William F. McCants
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691151489
- eISBN:
- 9781400840069
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691151489.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, Ancient History / Archaeology
This introductory chapter provides an overview of the book's themes and methodology. This book foregrounds the study of pre-Islamic culture myths and uses it to frame the Islamic material in the ...
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This introductory chapter provides an overview of the book's themes and methodology. This book foregrounds the study of pre-Islamic culture myths and uses it to frame the Islamic material in the chapters that follow. This framing also reflects the author's belief that Islamic thinking about the origins of civilization is deeply indebted to antique thought on the subject, both in content and assumptions. Furthermore, Muslim authors were shaped by social and political circumstances that were similar to those confronting Hellenistic- and Roman-era authors and thus share many of their concerns and solutions to intellectual and cultural dilemmas. Finally, by bringing Islamic material into the debates of classicists, the book hopes to encourage scholarly communities on both sides of the Arab conquests to consider the Mediterranean and Near Eastern patrimony through a wider-angle lens. The indebtedness of Islamic culture myths to antiquity is not only evidenced by the fact that Islamic culture myths cluster around the same subject areas as pre-Islamic culture myths but also by the fact that there are numerous linkages between the myths themselves.Less
This introductory chapter provides an overview of the book's themes and methodology. This book foregrounds the study of pre-Islamic culture myths and uses it to frame the Islamic material in the chapters that follow. This framing also reflects the author's belief that Islamic thinking about the origins of civilization is deeply indebted to antique thought on the subject, both in content and assumptions. Furthermore, Muslim authors were shaped by social and political circumstances that were similar to those confronting Hellenistic- and Roman-era authors and thus share many of their concerns and solutions to intellectual and cultural dilemmas. Finally, by bringing Islamic material into the debates of classicists, the book hopes to encourage scholarly communities on both sides of the Arab conquests to consider the Mediterranean and Near Eastern patrimony through a wider-angle lens. The indebtedness of Islamic culture myths to antiquity is not only evidenced by the fact that Islamic culture myths cluster around the same subject areas as pre-Islamic culture myths but also by the fact that there are numerous linkages between the myths themselves.
Christopher I. Beckwith
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691155319
- eISBN:
- 9781400845170
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691155319.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, World Medieval History
This chapter examines Islamization in Classical Arabic Central Asia. The Arab Empire founded by the prophet Muhammad expanded rapidly, defeating the Byzantine Empire and capturing Syria (637) and ...
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This chapter examines Islamization in Classical Arabic Central Asia. The Arab Empire founded by the prophet Muhammad expanded rapidly, defeating the Byzantine Empire and capturing Syria (637) and Egypt (640). At the same time, the Arabs defeated the Sasanid Persian Empire (637) and raced across Persia into Central Asia. Within a very short time, early Arab Islamic culture came into direct, intimate contact with several major civilized areas, including the Graeco-Roman-influenced cultures of the Levant and North Africa, Persian culture, and the Buddhist cultures of Central Asia. From them the Muslims adopted various cultural elements. This chapter considers when, where, and how the Muslims acquired the recursive argument method and the Islamic college or madrasa. It shows that the recursive argument method is used in Arabic works by the Central Asian scientist and philosopher Avicenna.Less
This chapter examines Islamization in Classical Arabic Central Asia. The Arab Empire founded by the prophet Muhammad expanded rapidly, defeating the Byzantine Empire and capturing Syria (637) and Egypt (640). At the same time, the Arabs defeated the Sasanid Persian Empire (637) and raced across Persia into Central Asia. Within a very short time, early Arab Islamic culture came into direct, intimate contact with several major civilized areas, including the Graeco-Roman-influenced cultures of the Levant and North Africa, Persian culture, and the Buddhist cultures of Central Asia. From them the Muslims adopted various cultural elements. This chapter considers when, where, and how the Muslims acquired the recursive argument method and the Islamic college or madrasa. It shows that the recursive argument method is used in Arabic works by the Central Asian scientist and philosopher Avicenna.
Christopher I. Beckwith
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691155319
- eISBN:
- 9781400845170
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691155319.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, World Medieval History
This book tells how key cultural innovations from Central Asia revolutionized medieval Europe and gave rise to the culture of science in the West. Medieval scholars rarely performed scientific ...
