Abstracta Iranica
http://abstractairanica.revues.org/
Abstracta Iranica is a bibliographical journal of Iranian Studies, published by the Institut français de recherche en Iran. It publishes abstracts and reviews of selected works published over the past year related to Iran, Central Asia and Iranian civilisation. It covers work in a variety of disciplines, from the origins of Iranian civilisation to the present day. Disciplines include: linguistics; archaeology; history; art history; history of science; religion; Islam; philosophy; literature; and the arts. Works are selected and presented by research scholars.
The website for the journal gives full-text access to issues since 2002, accessible by issue or through browsing lists of authors, keywords, subjects or proper names. A search function is also available. The interface is available in English and French, though the reviews are primarily in French. The site's extensive bibliographic resources will be of interest to students and researchers looking for recent work in Iranian Studies.
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Abu Dhabi culture and heritage
http://www.adach.ae/
The website of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) describes the authority's projects and activities, and gives more general information on Emirati culture. ADACH's activities focus on the preservation and promotion of the culture and heritage of the United Arab Emirates, but also include projects related to Arab cultural heritage in a broader context. The site is available in English and Arabic, with almost all of the content available in English. The site includes information on: recent and upcoming cultural programming; specific projects carried out by the authority; recent publications (in Arabic); and general news. Of broader interest will be the section of the site devoted to heritage, which provides brief descriptions of archaeological sites, historic buildings, museums, cultural landscapes and the intangible heritage of the United Arab Emirates. The national library section gives information on the library's collections and access to the library's online catalogue (in Arabic). This site is a good first stop for information about culture and heritage in the United Arab Emirates, with plenty of content to lead students and researchers to further resources.
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AHRC Research Centre for Cross-Cultural Music and Dance Performance
http://www.surrey.ac.uk/Dance/ahrb/
The website of the AHRC Research Centre for Cross-Cultural Music and Dance Performance, inaugurated on 1st September 2002 and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, details the work of this collaboration between the Department of Music at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), the Department of Dance Studies, which is part of the School of Arts at the University of Surrey (UniS), and the School of Arts at Roehampton University. The Centre brings together experts in Asian and African artistic practice and in ethnomusicology, ethnochoreology, dance anthropology, and musicology. The website provides information about its research and projects currently being undertaken, which include analysis of Asian music traditions; the performance of ritual in Asian music and dance; and post-colonial identity construction in South Asian dance. Forthcoming events are listed on the site, and editions of the Centre's newsletter since 2002 are available as PDFs.
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Al Jadid : a review and record of Arab culture and arts
http://www.aljadid.com/
Al Jadid is a quarterly magazine of Arab arts and culture published in the United States. The magazine's website gives access to a selection of articles from back issues and the table of contents of the current issue, though it does not publish issues in their entirety. The magazine, published since 1995, focuses on contemporary Arab arts and culture in the Arab world and the United States, publishing original articles in English as well as translations of essays and interviews by Arab intellectuals. The website provides articles on a variety of topics, including: arts; book reviews; essays and features; fiction; film; interviews; music and dance; poetry; and theatre. It is highly accessible and a good source for writing in English on the contemporary cultural scene in the Arab world and the Arab diaspora, with a consistent focus on key intellectuals and debates. The book reviews section will be of particular interest for those looking for reviews of recent books in both Arabic and English.
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Al-Andalus Magreb : estudios árabes e islámicos
http://biblioteca.uca.es/ucadoc/revuca.asp?rev=11338571
This website makes freely available issues of the peer-reviewed scholarly journal Al-Andalus Magreb, published by the University of Cádiz and devoted to research into Arab and Islamic history, culture and society, with some emphasis on its intersections with Spain. The journal's scope is broad encompassing historical studies, literary criticism, linguistics, architecture, philosophy and more. Browsing through the contents of each issue will reveal articles addressing such diverse themes as: Jorge Luis Borges and oriental philosophy; ideas of pain, death and hope in the work of Tunisian poet, Abu I-Qasim al-Sabbi; and Muslim iconography in medieval Spanish ceramics; and furniture in medieval Moroccan mosques. The site lacks a search facility which would have facilitated location of relevant material, but browsing through each issue should yield interesting results. Notes, commentaries and reviews are available in issues separate to those containing research articles. Most contributions are in Spanish, although some are either in English or French.
