| Description | Small box containing five items of miscellaneous writing by Bidwell:
A brown folder containing notes and correspondence on Shams Badran (1929-2020), former Egyptian minister for defence and head of security under Nasser. He was accused of torture by members of the Muslim Brotherhood, and the papers relate to research Bidwell was doing into Badran's career for a documentary to be broadcast by SouthWest Television. The correspondence relates to Bidwell's research enquiries at Amnesty International and various archives, as well an exchange of letters with Rorie Smith of SouthWest Television regarding the planned TV production and the legal issues of discussing these accusations in public. It does not appear that the film was ever made.
A folder on Islam and the Middle East, including numerous notes and extracts from books, a typed chronology of the Middle East, an article by Chris Kutschera on the Ibadites of Algeria (1983), typed notes from the Encyclopedia of Islam, a discussion paper by Dr M.E. Yapp on 'Contemporary Islamic Revivalism' (Royal Society for Asian Affairs, 1980) with Bidwell's notes written on the reverse, presscuttings on topics include the Druze, Islam in Iran and Islamic Banking, and copies of British Foreign Office documents discussing the Ottoman Caliphate (1920).
An official conference folder for the 'First Congress on Mediterranean Studies of Arabo-Berber Influence (Malta, April 1972)' with typed notes on conference papers (three of which are annotated by Bidwell), details of an exhibition, printed notepaper and other papers. The folder also has two typescripts (presumably by Bidwell) although it is not clear if these had any relation to the Congress. One is a biographical study of orientalist and explorer Edward Henry Palmer (1840-82), the second is a history of falconry in the Gulf region.
A typescript of 'European Travellers to Hail', on headed notepaper for the 'First International Symposium on Studies in the History of Arabia' at the University of Riyad (1977)
A folder containing a typescript and notes for a volume on 'Asiatic Turkey and Arabia', drawing on FOCP records and intended to be similar to his previous works on ;Affairs of Arabia' and 'Affairs of Kuwait'. The book, which has introductory essay on 'Arabia at the Beginning of 1905' was meant for the publisher Cass but was never realised. |