The result of a workshop held in 2008 in Bergen, Norway and in 2009 in Aix-en-Provence, France.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Preliminary Material -- Introduction Domination, Self-empowerment, Accommodation / Anh Nga Longva -- Millets: Past and Present / Maurits H. van den Boogert -- From the Dhimma to the Capitulations: Memory and Experience of Protection in Lebanon / Anh Nga Longva -- Contemporary Muslim-Christian Relations in Egypt: Local Dynamics and Foreign Influences / Grégoire Delhaye -- Land, Law, and Family Protection in the West Bank / Bård Kårtveit -- Conviviality and Conflict in Contemporary Aleppo / Annika Rabo -- Freedom of Religion in Sudan / Anne Sofijie Roald -- From Power to Powerlessness: Zoroastrianism in Iranian History / Michael Stausberg -- Bahaʾis of Iran: Power, Prejudices and Persecutions / Margit Warburg -- Shiʿi Identity Politics in Saudi Arabia / Laurence Louër -- Nationalism and Confessionalism: Shiʿis, Druzes and Alawis in Syria and Lebanon / Kais M. Firro -- Education and Minority Empowerment in the Middle East / Catherine Le Thomas -- Alevis in Turkish Politics / Ali Çarkoğlu and Nazlı Çağın Bilgili -- Nationalism and Religion in Contemporary Iran / Eliz Sanasarian -- Conclusion Nation-Building and Minority Rights in the Middle East / Elizabeth Picard -- Index.

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The relationship between religious majorities and minorities in the Middle East is often construed as one of domination versus powerlessness. While this may indeed be the case, to claim that this is only or always so is to give a simplified picture of a complex reality. Such a description lays emphasis on the challenges faced by the minorities, while overlooking their astonishing ability to mobilize internal and external resources to meet these challenges. Through the study of strategies of domination, resilience, and accommodation among both Muslim and non-Muslim minorities, this volume throws into relief the inherently dynamic character of a relationship which is increasingly influenced by global events and global connections.

Description based on print version record.