Middle East and Islamic Studies
New at Brill in Open Access: Encyclopædia Iranica Online
Encyclopaedia Iranica is the most renowned reference work in the field of Iran studies. Founded by the late Professor Ehsan Yarshater and edited at the Ehsan Yarshater Center for Iranian Studies at Columbia University, this monumental international project brings together the scholarship about Iran of thousands of authors around the world.
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Sign upEncyclopædia Iranica Online Now Freely Accessible at Brill
The Ehsan Yarshater Center for Iranian Studies at Columbia University, New York, and Brill are delighted to announce that the Encyclopædia Iranica Online is now freely accessible at Brill’s Reference Works Platform. Encyclopædia Iranica is the comprehensive academic reference work dedicated to the study of Iranian civilization in the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent.
Ancient Iran Series Added to Brill’s Publishing Portfolio
As part of their growing portfolio in Middle East and Islamic Studies, Brill has signed an agreement for the take-over of the book series Ancient Iran Series. With its coverage of ancient, pre-, and early-Islamic Iran, this book series complements other book series with a more modern focus on this geographical area, as well as the various other journals and encyclopaedias Brill publishes in this field.
Read an interview with Geert Jan van Gelder
The longstanding series Handbook of Oriental Studies. Section 1: The Near and Middle East recently reached its 150th volume by publishing the special Prominent Murder Victims of the Pre- and Early Islamic Periods Including the Names of Murdered Poets. We caught up with Geert Jan van Gelder, editor and translator of the volume.
Acquisitions Editors
Brill
Maurits van den Boogert
Nicolette van der Hoek
Abdurraouf Oueslati
Teddi Dols
Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht
Jehona Kicaj
On 10 July, the government of President Denis Sassou Nguesso organised the fifth set of legislative elections since he reclaimed power in 1997. With his two chief opponents from the 2016 election still in prison, the elections were boycotted by several major opposition parties. Amid widespread and credible reports of fraud, Sassou Nguesso’s Parti Congolais du Travail (pct) claimed an overwhelming victory. Civil society groups estimated a turnout of just 10%. After the election, the government launched a crackdown against rivals. Civil society groups had their offices ransacked, an opposition leader was detained, and a tv station was suspended. The government’s foreign policy was animated by Russian’s invasion of Ukraine. In exchange for diplomatic support, Sassou Nguesso signed new cooperation agreements with the government of Russian president Vladimir Putin. As European governments sought to diversify their energy sources away from Russian oil, they looked in part to Sassou Nguesso, who signed fresh production agreements with Italian major Eni. In France, the Sassou Nguesso family continued to confront allegations of corruption, asset seizures, and indictments for money laundering. Although government debt remained on the verge of distress and more than half of citizens lived in extreme poverty, Congo’s economic fortunes were buoyed slightly by the rise in global oil prices and new loans from the imf.