From the introduction by Hilary Silver :
This introduction places the articles in the broader context of two prominent urban themes. One is the distinctiveness of the ancient and ever-changing cities of the Middle East. Cities in the region certainly differ among themselves, but share some commonalities in history, spatial structure, political organization, and culture. However, that distinctiveness is eroding under the external influences of globalization, international politics, and neoliberal policies. The second theme in these articles is that of divided or contested cities. The authors apply more general theories of social and symbolic boundaries to urban sociology as well as theories of the social construction of urban space, its representational force and cultural significance.