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al-Bab
http://www.al-bab.com/
The al-Bab website, 'an open door to the Arab world', provides a collection of articles and outside links on a wide range of topics related to Middle East studies. It is run by Brian Whitaker, former Middle East editor for The Guardian, though the site has no relationship to the newspaper. The content is a combination of annotated links to websites, links to previously published articles or book excerpts, and original articles and commentary. It provides a large variety of reliable content appropriate for students and researchers at all levels.
The site's sections include: country briefings for the 22 members of the Arab League; news; reference; and collections of links and articles on specific topics. Along with coverage of political and economic issues, these topics include a number of subjects of interest to arts and humanities students, including: Arabic language; media; architecture; art; cinema; literature; and music. A section of articles on diversity in the Arab world also provides information about ethnic minorities like the Kurds, Berbers and Turkmen, and coverage of special topics like women in the Arab world or gay and lesbian issues. Al-Bab is an excellent source of background information for the general public and a good first stop for preliminary research for students, but even experienced researchers are likely to find useful resources on many topics.
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Azawan Amazigh
http://www.azawan.com/
The Azawan Amazigh (Amazigh music) website provides information on Berber music from different regions of North Africa. It is divided into three main sections (artists, shopping, and links), but the artists pages will be of most use to researchers and students. Most of the content is available in English, French and Tamazight (standardised Berber). The artists pages are arranged by region: Tashelhit (Sous), Rif, and Middle Atlas for Morocco; Kabyle and Shawi (Aurès) for Algeria; and Tuareg. Pages on individual artists and musical genres provide biographical information and previously published articles on different themes. Musical genres run the gamut from singer-poets of the late nineteenth century to contemporary stars of the Berber music scene. Individual artists' pages also generally include musical extracts available with Real Player, and often lyrics in transcribed Berber, French and English. Combining reliable information with a rich variety of musical extracts, the site is a valuable resource for those interested in Berber language and culture or in the musical and poetic traditions of Africa and the Middle East more generally.
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Bidoun : art and culture from the Middle East
http://www.bidoun.com/
'Bidoun: art and culture from the Middle East' is a sophisticated contemporary arts magazine. The magazine also covers music, architecture, and film. Bidoun is published in English. Each issue has a subtantial amount of free full-text articles available online, although there are far more in the commercial paper version. At Winter 2009 the magazine has published 16 issues, each of which is themed. Back issues have tables of contents on the website, with clickable links to free online articles. The website has full details of the editorial board and magazine production group - almost all of whom appear to operate from the U.S.A. The website also has details of subscription packages, press coverage, and advertising rates.
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Cahiers d'études sur la Méditerranée orientale et le monde Turco-Iranien
http://cemoti.revues.org/
The French journal Cahiers d'études sur la Méditerranée orientale et le monde Turco-Iranien (CEMOTI) publishes research on a broad geographical area that includes Southern Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia. The journal also publishes articles related to immigration and the Greek, Turkish and Cypriot diasporas in Europe. Each issue is devoted to a particular theme, with a focus on contemporary history, culture and social questions. The CEMOTI website gives access to tables of contents and abstracts for all issues published since 1985. It also provides full-text versions of selected issues. Disciplinary coverage is broad, including humanities and social sciences disciplines. The journal will be of interest to researchers in Middle East and Central Asian history and cultural studies.
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Centre for the Advanced Study of the Arab World (CASAW)
http://www.casaw.ac.uk/
The website of the Centre for the Advanced Study of the Arab World (CASAW), based at the Universities of Edinburgh, Manchester and Durham, offers information about: its aims and goals; the courses and programmes in Arab Studies it offers; the various studentships and grants available at postgraduate level and beyond; conferences and events in the field; and its publications and e-learning materials in Arabic. The Centre is part of the Language-Based Area Studies Initiative, a major initiative funded by all major funding bodies (AHRC, ESRC, HEFCE and SFC). It seeks to substantially enhance the UK's capacity in Arabic and Arab studies. It is also possible to register as an interactive member of the site and to subscribe to CASAW's newsletter.
