Nathan J Brown
Biographic Data
| ID | 256801 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Nathan J Brown |
| GIVEN NAMES | Nathan J |
| FAMILY NAME | Brown |
| SIGNATURE | BROWN N J |
| AFFILIATIONS | George Washington University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3532-6399 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 63 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 137 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 59 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 4 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1851 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 7 |
Positive Law from the Muslim World: Jurisprudence, History, Practices, written by Baudouin Dupret
Autocrats Can't Always Get What They Want: State Institutions and Autonomy under Authoritarianism
Authoritarianism seems to be everywhere in the political world—even the definition of authoritarianism as any form of non-democratic governance has grown very broad. Attempts to explain authoritarian rule as a function of the interests or needs of the ruler or regime can be misleading. Autocrats Can’t Always Get What They Want argues that to understand how authoritarian systems work we need to look not only at the interests and intentions of thos…
Pessoptimistic Constitutional Analysis
Traditionally, comparative constitutional analysis has been anything but truly comparative—or, rather, the comparisons drawn by scholars were limited to a small number of canonical cases, generally in North America and Europe. Older scholarship focused on structure and text; it began to branch out into adjudication as judicial review of the constitutionality of legislation became a global norm rather than an exception in the second half of the tw…
Israel, Palestine, and the Road to October 7: Dead End or Deadly Detour
An abandoned peace process, increasingly severe Israeli restrictions on Gaza, and divided Palestinian leadership set the stage for the October 2023 surprise attack by Hamas. The devastating Israeli response has left much of the territory in ruins and decimated Hamas’s top ranks, while setting off a wider regional war involving Hezbollah, Lebanon, and Iran. US-led attempts to negotiate a cease-fire and resurrect the goal of a two-state solution ha…
The Existence of the Speculative: Hegel's Theory of the Soul
The One State Reality: What Is Israel/Palestine?
This book argues that a one state reality already predominates in the territories controlled by the state of Israel. The book shows that starting with the one state reality rather than hoping for a two state solution reshapes how we regard the conflict, what we consider acceptable and unacceptable solutions, and how we discuss difficult normative questions. The book forces a reconsideration of foundational concepts such as state, sovereignty, and…
The One State Reality: What Is Israel/Palestine?
The One State Reality argues that a one-state reality already predominates in the territories controlled by the state of Israel. The authors show that starting with the one-state reality rather than hopes for a two-state solution reshapes how we regard the conflict, what we consider acceptable and unacceptable solutions, and how we discuss difficult normative questions. The One State Reality forces a reconsideration of foundational concepts such …
The poisonous metaphor of the people populism, authoritarianism, and post‐sovereign possibilities in evolving Egyptian constitutional orders
Angelic upstart: Thomas Mensforth, 4 July 1956–10 December 2021
Islam and the Arab Revolutions: The Ulama Between Democracy and Autocracy By Usaama al- Azami
Usaama al-Azami’s Islam and the Arab Revolutions: The Ulama Between Democracy and Autocracy is a study of how some very prominent religious scholars reacted to the Egyptian revolution of 2011 and its tumultuous aftermath—and how they reacted to each other. While ‘Islam’ is the first word in the book’s title, and while the figures studied attained prominence for their scholarship and teachings in religious fields, their reactions—and their disagre…
Rationalist Empiricism: A Theory of Speculative Critique
Concluding Essay
Carl Brown (1928–2020)
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Who or what is the wali al-amr: The unposed question
Modern Islamic political thought has grappled with the nature of state authority by using and reshaping the tools of classical legal and political thought. That is a tradition that gives rich guidance on what a ruler should and should not do, but it gives much less certain guidance (and all but renders invisible) the questions of administration and policy. The wali al-amr – the head of the community (a term identical to the one used for legal gua…
Listening to People to Understand Change
The Occupation at Fifty: A Permanent State of Ambiguity
The most significant development is not in the occupation itself but in the collapse of all attempts to devise alternatives
Building the rule of law in the Arab world: Tunisia, Egypt, and Beyond, edited by Eva Bellin and Heidi E. Lane
The ostensible purposes of the contributors to Building the Rule of Law in the Arab World are twofold. First, general experts seek to summarize global experiences on how to build the rule of law. S
The Politics of Islamic Law: Local Elites, Colonial Authority, and the Making of the Muslim State. By Iza Hussin
Iza Hussin’s book is a fresh account of the interaction between Islamic law and both colonialism and the modern state. Its freshness does not lie in advancing a comprehensive or causal explanation. It builds solidly on some past writings, but it recenters our understandings, shows links among developments across the Muslim world, and ventures into much underexplored terrain. The result will likely be embraced by a multidisciplinary audience and p…
Arguing Islam after the Revival of Arab Politics