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This book tells how key cultural innovations from Central Asia revolutionized medieval Europe and gave rise to the culture of science in the West. Medieval scholars rarely performed scientific experiments, but instead contested issues in natural science, philosophy, and theology using the recursive argument method. This highly distinctive and unusual method of disputation was a core feature of medieval science, the predecessor of modern science. We know that the foundations of science were imported to Western Europe from the Islamic world, but until now the origins of such key elements of Islamic culture have been a mystery. This book traces how the recursive argument method was first developed by Buddhist scholars and was spread by them throughout ancient Central Asia. It shows how the method was adopted by Islamic Central Asian natural philosophers—most importantly by Avicenna, one of the most brilliant of all medieval thinkers—and transmitted to the West when Avicenna's works were translated into Latin in Spain in the twelfth century by the Jewish philosopher Ibn Da'ud and others. During the same period the institution of the college was also borrowed from the Islamic world. The college was where most of the disputations were held, and became the most important component of medieval Europe's newly formed universities. As the book demonstrates, the Islamic college also originated in Buddhist Central Asia. Using in-depth analysis of ancient Buddhist, Classical Arabic, and Medieval Latin writings, this book will help to transform our understanding of the origins of medieval scientific culture.Less
This book tells how key cultural innovations from Central Asia revolutionized medieval Europe and gave rise to the culture of science in the West. Medieval scholars rarely performed scientific experiments, but instead contested issues in natural science, philosophy, and theology using the recursive argument method. This highly distinctive and unusual method of disputation was a core feature of medieval science, the predecessor of modern science. We know that the foundations of science were imported to Western Europe from the Islamic world, but until now the origins of such key elements of Islamic culture have been a mystery. This book traces how the recursive argument method was first developed by Buddhist scholars and was spread by them throughout ancient Central Asia. It shows how the method was adopted by Islamic Central Asian natural philosophers—most importantly by Avicenna, one of the most brilliant of all medieval thinkers—and transmitted to the West when Avicenna's works were translated into Latin in Spain in the twelfth century by the Jewish philosopher Ibn Da'ud and others. During the same period the institution of the college was also borrowed from the Islamic world. The college was where most of the disputations were held, and became the most important component of medieval Europe's newly formed universities. As the book demonstrates, the Islamic college also originated in Buddhist Central Asia. Using in-depth analysis of ancient Buddhist, Classical Arabic, and Medieval Latin writings, this book will help to transform our understanding of the origins of medieval scientific culture.
Philip N. Howard
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199736416
- eISBN:
- 9780199866441
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199736416.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, Democratization
This chapter offers a conceptual framework and some useful indicators for studying technology diffusion and political institutions. Topics discussed include the impact of information technology on ...
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This chapter offers a conceptual framework and some useful indicators for studying technology diffusion and political institutions. Topics discussed include the impact of information technology on Islamic political culture, information and community technology (ICT) access in the Muslim communities of the developing world, indexing democracy and ICT diffusion, and the impact of information infrastructure on democracy.Less
This chapter offers a conceptual framework and some useful indicators for studying technology diffusion and political institutions. Topics discussed include the impact of information technology on Islamic political culture, information and community technology (ICT) access in the Muslim communities of the developing world, indexing democracy and ICT diffusion, and the impact of information infrastructure on democracy.
Earle H. Waugh
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9789774160899
- eISBN:
- 9781617970467
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774160899.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
Founded in the sixteenth century, the Demirdashiya Sufi order in Cairo has played an influential role in Egypt's public life, and through a line of family sheikhs has channeled the impulses of its ...
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Founded in the sixteenth century, the Demirdashiya Sufi order in Cairo has played an influential role in Egypt's public life, and through a line of family sheikhs has channeled the impulses of its Sufi origins into different types of reform. Practicing a visionary form of piety, the Demirdashiya—once legendary for its wealth and secrecy—continues to influence a small but important segment of contemporary Cairo's inhabitants. This study highlights the Demirdashiya's sophisticated and complex relationship with both politics and Islamic culture. As part of his research, the author of this book attended the order's liturgies—the dhikrs (remembrance) and khalwa (retreat) —normally closed to outsiders. During an annual khalwa, the adept silently meditates for three days in his own cell. More than giving up human discourse, the mandated silence is a reordering of sensitivities to the divine, and a path to insight into the many ways that God conveys Himself to humans. Examining the role of the Demirdashiya in Egypt's history as well as its visionary piety, the book explores the dialectic between reform and vision in a stable Sufi order. It also probes how these competing ideals were incorporated into the physical world of the zawiya, mosque, and living quarters, and the extension of its influence in Europe through its most famous daughter, Qut al-Qulub, noted visionary author and mother of the order's current sheikh.Less
Founded in the sixteenth century, the Demirdashiya Sufi order in Cairo has played an influential role in Egypt's public life, and through a line of family sheikhs has channeled the impulses of its Sufi origins into different types of reform. Practicing a visionary form of piety, the Demirdashiya—once legendary for its wealth and secrecy—continues to influence a small but important segment of contemporary Cairo's inhabitants. This study highlights the Demirdashiya's sophisticated and complex relationship with both politics and Islamic culture. As part of his research, the author of this book attended the order's liturgies—the dhikrs (remembrance) and khalwa (retreat) —normally closed to outsiders. During an annual khalwa, the adept silently meditates for three days in his own cell. More than giving up human discourse, the mandated silence is a reordering of sensitivities to the divine, and a path to insight into the many ways that God conveys Himself to humans. Examining the role of the Demirdashiya in Egypt's history as well as its visionary piety, the book explores the dialectic between reform and vision in a stable Sufi order. It also probes how these competing ideals were incorporated into the physical world of the zawiya, mosque, and living quarters, and the extension of its influence in Europe through its most famous daughter, Qut al-Qulub, noted visionary author and mother of the order's current sheikh.
