This collection of chapters explores the nature of political and religious leadership in Shiʿism. Chapters look at a variety of critical historical periods—from medieval to modern—to reveal the social, political, and theological factors that have influenced the development of Shiʿite leadership.
This book has been, relatively speaking, a pleasure to work on because of the fine people involved in the project. Each of the authors has shown admirable forbearance in the face of delays, alternating with demands for immediate action. Most important, though, I am very proud to be associated with the contributors as each has produced an excellent piece of scholarship. It was the work and commitment of some of these authors that inspired the project in the first place.
About the Author
Dr. Linda Walbridge isa prominent anthropologist of Islam, an authority on Shi`ite Islam, and former associate director of the Middle East Institute at Columbia University.
Bibliographic Information
Title: The Most Learned of the Shia The Institution of the Marja Taqlid
Editor: Dr. Linda Walbridge
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Language: English
Length: 288
ISBN: 978-0195137996
Pub. Date: 30 August 2001