destruction, tracing its ideological sources In various parts of the Islamic world over the past decades, virulent attacks have targeted Islamic funeral and sacral architecture. Rather than being random acts of vandalism, these are associated with the idea of performing one's religious duty as attested to in the Salafi/Wahhabi tradition and texts. Graves, shrines and tombs are regarded by some Muslims as having the potential to tempt a believer to polytheism. Hence the duty to level the graves to the ground (taswiyat al-qubūr). In illuminating the ideology behind these acts, this book explains the current destruction of graves in the Islamic world and traces the ideological sources of iconoclasm in their historical perspective, from medieval theological and legal debates to contemporary Islamist movements including ISIS. Key Features - Provides a detailed and in-depth study of Salafi iconoclasm - Looks at the destruction of graves in various parts of the Islamic world including the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia - Traces the ideological roots of Salafi iconoclasm and its shifts and mutations in a historical perspective - Contributes to the growing study of Salafi Islam - Case Studies include Ibn Taymiyya, Muhammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab, the formation of Saudi ulama, Nasir al-Din al-Albani, and ISIS and the destruction of monuments Ondřej Beránek is Director of the Oriental Institute at the Czech Academy of Sciences. Pavel Ťupek is a Researcher and Assistant Professor in the Department of Near Eastern and African Studies at Charles University, Prague. Cover image: Bab al-saghir Cemetery, Damascus Cover design: Andy McColm [EUP logo] edinburghuniversitypress.com ISBN 978-1-4744-1757-0 Barcode


The Image Debate

The Image Debate

Author: Christiane J. Gruber

Publisher: Gingko Library

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781909942349

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"The images released by The Islamic State of militants smashing statues at ancient sites were a horrifying aspect of their advance across Northern Iraq and Syria during 2015-16. Their leaders justified this act of iconoclasm by arguing that such actions were divinely decreed in Islam, a notion that has remained fixed in the public consciousness. The Image Debate is a collection of thirteen essays that examine the controversy surrounding the use of images in Islamic and other religious cultures and seek to redress some of the misunderstandings that have arisen. Written by leading academics from the United States, Australia, Turkey, Israel and the United Kingdom, the book opens with an introduction by the editor Christiane Gruber, who sets the subject in context with a detailed examination of the debates over idols and the production of figural images in Islamic traditions. The book is divided into three sections: the first deals with pre-modern Islamic practices and anxieties concerned with image-making; the second addresses similar issues in Judaism, in Christianity during the Byzantine period, in pre-Islamic Iran and Central Asia, and in Hindu and Buddhist contexts in South Asia; and the third brings the reader back to Islamic lands by examining traditions of figural representation in the modern and contemporary periods." -- Publisher's website


Art Crime

Art Crime

Author: Noah Charney

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-03-02

Total Pages: 388

ISBN-13: 1137407573

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Since the Second World War, art crime has shifted from a relatively innocuous, often ideological crime, into a major international problem, considered by some to be the third-highest grossing criminal trade worldwide. This rich volume features essays on art crime by the most respected and knowledgeable experts in this interdisciplinary subject.


Aisha’s Cushion

Aisha’s Cushion

Author: Jamal J. Elias

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2012-11-15

Total Pages: 395

ISBN-13: 0674070666

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Media coverage of the Danish cartoon crisis and the destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan left Westerners with a strong impression that Islam does not countenance depiction of religious imagery. Jamal J. Elias corrects this view by revealing the complexity of Islamic attitudes toward representational religious art. Aisha’s Cushion emphasizes Islam’s perceptual and intellectual modes and in so doing offers the reader both insight into Islamic visual culture and a unique way of seeing the world. Aisha’s Cushion evaluates the controversies surrounding blasphemy and iconoclasm by exploring Islamic societies at the time of Muhammad and the birth of Islam; during early contact between Arab Muslims and Byzantine Christians; in medieval Anatolia and India; and in modern times. Elias’s inquiry then goes further, to situate Islamic religious art in a global context. His comparisons with Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, and Hindu attitudes toward religious art show them to be as contradictory as those of Islam. Contemporary theories about art’s place in society inform Elias’s investigation of how religious objects have been understood across time and in different cultures. Elias contends that Islamic perspectives on representation and perception should be sought not only in theological writings or aesthetic treatises but in a range of Islamic works in areas as diverse as optics, alchemy, dreaming, calligraphy, literature, vehicle and home decoration, and Sufi metaphysics. Unearthing shades of meaning in Islamic thought throughout history, Elias offers fresh insight into the relations among religion, art, and perception across a broad range of cultures.


Byzantium and Islam

Byzantium and Islam

Author: Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)

Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 354

ISBN-13: 1588394573

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This magnificent volume explores the epochal transformations and unexpected continuities in the Byzantine Empire from the 7th to the 9th century. At the beginning of the 7th century, the Empire's southern provinces, the vibrant, diverse areas of North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean, were at the crossroads of exchanges reaching from Spain to China. These regions experienced historic upheavals when their Christian and Jewish communities encountered the emerging Islamic world, and by the 9th century, an unprecedented cross- fertilization of cultures had taken place. This extraordinary age is brought vividly to life in insightful contributions by leading international scholars, accompanied by sumptuous illustrations of the period's most notable arts and artifacts. Resplendent images of authority, religion, and trade—embodied in precious metals, brilliant textiles, fine ivories, elaborate mosaics, manuscripts, and icons, many of them never before published— highlight the dynamic dialogue between the rich array of Byzantine styles and the newly forming Islamic aesthetic. With its masterful exploration of two centuries that would shape the emerging medieval world, this illuminating publication provides a unique interpretation of a period that still resonates today.


The Wake of Iconoclasm

The Wake of Iconoclasm

Author: Angela Vanhaelen

Publisher: Penn State Press

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 234

ISBN-13: 0271050616

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"Explores the relationship between art and religion after the iconoclasm of the Dutch Reformation. Reassesses Dutch realism and its pictorial strategies in relation to the religious and political diversity of the Dutch cities"--Provided by publisher.


Iconoclasm

Iconoclasm

Author: Anthony Bryer

Publisher: Centre for Byzantine Studies University of Birmingham

Published: 1977

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13:

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Art Under Attack

Art Under Attack

Author: Tabitha Barber

Publisher: Tate

Published: 2014-11-04

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781849760300

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"Published to accompany a major exhibition at Tate Britain, this fully illustrated catalogue explores the history of attacks on art in Britain, from the reformation of the sixteenth century to the present day, demonstrating how religious, political, moral and aesthetic controversy can become arenas for assaults on art. Through eight essays, the broad subject of iconoclasm is broken into three overarching themes: the state-sanctioned iconoclastic zeal of religious reformers, who aimed to purge both churches and minds of the sin of idolatry; the symbolic statue-breaking that accompanies political change such as the targeted attacks on cultural heritage by the suffragettes; and attacks on art by individuals stimulated by a moral or aesthetic outrage. Importantly, the aim of the study is to present the rationale of iconoclasm, its significance to the history of an object, and how it has become a productive and transformational practice for some modern and contemporary artists."--Publisher's description.