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Chroniques Yéménites
http://cy.revues.org/
"Chroniques Yéménites" is a free full-text journal in French focussing on the archaeology and history of Yemen and publishing referenced academic papers. It is possible to access printable pages of any paper by clicking on "version imprimable"; to perform a full-text keyword search; and to subscribe to a mailing list that sends table of contents of new issues. A few papers are in English or Italian; and some focus on the recent history and culture of Yemen; yearly summaries of political events have been published for both Yemen and Saudi Arabia. The journal includes papers on megalithism; rock art; epigraphy; Islamic manuscripts and studies; trade on the spice route; and other archaeological studies. There are papers as diverse as "A Chinese in the Nubian and Abyssinian Kingdoms (8th Century)" by Wolbert Smidt about ancient contacts between China and the Axumite Empire and "La psychiatrie au Yémen" by Claire Harbonn-Sotty about the state of mental health facilities in contemporary Yemen.
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Comparative studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East
http://www.cssaame.com/
This is the website of the journal Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East, which is also available in hard copy. The journal aims to present comparative analysis of the history, culture, politics and economics of the three regions. The journal is published by Duke University. The website offers full-text versions of the papers, reviews and articles in the journal (a little bit later than the print version) in the form of .pdf downloads. An archive of previous issues, also in full-text .pdfs, is also available. There are also a page of links to useful lists of websites for the regions covered and contact details for the editorial board. Overall this is a good, easy-to-use website offering an important, peer-reviewed, international journal.
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Eastern art report on line
http://www.eapgroup.com/
This is the online version of the magazine Eastern Art Report, which is published in London, by Eastern Art Publishing. It includes highlights from the printed edition, as well as special online features, including: art news updated several times a week; weekly updated art events in the UK and abroad; online previews and reviews; news and early reviews of books, catalogues and electronic publications; online bibliographies; an index to back issues of the printed edition; and a catalogue of titles from Saffron Books. Subject sections include: African canvas; Chinese art; the East in the West; Islamic art; Japanese art; Judaic art; and South Asian scene. An opportunity is provided to subscribe to an e-newsletter.
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Edward Said archive
http://www.edwardsaid.org/
This is a website devoted to the life, work and causes of the Palestinian-American scholar and political activist Edward Said (1935-2003). The chief feature of the site is a lengthy list of links to a vast array of texts by or about Edward Said, including many of the tributes written by distinguished figures after his death in 2003. The site seems to be reasonably well maintained, but as is almost inevitable in a list of this size, there are some broken links, particularly among the older articles. Said is most famous for his book Orientalism, published in 1978, which analyses the construction of the East in Western Imperialist discourse. The book had a profound impact on the fields of literary criticism, middle eastern studies, history, post-colonial theory, and subaltern studies.
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Harquus : traditional women's tattoos and facial markings from North Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia
http://www.harquus.com/
This is a website about Harquus, which is a traditional form of facial ornamentation from North Africa, South Asia and the Middle East, and can take the form of face painting or tattoo. This site contains downloadable articles in PDF format, on the historical origins and social context of this art, techniques and media that is used, such as henna and kohl, along with illustrations and patterns for recreating harquus. Each article is illustrated with photographs and contains bibliographies and Web links. The site has links to related body art and henna sites.
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Iran Heritage Foundation
http://www.iranheritage.org/
This is the website of the Iran Heritage Foundation, which is a UK charity that was founded in 1995 to "increase awareness about, promote and preserve the history, languages and cultures of Iran". The Foundation does this by supporting research and publishing books, establishing fellowships at academic institutions, and encouraging activities of cultural or scholarly merit in a variety of related fields. The website provides information about the Foundation and includes links to current and past exhibitions; publications; conferences and seminars; film, theatre and performing arts; publications; and lecture series and poetry readings. There is also information about the grants that the Foundation offers for the promotion of the Persian language outside of Iran and other aspects of Persian culture, or for the study of Iranian history, art, architecture, archaeology and cultures.