William F. McCants
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691151489
- eISBN:
- 9781400840069
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691151489.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Ancient History / Archaeology
From the dawn of writing in Sumer to the sunset of the Islamic empire, this book traces four thousand years of speculation on the origins of civilization. Investigating a vast range of primary ...
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From the dawn of writing in Sumer to the sunset of the Islamic empire, this book traces four thousand years of speculation on the origins of civilization. Investigating a vast range of primary sources, some of which are translated here for the first time, and focusing on the dynamic influence of the Greek, Roman, and Arab conquests of the Near East, the book looks at the ways the conquerors and those they conquered reshaped their myths of civilization's origins in response to the social and political consequences of empire. The Greek and Roman conquests brought with them a learned culture that competed with that of native elites. The conquering Arabs, in contrast, had no learned culture, which led to three hundred years of Muslim competition over the cultural orientation of Islam, a contest reflected in the culture myths of that time. What we know today as Islamic culture is the product of this contest, whose protagonists drew heavily on the lore of non-Arab and pagan antiquity. The book argues that authors in all three periods did not write about civilization's origins solely out of pure antiquarian interest—they also sought to address the social and political tensions of the day. The strategies they employed and the postcolonial dilemmas they confronted provide invaluable context for understanding how authors today use myth and history to locate themselves in the confusing aftermath of empire.Less
From the dawn of writing in Sumer to the sunset of the Islamic empire, this book traces four thousand years of speculation on the origins of civilization. Investigating a vast range of primary sources, some of which are translated here for the first time, and focusing on the dynamic influence of the Greek, Roman, and Arab conquests of the Near East, the book looks at the ways the conquerors and those they conquered reshaped their myths of civilization's origins in response to the social and political consequences of empire. The Greek and Roman conquests brought with them a learned culture that competed with that of native elites. The conquering Arabs, in contrast, had no learned culture, which led to three hundred years of Muslim competition over the cultural orientation of Islam, a contest reflected in the culture myths of that time. What we know today as Islamic culture is the product of this contest, whose protagonists drew heavily on the lore of non-Arab and pagan antiquity. The book argues that authors in all three periods did not write about civilization's origins solely out of pure antiquarian interest—they also sought to address the social and political tensions of the day. The strategies they employed and the postcolonial dilemmas they confronted provide invaluable context for understanding how authors today use myth and history to locate themselves in the confusing aftermath of empire.
John Tolan, Henry Laurens, and Gilles Veinstein
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691147055
- eISBN:
- 9781400844753
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691147055.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, World Medieval History
This book sheds light on the shared roots of Islamic and Western cultures and on the richness of their inextricably intertwined histories, refuting once and for all the misguided notion of a “clash ...
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This book sheds light on the shared roots of Islamic and Western cultures and on the richness of their inextricably intertwined histories, refuting once and for all the misguided notion of a “clash of civilizations” between the Muslim world and Europe. The book brings to life the complex and tumultuous relations between Genoans and Tunisians, Alexandrians and the people of Constantinople, Catalans and Maghrebis—the myriad groups and individuals whose stories reflect the common cultural, intellectual, and religious heritage of Europe and Islam. Since the seventh century, when the armies of Constantinople and Medina fought for control of Syria and Palestine, there has been ongoing contact between the Muslim world and the West. This sweeping history vividly recounts the wars and the crusades, the alliances and diplomacy, commerce and the slave trade, technology transfers, and the intellectual and artistic exchanges. Here readers are given an unparalleled introduction to key periods and events, including the Muslim conquests, the collapse of the Byzantine Empire, the commercial revolution of the medieval Mediterranean, the intellectual and cultural achievements of Muslim Spain, the crusades and Spanish reconquest, the rise of the Ottomans and their conquest of a third of Europe, European colonization and decolonization, and the challenges and promise of this entwined legacy today. As provocative as it is groundbreaking, this book describes this shared history in all its richness and diversity, revealing how ongoing encounters between Europe and Islam have profoundly shaped both.Less
This book sheds light on the shared roots of Islamic and Western cultures and on the richness of their inextricably intertwined histories, refuting once and for all the misguided notion of a “clash of civilizations” between the Muslim world and Europe. The book brings to life the complex and tumultuous relations between Genoans and Tunisians, Alexandrians and the people of Constantinople, Catalans and Maghrebis—the myriad groups and individuals whose stories reflect the common cultural, intellectual, and religious heritage of Europe and Islam. Since the seventh century, when the armies of Constantinople and Medina fought for control of Syria and Palestine, there has been ongoing contact between the Muslim world and the West. This sweeping history vividly recounts the wars and the crusades, the alliances and diplomacy, commerce and the slave trade, technology transfers, and the intellectual and artistic exchanges. Here readers are given an unparalleled introduction to key periods and events, including the Muslim conquests, the collapse of the Byzantine Empire, the commercial revolution of the medieval Mediterranean, the intellectual and cultural achievements of Muslim Spain, the crusades and Spanish reconquest, the rise of the Ottomans and their conquest of a third of Europe, European colonization and decolonization, and the challenges and promise of this entwined legacy today. As provocative as it is groundbreaking, this book describes this shared history in all its richness and diversity, revealing how ongoing encounters between Europe and Islam have profoundly shaped both.
