Slavery and Jihad in the Sudan is not only a riveting narrative about the struggle against the slave trade and martyrdom of Charles Gordon at the hands of the Mahdi, but also an account of conditions during a period of great trauma. Fred Thomas holds a PhD in social anthropology and has studied and worked in Sudan. He relies on his vast knowledge and personal experience to bring attention to a place and time in a unique part of the world where grass roots conditions in a tribal society have changed little over time, particularly in the vast expanses of rural Sudan. Thomas highlights the extraordinary personalities of the time by sharing anecdotes from explorers, Muslim holy men, Christian missionaries, foreign mercenaries, and slave traders. As Thomas recounts the legacy of Mahdism, he also includes haunting vestiges of earlier times within the atrocities currently occurring in Darfur, as well as an interesting correlation between ancient tribal and religious differences to their practical relevance in today?s world. Compiled with fragments of conversations, captivating descriptions, and personal stories, Slavery and Jihad in the Sudan allows a glimpse into a fascinating period.

Slavery And Jihad In The Sudan: A Narrative Of The Slave Trade, Gordon And Mahdism, And Its Legacy Today

History

Thomas, Frederic C.

World

iUniverse

<p>Calcutta is notorious for its pavement dwellers, street children, and scavengers that have become a portrait of the worst sort of human degradation. In this illuminating critique, Thomas investigates the standard solutions - improved housing, increased job creation, and intervention of social services agencies - only to come to the conclusion that such initiatives have little effect on the inherent nature of the problem of poverty. Based on historical and anthropological findings, and the author's visits to the slums of Calcutta, what becomes clear is that even in the midst of great poverty, there is a nobility of character, a vitality of ethnic and cultural ties, and an energy that bring out inventiveness and ingenuity in the lives of the poor. If Calcutta's poverty is not to be an intractable problem, these internal forces must be awakened to generate solutions. Illustrated with stunning photographs, Thomas's reflections provide new insight into an age-old problem.</p>

Calcutta Poor: Inquiry into the Intractability of Poverty

Politics & Social Sciences

Social Sciences

Routledge

<p>This book deals with the ecology and culture of the lower Ganges delta, where 150 million people live. A land traversed by thousands of miles of rivers and canals in West Bengal and Bangladesh, there is hardly any place on earth where so much poverty is concentrated and where nature can be so demanding. It is a place where rivers change course and devour whole villages and croplands, where floods submerge millions of acres, where devastating cyclones create mayhem on a grand scale, and where, with global warming, conditions can only get worse.The author describes how irrigation and flood control have degraded the natural environment; how commercial shrimp production has destroyed wetlands and livelihoods; how landless peasants have settled on shifting islands of sediment that can be washed away in hours; how swelling populations have pushed ever deeper into mangrove forests where they face dangers from man-eating tigers, crocodiles, and venomous snakes; how peasants contend with landlords whose callousness is truly unbelievable.But the overall picture is not entirely bleak. Bengalis are extraordinarily resilient and ingenious in adapting to the environment. They love their land and its broad rivers, its culture and its age-old traditions. Hindus and Muslims live side-by-side, sharing shrines and respecting each other's beliefs and customs, although religious offenses can unleash violent fanaticism and atrocities.Historical materials and vivid accounts of early travelers are brought up-to-date by the author's observations and contemporary reports that reveal the futility of many of the efforts to manage river systems and wetlands. Travelling by bus, boat, and rickshaw, the author's impressions and anecdotes add an immediacy and human dimension which, accompanied by his striking photographs, complete the picture of a fascinating part of the world that is rarely seen by Western tourists.</p>

To the Mouths of the Ganges: An Ecological and Cultural Journey (Signature Books)

Pacific Century Pr

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Books by Thomas, Frederic C.