Arguing Islam after the Rebirth of Arab Politics analyzes the politics of religion in the Arab world after the emergence of new public spheres over the past few decades. The book examines those spheres as they really are, not measuring them against any ideal of democratic deliberation, and show how they are lively and increasingly participatory but also polarizing, divisive, and far from egalitarian. And while they have grown in force, they are n…
Arguing About Family Law in Jordan: Disconnected Spheres
Do public policy debates between activists from different ideological camps in a nondemocratic and illiberal system bridge social divisions or deepen them? Focusing on three controversies regarding family law in Jordan, we argue that activist groups rarely talk to each other in public, and when they do, their discourses aim primarily at mobilizing support within their own camps rather than addressing each other's concerns. Through media analysis,…
Constitutionalism, Religion, and Education
This article compares the constitutional protection of religious education in Egypt, Ireland, and Norway. It shows that such protection has, in each case, path-dependent qualities that suggest religious education is relatively immune to constitutional attack. This immunity has been marked both at the point of independence and in the more secularizing periods that followed. It cannot be explained by different historical trajectories or by differen…
Scholarly Power, Being, and Nothingness
In 1990, Vaclav Havel addressed a joint session of the United States Congress. It was a heady moment in many ways. Not only was his rise the product of stunning—and surprisingly peaceful—political change; not only was he a living symbol of principled political opposition and its force; Havel was also something extremely unusual: a true intellectual who had just entered the halls of power. And he quickly showed that in his visit to the halls of Co…
A Discussion of Wael Hallaq's Islam, Politics, and Modernity's Moral Predicament
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Rule of Law, Islam, and Constitutional Politics in Egypt and Iran
The Rule of Law, Islam, and Constitutional Politics in Egypt and Iran
Tracking the “Arab Spring: Egypt’s Failed Transition
Egypt’s mass uprising of 2011 gave birth to tremendous hopes that a new era of democratic politics could be built in the Arab world. But the process of transition to a democracy was badly designed, providing strong incentives for the country’s diverse political actors to behave in ways that undermined democratic development. Compounding these political mistakes was a heavy authoritarian legacy of division, mistrust, and unaccountability. While el…
Law and Imperialism: Egypt in Comparative Perspective
Despite the great varieties of imperial relationships, most scholarship has focused on law as an instrument of imperial domination. This article invites greater attention to the motives and actions of the subject population. In the Middle East, the pattern of legal change suggests that imperial control affected the outcome of elite efforts but did not supplant them. In Egypt, legal reform was largely the fruit of efforts undertaken by a centraliz…
Shariʿa and State in the Modern Muslim Middle East
The Islamic shariʿa is central to Islam in the minds of most Muslims and non-Muslim scholars. In many ways, the centrality of the Islamic shariʿa has increased in recent decades. Yet despite—or perhaps because of—this centrality, the precise, even the general, role of the shariʿa in Islamic societies is the subject of contentious debate among Muslims. Outside of and underlying such debates are more subtle and rarely articulated differences about …
Reason, Interest, Rationality, and Passion in Constitution Drafting
Liberal constitutionalism is founded in part on a desire to build a polity on the basis of reason and the public interest. At its most ambitious, the result can verge on a prepolitical or even apolitical view of constitution writing. To be sure, most liberal constitutionalists have backed away from the extreme view by increasingly recognizing that passion and bargaining will inevitably play a role in constitution writing. But few have moved beyon…
Brigands and State Building: The Invention of Banditry in Modern Egypt
A late nineteenth-century epidemic of banditry seems to have swept through the Egyptian countryside, at least according to the writings and actions of influential Egyptians at that time. Contemporary newspapers recounted daily episodes in which gangs composed of between six and sixty or seventy members raided large estates, robbed travelling merchants, and organized local protection rackets. The threat to public security drew the greatest attenti…
The Precarious Life and Slow Death of the Mixed Courts of Egypt
Over the past century, most states of the Middle East have attempted to strengthen and centralize their legal systems, often following European models. Egypt undertook one of the first steps in that direction with its mixed-court system. These courts, which had jurisdiction in civil and commercial cases that involved a foreigner, however remotely, operated from 1876 until 1949. That this system could survive the political turmoil of those years, …
Islamist Parties and Democracy: A Boon or a Bane for Democracy
What role do mainstream Islamist movements play in Arab politics? With their popular messages and broad social base, would their incorporation as normal political actors be the best hope for democratization or democracy’s bane? For too long, we have tried to answer such questions solely by speculating about the true intentions of the movements and their leaders. Islamists in the Arab world are increasingly asked about their true intentions. To he…
Regimes Reinventing Themselves: Constitutional Development in the Arab World