David Motadel
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780691177342
- eISBN:
- 9780691189918
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691177342.003.0011
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History
This chapter explores the bourgeois world of an exile group. Looking at the sociocultural milieu of the Muslim minority in interwar Berlin, the chapter shows that they combined Islamic and bourgeois ...
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This chapter explores the bourgeois world of an exile group. Looking at the sociocultural milieu of the Muslim minority in interwar Berlin, the chapter shows that they combined Islamic and bourgeois lifestyles and values into a hybrid form of Islamic bourgeois culture. The majority of the Muslim community in Berlin was financially independent and highly educated. Most of them came from the upper middle classes of their home countries. In the diaspora situation, they could base their community on two bonds—class and religion. The sociocultural background of the Muslims in Berlin, their lifestyles, and the nature of their associations meant that they came into contact with educated middle-class Germans, particularly academics, students, diplomats, and businessmen, and to some extent were able to connect with bourgeois segments of the majority society.Less
This chapter explores the bourgeois world of an exile group. Looking at the sociocultural milieu of the Muslim minority in interwar Berlin, the chapter shows that they combined Islamic and bourgeois lifestyles and values into a hybrid form of Islamic bourgeois culture. The majority of the Muslim community in Berlin was financially independent and highly educated. Most of them came from the upper middle classes of their home countries. In the diaspora situation, they could base their community on two bonds—class and religion. The sociocultural background of the Muslims in Berlin, their lifestyles, and the nature of their associations meant that they came into contact with educated middle-class Germans, particularly academics, students, diplomats, and businessmen, and to some extent were able to connect with bourgeois segments of the majority society.
Roger Blench
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780197264782
- eISBN:
- 9780191754012
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264782.003.0016
- Subject:
- History, World Early Modern History
Although slavery had long existed in Nigeria, the nineteenth century undoubtedly saw a major expansion of long-distance slave raiding fuelled by the rise of the Hausa states. This had significant ...
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Although slavery had long existed in Nigeria, the nineteenth century undoubtedly saw a major expansion of long-distance slave raiding fuelled by the rise of the Hausa states. This had significant negative consequences for the minority populations of the Middle Belt, impacting on their settlement patterns, interethnic relations, trade, and religion. During the colonial era, the strong support given to Hausa‐Islamic culture through the system of Indirect Rule had the consequence of suppressing minority views about this era. However, since independence, greater access to education and thus to local political power has dramatically reversed relations between the Muslim north and the Middle Belt. This chapter considers how local, Middle Belt publications are now attempting to reverse the narrative currents of the colonial era, by reframing the history of the slaving period.Less
Although slavery had long existed in Nigeria, the nineteenth century undoubtedly saw a major expansion of long-distance slave raiding fuelled by the rise of the Hausa states. This had significant negative consequences for the minority populations of the Middle Belt, impacting on their settlement patterns, interethnic relations, trade, and religion. During the colonial era, the strong support given to Hausa‐Islamic culture through the system of Indirect Rule had the consequence of suppressing minority views about this era. However, since independence, greater access to education and thus to local political power has dramatically reversed relations between the Muslim north and the Middle Belt. This chapter considers how local, Middle Belt publications are now attempting to reverse the narrative currents of the colonial era, by reframing the history of the slaving period.
Gregory Starrett
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520209268
- eISBN:
- 9780520919303
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520209268.003.0004
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Middle Eastern Cultural Anthropology
This chapter shows how the Egyptians learned about God outside the classroom, starting with the postmodern knowledge about God, which can be found in the bedtime stories Egyptian mothers told their ...
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This chapter shows how the Egyptians learned about God outside the classroom, starting with the postmodern knowledge about God, which can be found in the bedtime stories Egyptian mothers told their children. It discusses the westernized Egyptian and authentic Islamic cultures, and the importance of parental practices and the child's imitation in religious socialization. Next, the chapter views the school as the first primary and public institution where children learn about God. The Nasr Language School, the revival of Kuttab, and the other places where Islam can be taught or learned outside of a religion class are discussed.Less
This chapter shows how the Egyptians learned about God outside the classroom, starting with the postmodern knowledge about God, which can be found in the bedtime stories Egyptian mothers told their children. It discusses the westernized Egyptian and authentic Islamic cultures, and the importance of parental practices and the child's imitation in religious socialization. Next, the chapter views the school as the first primary and public institution where children learn about God. The Nasr Language School, the revival of Kuttab, and the other places where Islam can be taught or learned outside of a religion class are discussed.