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Islamic world
http://folk.uio.no/albrech/CybIslamLinks.html
The Islamic world website, maintained by Dr. Albrecht Hofheinz of the University of Oslo, is a thorough and well-annotated list of links for Islamic and Middle Eastern studies. It covers a wide array of subjects and a broad geographical area, and will be a good first stop for students and researchers looking for online resources. The links are well-organised and can be divided into the following broad subject areas: general reference; internet and communications technology (including search engines, directories, portals, e-lists, discussion forums, chat rooms, and blogs in the Muslim world); countries, regions and peoples (with extensive coverage of Egypt, Morocco, Palestine and the Sudan but including the broader Muslim world in Asia, Africa and the diaspora); languages (especially Arabic); history; religion (especially Islam); culture; social issues; politics and economics; and research (universities and research centres, societies, think tanks, libraries, journals and e-books).
Although the site has not been updated since November 2005 and lacks a navigable contents page, it remains a valuable collection of online resources. Users should note that there were a number of broken links in this directory at the time of cataloguing, but the vast majority were fine. This is one of the few websites to provide links to Middle Eastern search engines and internet directories, and to websites for countries in Muslim regions outside of the Middle East. The section devoted to Islam is especially rich, with links to general information as well as specific subjects like the Qur'an, the Hadith, tafsir, fiqh, Islamic practice, Sufism, South Asian traditions, and religious organisations. An excellent resource for students and researchers of all levels.
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Journal of Arabic and Islamic studies
http://www.lancs.ac.uk/jais/
This is the website for the Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies (ISSN: 0806-198X), which is a peer-reviewed academic journal that covers all aspects of Arabic and Islamic Studies. It is published online and on paper, and accepts submission in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. The journal is edited by Dr Alex Metcalfe of the University of Lancaster. This homepage allows access to all the journal's contents since the first volume was published in 1996. Articles can be viewed as PDF files. Titles featured to date include: 'Towards a Typology of Arabic Dialects: The Role of Final Consonantality'; 'A Legal Aesthetic of Medieval and Pre-Modern Arab-Muslim Architectural Space'; and 'The Notion Weapon in Arabic Idioms'. The site, which would be of interest to students and scholars of Islam, also provides: a list of FAQs; the journal's editorial policy; and submission guidelines for authors.
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Khalil Sakakini cultural centre
http://www.sakakini.org/
The Khalil Sakakini Cultural Centre is a non-profit organisation based in Ramallah that works for the promotion of arts and culture in Palestine. Its work focuses on: the visual arts; the promotion of Palestinian identity, memory and narrative; and public events and activities related to the arts. The Centre's website gives information on its projects and events and also includes a number of useful pages on Palestinian visual artists and writers. Although the events page has not been updated since 2005, the site remains of use for the information it provides related to Palestinian arts, heritage and narrative. This includes: profiles of visual artists and information on recent exhibits; profiles of poets, novelists and short story writers; a page devoted to the history and narratives about the 1948 'Nakba'; and an online version of an exhibition about those killed in the Second Intifada of 2000. The site will be of interest to students and researchers at all levels interested in Palestinian issues and in Arab arts and culture more generally.
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Mediterranean yearbook
http://www.iemed.org/anuari/
'Mediterranean Yearbook' (Med) is a full-text scholarly ejournal. The bulk of the articles here are not relevant to the arts and humanities, but there are occasional themed sections on cultural and media issues. Of particular note is the themed section 'The Role of the Media in the Mediterranean' (four articles in the 2003/2004 issue). Other articles of interest include: 'Summer Festivals in Morocco: International Influence and a Factor of Social Cohesion'; 'The Influence of Arab Information Channels on Arab Identity'; 'The Difficult Construction of a Mediterranean Cinematic Area'; and 'Partnerships' Failure to Effectively Improve Press Freedom in North Africa', among others. This is a useful resource for those seeking academic papers on contemporary media and cultural issues in the Mediterranean and North Africa. The journal is published in English by the Institut Europeu de la Mediterrania, based in Barcelona, Spain.
