The State of Qatar is a small peninsula situated in the Persian Gulf and located west of Saudi Arabia, northeast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), southeast of Kuwait and Iraq, and southwest of Iran. It is an emirate (a territory ruled by an emir, who is the head of a royal family) with a mix of sharia (Islamic law) and a civil code of law comprising the constitution. It has been ruled by the Al-Thani family since 1916, based on the signing of an agreement with the British Empire establishing Qatar as one of its protectorates in the Middle East. Qatar gained independence in 1971 after it considered joining a federation with Bahrain and UAE (seven former Trucial States), a federation that failed to materialize. The emir and many of the cabinet of ministers, as well as other high-ranking officials, are members of the Al-Thani family and are overwhelmingly ... In Our Age Of Globalization And Multiculturalism, It Has Never Been More Important To Understand And Appreciate All Cultures Across The World. The Four Volumes Take A Step Forward In This Endeavour By Presenting Concise Information On Those Regions Least Well-known To Students Across Europe: The Middle East, Asia And Africa. The Volumes Convey What Daily Life Is Like For People In These Selected Regions. Entries Will Aid Readers In Understanding The Importance Of Cultural Sociology, To Appreciate The Effects Of Cultural Forces Around The World, And To Learn The History Of Countries And Cultures Within These Important Regions. Key Features -topics Are Explored Within Historical Context, In Three Broad Historical Periods: Prehistory To 1250, 1250 To 1920 And 1920 To The Present. -one Volume Each Is Devoted To The Regions Of The Middle East And Africa And Then One Volume To East And Southeast Asia And A Final Volume To West, Central And South Asia. The Volumes Include Extensive Use Of Photographs And Maps To Explain Cultural And Geographic Content. -each Volume Has Its Own Volume Editor With Expertise In That Particular Region. Key Themes Arts, Culture And Science People, Society And Dynasties Religion And Law Family And Daily Life Conflicts And Wars Politics And Government Health And Education Economy, Trade And Industry National Geography And History. V.1: Middle East / Volume Editor Andrea L. Stanton -- V.2: Africa / Volume Editor Edward Ramsamy -- V.3: East And Southeast Asia / Volume Editor Peter J. Seybolt -- V.4: South, Central, And West Asia / Volume Editor Carolyn M. Elliott. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. In our age of globalization and multiculturalism, it has never been more important for Americans to understand and appreciate foreign cultures and how people live, love, and learn in areas of the world unfamiliar to most U.S. students and the general public. The four volumes in our cultural sociology reference encyclopedia take a step forward in this endeavor by presenting concise information on those regions likely to be most "foreign" to U.S. students: the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. The intent is to convey what daily life is like for people in these selected regions. It is hoped entries within these volumes will aid readers in efforts to understand the importance of cultural sociology, to appreciate the effects of cultural forces around the world, and to learn the history of countries and cultures within these important regions. v. 1. Middle East / [edited by] Andrea L. Stanton.