Blake Atwood
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780231178174
- eISBN:
- 9780231543149
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231178174.003.0002
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
In 1992 Khatami abruptly left his position in the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, and he cited the strict regulation of art as the reason for his resignation. This chapter examines the ...
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In 1992 Khatami abruptly left his position in the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, and he cited the strict regulation of art as the reason for his resignation. This chapter examines the circumstances leading to his resignation and, in particular, it investigates the case of Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s controversial film Time for Love (1991). The release of Time for Love, which openly depicts a married woman’s affair, sparked a media frenzy, as conservative religious leaders, policymakers, and commentators blamed Khatami for its release, since the film had gone through the Ministry’s inspection process. The criticism launched against Khatami became so severe that he was forced to respond publically and defend his support of the film. This chapter examines the debates about Time for Love as they unfolded in newspaper editorials, political speeches, and religious sermons. These debates instruct us that the film industry helped to shape certain reformist ideas in the early 1990s, and it was Time for Love’s appropriation of a mystic aesthetic that appealed to these budding reformists.Less
In 1992 Khatami abruptly left his position in the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, and he cited the strict regulation of art as the reason for his resignation. This chapter examines the circumstances leading to his resignation and, in particular, it investigates the case of Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s controversial film Time for Love (1991). The release of Time for Love, which openly depicts a married woman’s affair, sparked a media frenzy, as conservative religious leaders, policymakers, and commentators blamed Khatami for its release, since the film had gone through the Ministry’s inspection process. The criticism launched against Khatami became so severe that he was forced to respond publically and defend his support of the film. This chapter examines the debates about Time for Love as they unfolded in newspaper editorials, political speeches, and religious sermons. These debates instruct us that the film industry helped to shape certain reformist ideas in the early 1990s, and it was Time for Love’s appropriation of a mystic aesthetic that appealed to these budding reformists.
Ahmed El Shamsy
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780691174563
- eISBN:
- 9780691201245
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691174563.003.0002
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
This chapter considers how Arabo-Islamic scholarship operated in the centuries before the adoption of print in the early nineteenth century, when books still had to be written and copied by hand. It ...
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This chapter considers how Arabo-Islamic scholarship operated in the centuries before the adoption of print in the early nineteenth century, when books still had to be written and copied by hand. It is tempting to divide the history of Arabo-Islamic book culture into two simple stages, manuscript and print, each stage marked by distinct, uniform characteristics. But the chapter asserts that a range of factors, including economic and institutional constraints, scholarly trends, and basic assumptions about the nature of knowledge, modulate book culture in decisive ways. To understand why printing caught on in the Arabic-speaking world precisely when it did, and why it took the forms and had the consequences that it did, the chapter takes a look at the unique features of Islamic intellectual culture before the printing revolution, in the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries. The first and most basic feature of this culture relates to the availability, or lack thereof, of books.Less
This chapter considers how Arabo-Islamic scholarship operated in the centuries before the adoption of print in the early nineteenth century, when books still had to be written and copied by hand. It is tempting to divide the history of Arabo-Islamic book culture into two simple stages, manuscript and print, each stage marked by distinct, uniform characteristics. But the chapter asserts that a range of factors, including economic and institutional constraints, scholarly trends, and basic assumptions about the nature of knowledge, modulate book culture in decisive ways. To understand why printing caught on in the Arabic-speaking world precisely when it did, and why it took the forms and had the consequences that it did, the chapter takes a look at the unique features of Islamic intellectual culture before the printing revolution, in the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries. The first and most basic feature of this culture relates to the availability, or lack thereof, of books.
Blake Atwood
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780231178174
- eISBN:
- 9780231543149
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231178174.003.0001
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
Establishes reform as a cinematic category, the inheritor of revolutionary cinema in certain state-controlled cinemas. It surveys the contentious position of film in revolutionary discourse in Iran ...
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Establishes reform as a cinematic category, the inheritor of revolutionary cinema in certain state-controlled cinemas. It surveys the contentious position of film in revolutionary discourse in Iran and connects "reform cinema" to the scholarship on Third Cinema and Post-Third Cinema aesthetics. This chapter also establishes Mohammad Khatami's professional career as an organizing scheme for the book and discusses the tenets most important to his political platform.Less
Establishes reform as a cinematic category, the inheritor of revolutionary cinema in certain state-controlled cinemas. It surveys the contentious position of film in revolutionary discourse in Iran and connects "reform cinema" to the scholarship on Third Cinema and Post-Third Cinema aesthetics. This chapter also establishes Mohammad Khatami's professional career as an organizing scheme for the book and discusses the tenets most important to his political platform.
