Hammed Shahidian. Women in Iran. Emerging Voices in the Women’s Movement. Westport, Connecticut, and London: Greenwood Press, 2002. 212 pages, index. US$130.00 ISBN 0-313-32345-3

Abstract

originality lies in his treatment of Ibn al-Zubayr and 'Abd al-Malik's accession to power, which are the subject of his second chapter. It is in here that Robinson corrects the myopia of most modern scholarship in setting the caliphate of Ibn al-Zubayr the greatest rival of Abd al-Malik in proper context, perhaps more in tune with how they were understood in their own time. Inspired by the approach of many Muslim historians of the pre-modern period, Robinson provides a more credible and less anachronistic reconstruction of the careers of both men. In a section entitled "The Case for Ibn al-Zubayr," Robinson recognizes the credibility of Ibn al-Zubayr's claim, his Islamic credentials and effective and broad military control in the mid to late 680's, and opts to portray him not as an "anti-caliph" whose movement represented a mere "interregnum" in Umayyad rule, but as a legitimate caliph whose caliphate ended in 692. Hence, the career of 'Abd al-Malik is seen as a rebellion that was successful in usurping the rule from Ibn al-Zubayr, rather than a "sure thing" whose legitimacy and success were guaranteed from the start. In the chapters that follow, Robinson examines various questions relating to 'Abd al-Malik as caliph. Chapter Three deals with how Abd al-Malik wished to portray himself, while chapters Four, Five and Six, address the project of state and empire building which he undertook, situating it within the tradition of empire building in the Middle East, but also within the context and circumstances of'Abd al-Malik's life. These chapters include a discussion of 'Abd al-Malik's military and fiscal innovations, an examination of the authority behind the power that Abd al-Malik exercised, and an analysis of the means by which Abd al-Malik broadcast his claim of authority through both conventional and novel media. In concluding, Robinson evaluates the legacy of 'Abd al-Malik, focusing on the influential and highly respected succession arrangements that he expressed, as well as on Abd al-Malik's vision "of an administratively centralizing theocracy ruled by God's Caliph," which survived well into the Abbasid period (p. 124). He also offers some reflections on the dual process of Arabization and Islamization that was integral to the success of this vision. Robinson raises many challenging questions in this book and offers fresh, persuasive and insightful answers to them; it is precisely this feature that sets this book apart from many treatments of the early Marwanid period. Robinson is to be commended for writing a book that will satisfy many, perhaps offend a few, but also open the door to much more research on this fascinating period. Maya Yazigi University of British Columbia