A History of Islamic Societies
Ira M. Lapidus
Cambridge University
A History of Islamic Societies provides an authoritative and comprehensive treatment of the civilizations and patterns of life of Muslims throughout the world. Lapidus provides a survey history which will achieve classic status, and prove essential reading for all students of Islamic societies for many years to come.
Part I deals with the formative era of Islamic civilization from the revelation of the Quran to the thirteenth century and examines the
transformation of Islam from a complex of doctrines and cultural systems into the organizing principles of Middle Eastern Society. Part II traces the creation of similar societies in the Balkans, North Africa, Central Asia, China, India, Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Part III considers the transformation of these societies under the forces of technological change, industrial revolution and European imperialism. It describes the emergence of modern economies, national states and secular ideologies in Muslim countries and seeks to assess the role of past Islamic institutions and present Islamic movements in the shaping of contemporary Muslim societies. | 