Ahmed El Shamsy
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780691174563
- eISBN:
- 9780691201245
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691174563.001.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
Islamic book culture dates back to late antiquity, when Muslim scholars began to write down their doctrines on parchment, papyrus, and paper and then to compose increasingly elaborate analyses of, ...
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Islamic book culture dates back to late antiquity, when Muslim scholars began to write down their doctrines on parchment, papyrus, and paper and then to compose increasingly elaborate analyses of, and commentaries on, these ideas. Movable type was adopted in the Middle East only in the early nineteenth century, and it wasn't until the second half of the century that the first works of classical Islamic religious scholarship were printed there. But from that moment on, as this book reveals, the technology of print transformed Islamic scholarship and Arabic literature. The book tells the story of how a small group of editors and intellectuals brought forgotten works of Islamic literature into print and defined what became the classical canon of Islamic thought. Through the lens of the literary culture of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Arab cities—especially Cairo, a hot spot of the nascent publishing business—the book explores the contributions of these individuals, who included some of the most important thinkers of the time. Through their efforts to find and publish classical literature, the book shows, many nearly lost works were recovered, disseminated, and harnessed for agendas of linguistic, ethical, and religious reform. The book is an examination of the central role printing and its advocates played in the intellectual history of the modern Arab world.Less
Islamic book culture dates back to late antiquity, when Muslim scholars began to write down their doctrines on parchment, papyrus, and paper and then to compose increasingly elaborate analyses of, and commentaries on, these ideas. Movable type was adopted in the Middle East only in the early nineteenth century, and it wasn't until the second half of the century that the first works of classical Islamic religious scholarship were printed there. But from that moment on, as this book reveals, the technology of print transformed Islamic scholarship and Arabic literature. The book tells the story of how a small group of editors and intellectuals brought forgotten works of Islamic literature into print and defined what became the classical canon of Islamic thought. Through the lens of the literary culture of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Arab cities—especially Cairo, a hot spot of the nascent publishing business—the book explores the contributions of these individuals, who included some of the most important thinkers of the time. Through their efforts to find and publish classical literature, the book shows, many nearly lost works were recovered, disseminated, and harnessed for agendas of linguistic, ethical, and religious reform. The book is an examination of the central role printing and its advocates played in the intellectual history of the modern Arab world.
Nahid Afrose Kabir
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748641338
- eISBN:
- 9780748653232
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748641338.003.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
It is generally believed that Muslims share all aspects of Islamic culture and that they are different from the mainstream British population. However, Muslims in Britain are ethnically diverse and ...
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It is generally believed that Muslims share all aspects of Islamic culture and that they are different from the mainstream British population. However, Muslims in Britain are ethnically diverse and heterogeneous in skin colour, language and culture. The only element they have in common is their religion. However, most Muslims feel a strong connection and association with the broader Islamic community (ummah) and have a constant desire for greater Islamic political unity within the ‘Abode of Islam’ (dar-al-Islam. The core of unity among Muslims is the Quran, the word of Allah. While the interpretation of the word of Allah differs across various Muslim groups, the Quran nevertheless provides the same message for all Muslims. This chapter examines identity theory and applies this theory towards an understanding of Muslim identity. It considers whether ‘Britishness’ has any impact on or conflict with the Muslim identity. It also examines the Scottish identity question as well as the debate on ‘Muslim identity’ raised by Channel 4. Before concluding with an overview of the research methodology used in this chapter, it investigates the geopolitical factors that could have an implication on British Muslim's identity.Less
It is generally believed that Muslims share all aspects of Islamic culture and that they are different from the mainstream British population. However, Muslims in Britain are ethnically diverse and heterogeneous in skin colour, language and culture. The only element they have in common is their religion. However, most Muslims feel a strong connection and association with the broader Islamic community (ummah) and have a constant desire for greater Islamic political unity within the ‘Abode of Islam’ (dar-al-Islam. The core of unity among Muslims is the Quran, the word of Allah. While the interpretation of the word of Allah differs across various Muslim groups, the Quran nevertheless provides the same message for all Muslims. This chapter examines identity theory and applies this theory towards an understanding of Muslim identity. It considers whether ‘Britishness’ has any impact on or conflict with the Muslim identity. It also examines the Scottish identity question as well as the debate on ‘Muslim identity’ raised by Channel 4. Before concluding with an overview of the research methodology used in this chapter, it investigates the geopolitical factors that could have an implication on British Muslim's identity.
Aditya Behl
Wendy Doniger (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780195146707
- eISBN:
- 9780199978878
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195146707.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism
The encounter between Muslim and Hindu remains one of the defining issues of South Asian society today. This encounter began as early as the eighth century, and the first Muslim kingdom in India ...
