Majied (Robinson), Marriage in the Tribe of Muhammad. A Statistical Study of Early Arabic Genealogical Literature, Berlin, 2019, 280 p. ISBN 978-3-11-062607-0

Auteur

Dr Majied Robinson’s passion for all things pre-modern and Islamicate began in school with the Ottomans module of his History A-Level. Seduced by stories of slave-soldiers and sultans he went on to read Oriental Studies (Persian) at Cambridge University where he studied both literary and historical subjects. After a two-year hiatus he returned to university by undertaking a five year Masters and PhD programme in Arab World Studies (funded by CASAW) which he completed in 2013. In May 2015 he began a three-year fellowship which is focused on the Arab genealogical literary tradition and social trends in Late Antique Arabia.

In addition to research Dr Robinson is a keen advocate of evidence-based approaches to teaching in higher education. His first post-PhD academic post was a 16 month Junior Teaching Fellowship where he worked on a project investigating feedback and assessment practices within Edinburgh University’s School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures. This experience highlighted to him the importance of approaching teaching in a systematic and reflective way. He is eager to talk to anyone enthusiastic about pedagogy in higher education, and in particular other teachers of pre-modern Islamicate history.

(Source : https://www.ed.ac.uk/profile/majied-robinson)

Presentation

This study examines the marital data preserved within the Arabic genealogical works of the early ninth century CE in order to better understand the tribal relationships of the pre-Islamic Quraysh (the Arabic tribe to which Muhammad belonged). The research establishes the accuracy of the Nasab Quraysh (Genealogy of the Quraysh) and informs a more nuanced analysis of the politics of the Central Hijaz into which Islam was born.