Glossary — J

Glossary terms beginning with J.

Jacobinism: Political philosophy of the leaders of the French revolutionary government. After reaching power in the revolutionary dictatorship of 1793, the Jacobins set about safeguarding the values of the revolution and public virtue by a Reign of Terror against opposing views.
jagir: A type of land tenure in Nepal granted primarily to military personnel, allowing them tax-free access to produce from the land in return for military service. This tenure was a basic feature of military service in northern India and in Nepal during late medieval times, and disappeared in Nepal only in the twentieth century.
jamaa: in Arabic, community or group.
jamahiriya: Newly coined Arabic work having no official translation but unofficially translated to mean ""state of the masses,"" ""people’s authority,"" or ""people’s power."" On March 2, 1977, Libya officially became the Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.
janissaries: Members of an elite Ottoman military corps; in Tripolitania (q.v.), recruited from among Turkish peasants committed to a life of service. From the Turkish yeniceri, or ""new soldier.""
jati: Literally, birth group. Basic endogamous unit of the caste system. There are approximately 3,000 jatis in contemporary society. The word jati is also sometimes used for ethnic, religious, or linguistic groups.
Jatiyo Party: Political party of Hussain Muhammed Ershad. Established in 1985 and won majority control of Parliament in 1986 and 1988 elections.; Source: Library of Congress
Jawi-Peranakan: Malay term for the descendants of marriages between Indian Muslim men and Malay women.
jazirah: Peninsula or island; with upper case, term refers to the cultivated lands south of Khartoum between the Blue Nile and the White Nile.
Jewish Agency: Representing the World Zionist Organization as its executive body, the Jewish Agency works in close cooperation with the government of Israel, encourages and organizes immigration of Jews into the country, and assists in their social and economic integration.
jihad: The struggle to establish the law of God on earth, often interpreted to mean holy war.; Source: Library of Congress
jizya: A tax imposed on non-Muslims in a Muslim state meant to compensate the state for the protection given to non-Muslims who are not permitted to serve in the military.
jizzu: Located in the area of latitude 16o in northwest Darfur and in Chad; region beyond the semidesert where the late rains produce a combination of grass and herbaceous plants in winter such that camels and sheep can graze without additional water supply.
JSS.: Junior Secondary School.
judet (pl., judete): Local administrative division corresponding to county or district. There are forty such units plus the municipality of Bucharest and the surrounding Ilfov Agricultural District.
juku: Privately established schools that teach either academic or nonacademic subjects. Academic juku offer tutorial, enrichment, remedial, and examination preparatory classes that supplement regular school work. Most hold classes after school and/or on weekends.