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The encounter between Muslim and Hindu remains one of the defining issues of South Asian society today. This encounter began as early as the eighth century, and the first Muslim kingdom in India would be established at the end of the twelfth century. This powerful kingdom, the Sultanate of Delhi, eventually reduced to vassalage almost every independent kingdom on the subcontinent. This book uses a little-understood genre of Sufi literature to paint an entirely new picture of the evolution of Indian culture during the earliest period of Muslim domination. These curious romantic tales transmit a deeply serious religious message through the medium of lighthearted stories of love. Although composed in the Muslim courts, they are written in a vernacular Indian language. Until now, they have defied analysis, and been mostly ignored by scholars east and west. The book shows that the Sufi authors of these charming tales purposely sought to convey an Islamic vision via an Indian idiom. They thus constitute the earliest attempt at the indigenization of Islamic literature in an Indian setting. More important, however, the book's analysis brilliantly illuminates the cosmopolitan and composite culture of the Sultanate India in which they were composed. This in turn compels us completely to rethink the standard of the opposition between Indian Hindu and foreign Muslim and recognize that the Indo‐Islamic culture of this era was already significantly Indian in many important ways.Less
The encounter between Muslim and Hindu remains one of the defining issues of South Asian society today. This encounter began as early as the eighth century, and the first Muslim kingdom in India would be established at the end of the twelfth century. This powerful kingdom, the Sultanate of Delhi, eventually reduced to vassalage almost every independent kingdom on the subcontinent. This book uses a little-understood genre of Sufi literature to paint an entirely new picture of the evolution of Indian culture during the earliest period of Muslim domination. These curious romantic tales transmit a deeply serious religious message through the medium of lighthearted stories of love. Although composed in the Muslim courts, they are written in a vernacular Indian language. Until now, they have defied analysis, and been mostly ignored by scholars east and west. The book shows that the Sufi authors of these charming tales purposely sought to convey an Islamic vision via an Indian idiom. They thus constitute the earliest attempt at the indigenization of Islamic literature in an Indian setting. More important, however, the book's analysis brilliantly illuminates the cosmopolitan and composite culture of the Sultanate India in which they were composed. This in turn compels us completely to rethink the standard of the opposition between Indian Hindu and foreign Muslim and recognize that the Indo‐Islamic culture of this era was already significantly Indian in many important ways.
Ahmed El Shamsy
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780691174563
- eISBN:
- 9780691201245
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691174563.003.0007
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
This chapter focuses on two reformers, the Egyptian Muḥammad ʿAbduh (1849–1905) and the Syrian Ṭāhir al-Jazāʾirī (1852–1920). As a reformer, ʿAbduh in particular as received a significant amount of ...
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This chapter focuses on two reformers, the Egyptian Muḥammad ʿAbduh (1849–1905) and the Syrian Ṭāhir al-Jazāʾirī (1852–1920). As a reformer, ʿAbduh in particular as received a significant amount of scholarly attention. However, his contributions to the development of Islamic book culture in the service of language reform—the second of his self-identified life goals alongside religious reform—remain little known, as do those made by al-Jazāʾirī. Confronted with a growing body of printed literature, including books translated from European languages as well as an increasingly diverse range of Arabic works, some scholars recognized the powerful potential of print to serve their objective of broad, indigenously rooted sociocultural change. Driven by lofty goals such as the renewal of the Arabic language, elevation of public discourse, and cultivation of ethical sentiments in society, these religious reformers excavated the classical tradition for forgotten books that could be harnessed as exemplars and disseminated across society thanks to print.Less
This chapter focuses on two reformers, the Egyptian Muḥammad ʿAbduh (1849–1905) and the Syrian Ṭāhir al-Jazāʾirī (1852–1920). As a reformer, ʿAbduh in particular as received a significant amount of scholarly attention. However, his contributions to the development of Islamic book culture in the service of language reform—the second of his self-identified life goals alongside religious reform—remain little known, as do those made by al-Jazāʾirī. Confronted with a growing body of printed literature, including books translated from European languages as well as an increasingly diverse range of Arabic works, some scholars recognized the powerful potential of print to serve their objective of broad, indigenously rooted sociocultural change. Driven by lofty goals such as the renewal of the Arabic language, elevation of public discourse, and cultivation of ethical sentiments in society, these religious reformers excavated the classical tradition for forgotten books that could be harnessed as exemplars and disseminated across society thanks to print.
Ali Mirsepassi
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814795644
- eISBN:
- 9780814764398
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814795644.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
This introductory chapter presents the rationale of the book. This book offers a sociological perspective on the history of the struggle to achieve modernity and democracy in contemporary Iran. It ...
