Shi'Ite Islam: Polity, Ideology, and Creed (Studies in Social Discontinuity)

Rating:
Summary: solid introduction to Shi'ism
Review: Yann Richard covers Shiism from Ali through the death of the Ayatollah Khomeyni. He covers its spirituality as well, although his emphasis is on the revolution. He looks at Shiism in Iraq, Lebanon, India and Afghanistan (although his book pre-dates the rise of the Taliban). He also briefly reviews Bahai's Shiite origins--perhaps the most fascinating and far reaching development in Iranian spirituality. Although he gets a little wrapped up in French intellectual dramatics, his book is a solid introduction to Shiism. He assumes a general knowledge of Islamic history and spirituality, but otherwise this is a very accessible book (despite the series' title).