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Monde berbère
http://www.mondeberbere.com/
The Monde berbère, or Berber world, website provides primary and secondary source material related to the language, literature, history and culture of the Berbers of North Africa. The interface is available in three languages - French, English and Tamazight (standardised Berber) - but most of the content is in French and Tamazight, with selected articles available in English as well. It is a useful repository of primary sources (poetry, stories, proverbs and music) as well as articles on Berber culture, civilisation, language and society. Many of these articles are previously published pieces by established scholars such as Gabrielle Camps and Benjamin Stora, though some are written by Berber activists or less well-known academics. The site also acts as a portal, providing links to Berber-related content on other sites (magazines, museums, publishers, and so on).
Although the user should be aware of the political nature of some of the content, the scholarly value of the site is generally high. The site also includes: bibliographies; book reviews; information on Berber language learning; and current news or events related to the movement for Berber linguistic and cultural rights in North Africa and the diaspora. A forum and an opinions section allow for interaction and discussion of current issues. The site is a valuable resource for those interested in Berber language and culture or North Africa more generally, whether newcomers to the topic or more experienced in the field.
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Oriental costumes : their designs and colors
http://www.indiana.edu/~librcsd/etext/tilke/
This website is a digitised version of the book, 'Oriental costumes: their designs and colors', by Max Tilke (published Berlin, 1922, translated by L. Hamilton). The digitised plates provide images of costumes from Afghanistan, Persia, India, Syria, Morocco, Egypt, China and Japan with brief descriptions. The accompanying text is in English. The site is part of the Indiana University Bloomington Libraries Reference Department Electronic Texts and Images Collection.
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Palestine c/o Venice : collateral event of the 53rd international art exhibition, La Biennale de Venzia
http://www.palestinecoveniceb09.org/
This website, Palestine c/o Venice, documents the Palestine representation at the 53rd Venice Biennale in 2009. There is a statement from the curator on the website who states that the title of this collateral event at the biennial, housed in the Monastery SS. Casma e Damiano "underscores the chronic impermanence faced by Palestinian artists". The website has information about each of the exhibiting artists, with a short biography and images of featured and previous work. Palestinian venues will be exhibiting works by the same artists concurrently to allow Palestinian audiences to take part, these places are listed on the website. A video tour and catalogue section are being developed and the events section will have images added as they take place. A links page has the websites of Palestinian organisations on and the press section has information about the artists (Word document) as well as a general press release (PDF document) in English, Italian and Arabic.
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Souffles : revue culturelle arabe du Maghreb
http://www.seattleu.edu/souffles/
The journal Souffles, published between 1966 and 1971, was a cultural review devoted to literature and the arts in Morocco and North Africa. Its founder, Abdellatif Laâbi, is a Moroccan poet and writer who was imprisoned for eight years for his oppositional political views. The website for the journal gives access to online text versions of all 22 issues. The journal was important in the renewal of artistic expression across North Africa, and published work by or about poets, novelists, dramatists, filmmakers, painters, and other artists and intellectuals. The journal was published in French but included translations from Arabic.
Souffles is an important source for original work by major figures in the North African cultural scene of the time, as well as for debate and discussion of questions surrounding 'third world' literature and decolonisation. The site makes this difficult to find resource available to a broad public. It will be of interest to students and researchers in French and Francophone Studies, North African Studies, and post-colonial literature.
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Umm Kulthum : the star of the East the diva of Arabic song
http://almashriq.hiof.no/egypt/700/780/umKoulthoum/
The pages devoted to Umm Kulthum on the al-Mashriq website provide an excellent overview of the Egyptian singer's life and work. Umm Kulthum was an influential singer and performer from the 1930s to the 1970s, and her wide-reaching legacy is broadly acknowledged. The site contains: biographical essays drawn from published work on the singer; a list of songs with links to lyrics (in Arabic) and audio files; a comprehensive discography; a list of her films and clips from films about her; and a bibliography. The site is a good resource for introductory information on Umm Kulthum and Middle Eastern music in general, and will also be of interest to students and teachers of Arabic looking for song lyrics and musical clips.
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