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This introductory chapter presents the rationale of the book. This book offers a sociological perspective on the history of the struggle to achieve modernity and democracy in contemporary Iran. It argues that Islam, as a religion, cultural practice, and democracy—and as a nonviolent way to organize political order—is both socially rooted and can be best understood and reconciled within a sociological and institutionally grounded perspective. This contrasts with the dominant current of thought among many prominent Iranian intellectuals, a discourse which argues that “Islamic culture” rests on an archaic set of fixed ideas and beliefs inherently hostile to democratization in Iran. The thinkers of this school argue that a radical philosophical critique of the history of ideas is called for as a fundamental prerequisite both to resolve the present political crisis and ensure the future well-being of the country.Less
This introductory chapter presents the rationale of the book. This book offers a sociological perspective on the history of the struggle to achieve modernity and democracy in contemporary Iran. It argues that Islam, as a religion, cultural practice, and democracy—and as a nonviolent way to organize political order—is both socially rooted and can be best understood and reconciled within a sociological and institutionally grounded perspective. This contrasts with the dominant current of thought among many prominent Iranian intellectuals, a discourse which argues that “Islamic culture” rests on an archaic set of fixed ideas and beliefs inherently hostile to democratization in Iran. The thinkers of this school argue that a radical philosophical critique of the history of ideas is called for as a fundamental prerequisite both to resolve the present political crisis and ensure the future well-being of the country.
Gregory Starrett
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520209268
- eISBN:
- 9780520919303
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520209268.003.0003
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Middle Eastern Cultural Anthropology
This chapter outlines Egypt's response to the professionalization of teaching and educational administration during the twentieth century. It takes a look at how the expansion of schooling as a ...
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This chapter outlines Egypt's response to the professionalization of teaching and educational administration during the twentieth century. It takes a look at how the expansion of schooling as a social institution, along with its accompanying theoretical elaboration, affected ideas on the nature and transmission of Islamic religious culture. The chapter studies the reactions and responsibilities toward mass education, the “four Rs” of the Egyptian elementary school program, and education during the Nasser Years, also discussing the effect of Anwar Sadat's leadership in elementary education and how religion was taught in postprimary schools.Less
This chapter outlines Egypt's response to the professionalization of teaching and educational administration during the twentieth century. It takes a look at how the expansion of schooling as a social institution, along with its accompanying theoretical elaboration, affected ideas on the nature and transmission of Islamic religious culture. The chapter studies the reactions and responsibilities toward mass education, the “four Rs” of the Egyptian elementary school program, and education during the Nasser Years, also discussing the effect of Anwar Sadat's leadership in elementary education and how religion was taught in postprimary schools.
Hamid Algar
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780198090441
- eISBN:
- 9780199082544
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198090441.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Film, Media, and Cultural Studies
ʿAbd al-Rahman Jami (1414–1492) is a culminating figure in Perso-Islamic culture, whose reputation and influence have endured undiminished throughout the eastern Islamic world — the Ottoman Empire ...
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ʿAbd al-Rahman Jami (1414–1492) is a culminating figure in Perso-Islamic culture, whose reputation and influence have endured undiminished throughout the eastern Islamic world — the Ottoman Empire and Central Asia, Iran, India, China and the Malay world. Primarily celebrated as a poet, Jami was also an accomplished Islamic scholar and Arabist, a Sufi of great standing, and an acerbic polemicist and social critic. This book begins with a sketch of the geographical and historical landscape behind the events of Jami’s life in Herat and beyond. It explains the influences upon his character and work; what shaped his poetic output, its literary forms, and thematic concerns; the reasons for the precise configuration of his Sufism within the Naqshbandiyya; and his combative support for some of the doctrines of Ibn ʿArabi. The book also discusses Jami’s practice of ‘seclusion within society’, whereby the Sufi was attentive to the problems of the community while being detached from them. Finally, it surveys the transmission of Jami’s literary, intellectual, and spiritual legacy to the eastern Islamic world, and presents an overview of recent Jami scholarship in the Islamic world, the West, and China.Less
ʿAbd al-Rahman Jami (1414–1492) is a culminating figure in Perso-Islamic culture, whose reputation and influence have endured undiminished throughout the eastern Islamic world — the Ottoman Empire and Central Asia, Iran, India, China and the Malay world. Primarily celebrated as a poet, Jami was also an accomplished Islamic scholar and Arabist, a Sufi of great standing, and an acerbic polemicist and social critic. This book begins with a sketch of the geographical and historical landscape behind the events of Jami’s life in Herat and beyond. It explains the influences upon his character and work; what shaped his poetic output, its literary forms, and thematic concerns; the reasons for the precise configuration of his Sufism within the Naqshbandiyya; and his combative support for some of the doctrines of Ibn ʿArabi. The book also discusses Jami’s practice of ‘seclusion within society’, whereby the Sufi was attentive to the problems of the community while being detached from them. Finally, it surveys the transmission of Jami’s literary, intellectual, and spiritual legacy to the eastern Islamic world, and presents an overview of recent Jami scholarship in the Islamic world, the West, and China.