In the Arab world, most constitutional documents have been promulgated less by the nation assembled than by existing regimes seeking tools to enable them to face domestic and international challenges. Constitutions have been issued to address a varying range of concerns: international, domestic and internal to the state itself. This article traces the enabling aspects of Arab constitutions over the past century and a half, concentrating on the ve…
Who Abolished Corvee Labour in Egypt and Why
Journal Article WHO ABOLISHED CORVEE LABOUR IN EGYPT AND WHY? Get access Nathan J. Brown Nathan J. Brown George Washington UniversityWashington, D. C. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Past & Present, Volume 144, Issue 1, August 1994, Pages 116–137, https://doi.org/10.1093/past/144.1.116 Published: 01 August 1994
Judicial Review and the Arab World
Judicial Review and the Arab World Nathan J. Brown (bio) In recent years, the global spread of democracy has been accompanied by a far less noticed, but even more pervasive political change: the acceptance of judicial review and the establishment of specialized constitutional courts. Judicial review has become nearly ubiquitous in emerging democracies and is increasingly viewed as a prerequisite of healthy democratic development. The democratic a…
The Rule of Law in the Arab World: Courts in Egypt and the Gulf
Law and Politics in Africa, Asia and Latin America" analyses legal and constitutional developments in all states or regions outside of Europe as well as their regional and international integration. Founded in 1968 and inspired by decolonization and the idea of a cooperative new beginning, the Journal also promotes a special interest in contributions on 'Law and development'. The journal aims to provide a forum for a variety of perspectives on th…
Peasants and notables in Egyptian politics
In recent years many writings on social change in modern Egypt have noted the important role of an agricultural middle class. Emerging from the monumental social transformations that Egypt has witnessed over the past century and a half, this class is seen as important not only in local society and politics but also at the national level.2 Given the unanimity on the importance of this class (if not on its exact role) it is surprising how little is…
Arguing About Family Law in Jordan: Disconnected Spheres
Do public policy debates between activists from different ideological camps in a nondemocratic and illiberal system bridge social divisions or deepen them? Focusing on three controversies regarding family law in Jordan, we argue that activist groups rarely talk to each other in public, and when they do, their discourses aim primarily at mobilizing support within their own camps rather than addressing each other's concerns. Through media analysis,…
Immortality by Design
The Pedagogical State: Education and the Politics of National Culture in Post-1980 Turkey
Specimens of the Naga Language of Asam
Specimens of the Naga Language of Asam
Peasants against the State: The Political Activity of the Egyptian Peasantry, 1882-1952 (First Place)
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. As you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button
Peasant Politics in Modern Egypt: The Struggle Against the State
Peasants and notables in Egyptian politics
In recent years many writings on social change in modern Egypt have noted the important role of an agricultural middle class. Emerging from the monumental social transformations that Egypt has witnessed over the past century and a half, this class is seen as important not only in local society and politics but also at the national level.2 Given the unanimity on the importance of this class (if not on its exact role) it is surprising how little is…
Brigands and State Building: The Invention of Banditry in Modern Egypt
A late nineteenth-century epidemic of banditry seems to have swept through the Egyptian countryside, at least according to the writings and actions of influential Egyptians at that time. Contemporary newspapers recounted daily episodes in which gangs composed of between six and sixty or seventy members raided large estates, robbed travelling merchants, and organized local protection rackets. The threat to public security drew the greatest attenti…
The Precarious Life and Slow Death of the Mixed Courts of Egypt
Over the past century, most states of the Middle East have attempted to strengthen and centralize their legal systems, often following European models. Egypt undertook one of the first steps in that direction with its mixed-court system. These courts, which had jurisdiction in civil and commercial cases that involved a foreigner, however remotely, operated from 1876 until 1949. That this system could survive the political turmoil of those years, …
Who Abolished Corvee Labour in Egypt and Why
Journal Article WHO ABOLISHED CORVEE LABOUR IN EGYPT AND WHY? Get access Nathan J. Brown Nathan J. Brown George Washington UniversityWashington, D. C. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Past & Present, Volume 144, Issue 1, August 1994, Pages 116–137, https://doi.org/10.1093/past/144.1.116 Published: 01 August 1994
Law and Imperialism: Egypt in Comparative Perspective
Despite the great varieties of imperial relationships, most scholarship has focused on law as an instrument of imperial domination. This article invites greater attention to the motives and actions of the subject population. In the Middle East, the pattern of legal change suggests that imperial control affected the outcome of elite efforts but did not supplant them. In Egypt, legal reform was largely the fruit of efforts undertaken by a centraliz…
The Rule of Law in the Arab World: Courts in Egypt and the Gulf
