Dr Ekaterina Pukhovaia 'The Transformation of the Imamate in Yemen, 1200-1800'

This talk considers how pre-modern states in Yemen dealt with the geographical, religious, and tribal divisions that are nowadays seen as obstacles to successful state-building. We will discuss how competition with states in Lower Yemen aided the development of the classical Zaydi imamate (1200-1500) and what allowed the Sharaf al-Dīn dynasty to unify Yemen in the early sixteenth century; how the period of Ottoman rule (1535-1638) reconfigured the political landscape of Yemen and created a new regional socio-political balance that lasted until the nineteenth century; and how Ottoman innovation enabled the rise of a new Zaydi imamate, led by the Qasimid dynasty, in the early seventeenth century.

Kate holds a BA (2012) and MA (2014) in Oriental Studies from Lomonosov Moscow State University in Russia, and a PhD in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton University (2021). Her research focuses on state-building and transformations of elites in the early modern Middle East, and the comparative study of pre-modern political systems. She is currently working on her first book, Between Sultans and Imams: State and Elite Transformation in Zaydi Yemen, 1200-1800. Kate has been a Polonsky Fellow at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute since October 2021.

Co-hosted with the International Association for the Study of Arabia and the British-Yemeni Society, 20 February 2022.