The EU's Limited Leverage: Normative Power vs. Gulf Realpolitik offers a rigorous and timely analysis of one of the most significant challenges in contemporary international relations. The European Union has long defined its global role through the lens of "normative power", seeking to promote democracy, human rights, and the rule of law as universal standards. This ambition, however, faces a formidable test in its relationship with the energy-rich Gulf states, whose policies are ...

A masterful biography of the sociologist who revolutionised our understanding of social lifeErving Goffman possessed an extraordinary gift: the ability to make the familiar strange. Through meticulous observation and brilliant analysis, he revealed the intricate performances that structure every social encounter, from casual conversations to institutional interactions.This definitive biography traces Goffman's intellectual journey from his formative years a...

Islamic Military Leadership and the Making of Empires offers a comprehensive, course‑friendly synthesis of Islamic military and imperial history from the seventh to the seventeenth century. The volume centers on a transparent evaluative rubric-victory, consolidation, institutions, legitimacy, adaptability-then tests it across case studies from Arabia to Iberia, Transoxiana to Istanbul.Part I reframes "greatness," weighing conquest against conversion, logis...

Erving Goffman changed how we see everyday life. This authoritative biography traces the making of a thinker whose dramaturgical lens—front stage and backstage, impression management, face-work—recast ordinary encounters as social performances.From small‑town Canada to the Shetland Islands and the lecture halls of post‑war America, Erving Goffman: Observing the Unobserved in Modern Society follows the experiences that shaped Goffman's distinctive observational meth...

"Global Cultural Shifts" explores the profound influence of globalization, technology, and digitalization on cultural dynamics, preservation efforts, and the promotion of inclusive and cohesive cultural coexistence amid modernization and digital transformation.Key TakeawaysGlobalization and Digitalization's Impact: Globalization and digital technologies significantly shape cultural integration, exchange, and preservation, both fostering cross-cultural...

Talcott Parsons and the Quest for Social SystemTalcott Parsons stands among the most significant architects of modern sociology. His ambitious attempt to understand how societies maintain stability, transmit values, and coordinate human action influenced generations of scholars and transformed the discipline.This book offers an accessible yet scholarly examination of Parsons's intellectual journey. Beginning with his formative years and educational experien...

A sweeping and authoritative historical narrative, Caravans of Faith: Islam's 1,300-Year Journey Across the Sahel offers readers a profound look at the intersection of religion, commerce, and statecraft in West Africa. Edited by Hichem Karoui and the GEW Social Sciences Group, this book explores how the Sahel—the vast ecological corridor between the Sahara Desert and the African savannah—became a vibrant crucible of Islamic civilization.The narrative reveals how Islam was ...

A Journey Through Five Millennia of Innovation, Resilience, and Cultural SynthesisWhat defines a civilization that refuses to fade? From the monumental stone reliefs of Persepolis to the celestial verses of Rumi, Iranian civilization stands as a testament to the power of cultural endurance. The Enduring Genius of Iranian Civilization offers a profound exploration of a legacy that has not only survived the rise and fall of empires but has consistently reinv...

Why is Tunisia the Arab world's most unified nation? The answer lies in its exceptional history.The Tunisian Exception takes readers on a sweeping journey through three thousand years of Tunisian history to answer one of the most pressing questions in Middle Eastern and North African studies: How did Tunisia develop such remarkable national cohesion when surrounding nations struggle with sectarianism, tribalism, and fragmentation?A Story Th...

In Architects of Light, Hichem Karoui and the GEW Social Sciences Group present a powerful reinterpretation of Islamic civilisation through the lens of Persian influence. This book reveals how the encounter between Arab and Persian worlds produced one of the most dynamic and enduring civilisations in human history.Rather than portraying history as a sequence of conquests, the author highlights processes of integration, adaptation, and creativity. Persian administrators, sc...

In The Works and the Days of Machiavelli, Hichem Karoui presents a compelling synthesis of the life and ideas of Niccolò Machiavelli, illuminating the intellectual foundations of modern statecraft.Set against the backdrop of Renaissance Italy—a fragmented world of rival city-states, diplomatic intrigue, and military conflict—this book examines how Machiavelli's direct involvement in public affairs informed his revolutionary approach to politics. His writings are not abstra...

Islamic Military Leadership and the Making of Empires maps thirteen centuries of strategy, statecraft, and society—from the first expansions to the Ottoman high tide. Edited by Hichem Karoui, the volume moves past hero‑worship to ask a harder question: which leaders built orders that lasted—and why?Each part pairs vivid narrative with analytical takeaways. You'll follow Khālid ibn al‑Walīd's tempo and deception; Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ's innovations on the Iraq–Iran frontier; ʿAmr ibn ...