Nathan Brown's penetrating account of the development and operation of the courts in the Arab world is based on fieldwork in Egypt and the Gulf. The book addresses several important questions. Why, for example, did Egypt's political leaders construct an independent judicial system that limited their own authority? And why does such a system appeal to Arab rulers outside Egypt? While most accounts stress the role of imperialism or liberal ideology…
Shariʿa and State in the Modern Muslim Middle East
The Islamic shariʿa is central to Islam in the minds of most Muslims and non-Muslim scholars. In many ways, the centrality of the Islamic shariʿa has increased in recent decades. Yet despite—or perhaps because of—this centrality, the precise, even the general, role of the shariʿa in Islamic societies is the subject of contentious debate among Muslims. Outside of and underlying such debates are more subtle and rarely articulated differences about …
Judicial Review and the Arab World
Judicial Review and the Arab World Nathan J. Brown (bio) In recent years, the global spread of democracy has been accompanied by a far less noticed, but even more pervasive political change: the acceptance of judicial review and the establishment of specialized constitutional courts. Judicial review has become nearly ubiquitous in emerging democracies and is increasingly viewed as a prerequisite of healthy democratic development. The democratic a…
The Rule of Law in the Arab World: Courts in Egypt and the Gulf
Law and Politics in Africa, Asia and Latin America" analyses legal and constitutional developments in all states or regions outside of Europe as well as their regional and international integration. Founded in 1968 and inspired by decolonization and the idea of a cooperative new beginning, the Journal also promotes a special interest in contributions on 'Law and development'. The journal aims to provide a forum for a variety of perspectives on th…
The Rule of Law in the Arab World: Courts in Egypt and the Gulf
The Rule of Law in the Arab World: Courts in Egypt and the Gulf
Constitutions in a Nonconstitutional World: Arab Basic Laws and the Prospects for Accountable Government
Palestinian Politics after the Oslo AccordsResuming Arab Palestine
This timely and critically important work does what hostilities in the Middle East have made nearly impossible: it offers a measured, internal perspective on Palestinian politics, viewing emerging political patterns from the Palestinian point of view rather than through the prism of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Based on groundbreaking fieldwork, interviews with Palestinian leaders, and an extensive survey of Arabic-language writings and documents, …
Palestinian Politics after the Oslo Accords: Resuming Arab Palestine
This timely and critically important work does what hostilities in the Middle East have made nearly impossible: it offers a measured, internal perspective on Palestinian politics, viewing emerging political patterns from the Palestinian point of view rather than through the prism of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Based on groundbreaking fieldwork, interviews with Palestinian leaders, and an extensive survey of Arabic-language writings and documents, …
Palestinian Politics after the Oslo Accords: Resuming Arab Palestine
Regimes Reinventing Themselves: Constitutional Development in the Arab World
In the Arab world, most constitutional documents have been promulgated less by the nation assembled than by existing regimes seeking tools to enable them to face domestic and international challenges. Constitutions have been issued to address a varying range of concerns: international, domestic and internal to the state itself. This article traces the enabling aspects of Arab constitutions over the past century and a half, concentrating on the ve…
Monarchies constitutionnelles et républiques non constitutionnelles: Mécanismes juridiques de succession dans le monde arabe moderne
Depuis plus de trois sicles, les systmes politiques du Moyen-Orient sont considrs par les auteurs occidentaux comme des exemples de gouvernement arbitraire. La gouvernance dans les socits moyen-orientales, contrairement l'tat de droit, est considre comme s'exerant dans le cadre d'un pouvoir absolu et selon le caprice personnel. Pour de nombreux fondateurs de la tradition librale occidentale, la pratique gouvernementale orientale a t un repoussoir…
The Pedagogical State: Education and the Politics of National Culture in Post-1980 Turkey
Immortality by Design
Reason, Interest, Rationality, and Passion in Constitution Drafting
Liberal constitutionalism is founded in part on a desire to build a polity on the basis of reason and the public interest. At its most ambitious, the result can verge on a prepolitical or even apolitical view of constitution writing. To be sure, most liberal constitutionalists have backed away from the extreme view by increasingly recognizing that passion and bargaining will inevitably play a role in constitution writing. But few have moved beyon…
Islamist Parties and Democracy: A Boon or a Bane for Democracy
What role do mainstream Islamist movements play in Arab politics? With their popular messages and broad social base, would their incorporation as normal political actors be the best hope for democratization or democracy’s bane? For too long, we have tried to answer such questions solely by speculating about the true intentions of the movements and their leaders. Islamists in the Arab world are increasingly asked about their true intentions. To he…
Politics and Society in the Contemporary Middle East
A cutting-edge, yet lively and accessible, examination of the domestic politics of the contemporary Middle East
Political science (49 works) · Law (42 works) · Politics (36 works) · Sociology (28 works) · Islamic Studies and History (26 works) · History (21 works) · Law (19 works) · Philosophy (17 works) · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies (16 works) · Democracy (13 works)