Amira Bennison
| Amira K. Bennison | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kate Bennison |
Dr Amira K. Bennison, a.k.a. Kate Bennison, is a historian of the Middle East, currently senior lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies in the University of Cambridge and fellow of Magdalene College, Cambridge. She is well known for her frequent media appearances, particularly on the popular Radio 4 program In Our Time and such television series as Rageh Omaar's An Islamic History of Europe and The Life of Muhammad, Jim al-Khalili's Science and Islam and The Thirties in Colour.
Education
Bennison studied history at Cambridge, graduating in 1989[1] before switching to Arabic. She then pursued graduate work, with an MA at Harvard in Middle Eastern Studies in 1992, and her PhD at SOAS in Moroccan History in 1996.[1] She was a Leverhulme research fellow at the University of Manchester. She became a lecturer at Cambridge in 1997.[1]
Career
Contrary to popular misconception, she is not a Muslim (Amira in Arabic means "Princess"); her adopted Arabic name, 'Amira', was merely given to her by Egyptian friends of hers during a spell in Cairo and she consequently decided to stick with it.
Bennison's most recent book The Great Caliphs: the golden age of the ‘Abbasid empire was runner-up for the Longman-History Today Book of the Year Award 2009. In the view of critic Hugh N. Kennedy, she has "a lively and engaging style", and the book will be "the first port of call for anyone looking for an introduction to the 'golden age of Islam'." [2]
Publications
- Amira K. Bennison. The Great Caliphs: the golden age of the ‘Abbasid empire. I.B.Tauris 2011. ISBN 978-1-84885-976-0
- Amira K. Bennison and Alison L. Gascoigne. Cities in The pre-Modern Islamic World: the urban impact of religion, state and society. Routledge 2007. ISBN 978-0-415-55381-0
- Amira K. Bennison. Jihad and Its Interpretation in Pre-colonial Morocco: State-society Relations During the French Conquest of Algeria. Routledge 2002. ISBN 978-0-7007-1693-7
References
- 1 2 3 University of Cambridge. Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. [Bennison's home page http://www.ames.cam.ac.uk/general_info/biographies/islamic/Bennison.htm]
- ↑ Historyextra.com, The official website of BBC History Magazine. The Great Caliphs. Reviewed by Hugh Kennedy. Book Review
External links
- University of Cambridge. Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. Dr Amira K Bennison's home page
- Project Muse. An Interview with Amira Bennison Historically Speaking
- The Institute of Ismaili Studies. Conferences, Workshops Content. February 2008. Video: Interview with Dr Amira Bennison