The End of Middle East History and Other Conjectures

After fifty years of posing and answering daring historical questions, Richard Bulliet tackles an array of topics as diverse as the origin of civilization, the Big Bang–Big Crunch theory of Islamic history, the “Muslim South,” counterfactual history, future political events, and future interpretations of the 20th century in his imaginative essays.

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The End of Middle East History and Other Conjectures is an unapologetic collection of imaginative essays from thought-provoking Middle East scholar Richard W. Bulliet. Not your ordinary think pieces, this volume collects for the first time Bulliet’s Big Bang–Big Crunch theory of Islamic history and his illuminating conception of the “Muslim South.” Speculations range from future political events to counterfactual histories of how reversal of the outcome of a 1529 battle might have profoundly altered history. After fifty years of posing and answering daring historical questions, Bulliet happily tackles an array of conjectures on subjects as diverse as the origin of civilization, the end of Middle East history, and future interpretations of the twentieth century.