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Research Interests

The study of the social and economic history of the Medieval Islamic world is a rich and significant component of world history scholarship. In my work I have explored the historical evidence of the Arabic sources for the purpose of explaining and illuminating the significance of the historical record and achievements of the Islamic societies, in particular as it affected their economic performance. From my earlier work I select here three subjects for comment (see bibliography, articles and books, for details on the wider scope of my work). In 3 of my monographs I focused on several historical questions and investigated using different categories of source material and methodologies: The first was that of the social and economic factors in the formation of national medieval historiography through textual study of Moroccan chronicles and manuscripts; The second was the study of labour organization and the manufacturing sector performance in the medieval Islamic economy of the Mediterranean regions through data derived from a large number of Arabic sources, using the quantification of the ‘occupational classification’ methodology; The third, an analysis of women’s property rights in Islamic law in theory and practice, made ample use of the Arabic archives from Granada, Spain, which contains legal documents of property transactions by women.

My current research project, supported by a generous grant from SSHRC, is the writing of a new economic history for the early period of the Islamic empire, 700-1000 AD, which will consist among others of quantification of different sectors’ performance in the economy, including topics such as money, wages, prices, demographics, taxation, state budgets etc. I will use the data for the purpose of calculating for example standards of living, GDP, and rates of economic growth in the Islamic lands. The project generates datasets which are posted on the internet and will engage further in quantitative methodologies working on these topics. The web site is available at www.medievalislamiceconomy.uwo.ca.

Teaching

I teach a general introductory course to Islamic history and civilization which covers two chronological sections, the Medieval and the Modern era.  I also teach a third year seminar on the Crusades to the Holy Land, as well as a graduate research seminar on the social and economic history of the Middle East.  In my courses I introduce my students to the scholarship and the research tools of the field of Islamic history in general, and that of Islamic social and economic history in particular.  My objective is to provide knowledge and understanding of the history of Islamic societies and train future scholars in the field of Islamic economic history.

Monographs:

	Her Day in Court: Women's Property Rights and Islamic Law in Fifteenth Century Granada. Islamic Legal Studies Program, Harvard Law School. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass. 2007, 277 pp.
	The Berbers and the Islamic State: The Marinid Experience in Pre-protectorate Morocco. Markus Wiener Publishers, Princeton, 2000, 196 pp. This book studies how the Berbers participated in the process of the state's formation in the medieval Maghreb, while at the same time resisting uniformity and conformity to cultural norms and institutions, through which acculturation was enforced.
	Labour in the Medieval Islamic World. Arab History and Civilization: Studies and Texts, 4. E. J. Brill, Leiden, 1994, viii+443 pp.
	L'Historiographie mérinide: Ibn Khaldun et ses contemporains. E.J. Brill, Leiden, 1982, 182 pp. Arabic translation of L'Historiographie mérinide by Muhammad Shaqir and Muhammad Darib, Tawji Maktabat al-Umma, Rabat, 1993

Edited Volumes:

	Nationalism and Minority Identities in Islamic Societies. Papers delivered at the conference at the University of Western Ontario, December 2001. Edited by Maya Shatzmiller. Vol. 1 in the Western Series in Ethnic Conflict. McGill-Queen's University Press, Montreal, 2005. 346 pp.  Hard cover and paperback editions.
	Islam and Bosnia: Conflict Resolution and Foreign Policy in Multi-Ethnic States. Papers delivered at the conference held at the University of Western Ontario, May, 1999. Edited by Maya Shatzmiller. McGill-Queens University Press, Montreal, 2002. 220pp. Hard cover and paperback editions.
	Crusaders and Muslims in 12th Century Syria. Papers delivered at the conference at the University of Western Ontario, November, 1988. Edited by Maya Shatzmiller. Vol.1. In the series: The Medieval Mediterranean Peoples, Economics and Cultures 400-1453. E. J. Brill, Leiden, New-York, Köln, 1993. 236 pp. Hard cover and paperback editions.

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• Office: Lawson Hall 2229
• Office Hours: As requested
• Telephone: 519 661-2111 Ext: 84994
• e-mail: maya@uwo.ca