IMC 2014: Sessions

This session, the first of a strand on 'Shadows of Empire', will present a series of cross-temporal perspectives on the role of empire in medieval South-Arabia. After an introduction by Walter Pohl, presenting the questions about and methodological approaches to Empire shared by members of the VISCOM-Project, Eirik Hovden will then present the early medieval period (900-1200), and explain how the political and religious landscapes built on the foundations described by Hatke gave rise to the establishment of the Zaydi sect in South Arabia, in opposition to the more established powers in faraway centres (esp. the Abbasids in Iraq and the Fatimids in Cairo). This paper will investigate to what extent empire is a fruitful notion to understand this conflict over ideological hegemony seen from a local perspective, and also to bridge the gap between religion and politics when analysing similar situations. Finally, Daniel Mahoney's paper will highlight the late medieval Rasulid dynasty's attempts to establish political legitimacy in South Arabia beyond their military might through several ideological strategies, including the acquisition of formal recognition from the Abbasid Caliphate, the creation of a genealogy situating them within the local tribal structure, and a vigorous building program for secular and religious structures.

The changing role of tribes and their relationship to more centralized political entities represent a special feature of South Arabian history that provides an extremely fertile scale of comparison with similar communities elsewhere, effectively providing a 'distant mirror' for scholars of medieval Europe as well.