Abstract:
For forty years, Abdulrahim Abu-Husayn’s work at the American University of Beirut revised how we understand the relations of power between the Ottoman center and its Arab peripheries. His ambitious research brought material from the imperial archives into conversation with local chronicles to shed light on the past while simultaneously challenging its misplaced mythologies. However, despite his imposing professional credentials, Abu-Husayn was just as renowned for his sparkling charm and magnanimous personality, which made “the Sultan” beloved by those who knew him. In the Steps of the Sultan seeks to pay tribute to both Abu-Husayn the historian and Abed the man. Chapters by colleagues, friends, and former protégées offer new perspectives on themes that intersect with Abu-Husayn’s own varied interests, ranging from Lebanese historiography to views from Istanbul, from Syrian provincial politics to the Syriac heritage of Qatar, and from conceptualizations of the caliphate to depictions of divine beauty.
