TY - BOOK ID - 14189826 TI - Writing signs : the Fatimid public text PY - 1998 SN - 0520208021 0520918789 0585105642 0520208013 9780520208025 9780520208018 9780520918788 9780585105642 PB - Berkeley : University of California Press DB - UniCat KW - Written communication KW - Arabic language KW - Fatimites KW - Philology & Linguistics KW - Languages & Literatures KW - History KW - Social aspects KW - Language KW - Social aspects. KW - Language. KW - History. KW - Written discourse KW - Written language KW - Caliphs KW - Ismailites KW - Semitic languages KW - Communication KW - Discourse analysis KW - Language and languages KW - Visual communication KW - Written communication - Egypt - History KW - Arabic language - Social aspects KW - Fatimites - Language UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:14189826 AB - Irene Bierman explores the complex relationship between alphabet and language as well as the ways the two elements are socially defined by time and place. She focuses her exploration on the Eastern Mediterranean in the sixth through twelfth centuries, notably Cairo's Fatimid dynasty of 969-1171. Examining the inscriptions on Fatimid architecture and textiles, Bierman offers insight into all elements of that society, from religion to the economy, and the enormous changes the dynasty underwent during that period. Bierman addresses fundamental issues of what buildings mean, how inscriptions affect that meaning, and the role of written messages and the ceremonies into which they are incorporated in service of propagandist goals. Her method and conclusions provide a pioneering model for studying public writing in other societies and offer powerful evidence to show that writing is a highly charged and deeply embedded social practice. ER -