Situating Islam

Situating Islam

Author: Aaron W. Hughes

Publisher: Acumen Publishing

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 150

ISBN-13:

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The formation of any scholarly discourse is contingent upon the creation of a vocabulary and a set of categories responsible for manufacturing the data that it deems "significant" or not. The discovery of raw data, the manufacture of theoretical or interpretive frameworks that make sense of such data, and subsequent scholarly conventions responsible for its dissemination are always mediated by particular social, ideological, and political contexts. This book documents these contexts in the creation of the discipline known as Islamic Studies and demonstrates how they have been instrumental in shaping how we think about Islam in both the academy and, especially post 9/11, in the media. This volume argues that knowledge of Islam has never been innocent or about the simple collection of facts, but that the interpretive lenses used to study Islam have always been and continue to be caught up with larger forces (e.g., the reform of Judaism, Orientalism, identity politics of the 1960s, 9/11, the fight against terrorism, the creation of a liberal Islam). Whereas previous work is content to show the nefarious influence of Orientalism in the creation of Islamic data and the formation of an essentialized Islam, Situating Islam argues that the opposite approach - the construction of an authentic Islam that coincides effortlessly with Western values - is equally problematic. The work concludes by examining how Islamic data has the potential to help us better understand how we construct and contest "religion."


Book Synopsis Situating Islam by : Aaron W. Hughes

Download or read book Situating Islam written by Aaron W. Hughes and published by Acumen Publishing. This book was released on 2007 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The formation of any scholarly discourse is contingent upon the creation of a vocabulary and a set of categories responsible for manufacturing the data that it deems "significant" or not. The discovery of raw data, the manufacture of theoretical or interpretive frameworks that make sense of such data, and subsequent scholarly conventions responsible for its dissemination are always mediated by particular social, ideological, and political contexts. This book documents these contexts in the creation of the discipline known as Islamic Studies and demonstrates how they have been instrumental in shaping how we think about Islam in both the academy and, especially post 9/11, in the media. This volume argues that knowledge of Islam has never been innocent or about the simple collection of facts, but that the interpretive lenses used to study Islam have always been and continue to be caught up with larger forces (e.g., the reform of Judaism, Orientalism, identity politics of the 1960s, 9/11, the fight against terrorism, the creation of a liberal Islam). Whereas previous work is content to show the nefarious influence of Orientalism in the creation of Islamic data and the formation of an essentialized Islam, Situating Islam argues that the opposite approach - the construction of an authentic Islam that coincides effortlessly with Western values - is equally problematic. The work concludes by examining how Islamic data has the potential to help us better understand how we construct and contest "religion."


Muslim Identities

Muslim Identities

Author: Aaron W. Hughes

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2013-04-09

Total Pages: 329

ISBN-13: 0231531923

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Rather than focus solely on theological concerns, this well-rounded introduction takes an expansive view of Islamic ideology, culture, and tradition, sourcing a range of historical, sociological, and literary perspectives. Neither overly critical nor apologetic, this book reflects the rich diversity of Muslim identities across the centuries and counters the unflattering, superficial portrayals of Islam that are shaping public discourse today. Aaron W. Hughes uniquely traces the development of Islam in relation to historical, intellectual, and cultural influences, enriching his narrative with the findings, debates, and methodologies of related disciplines, such as archaeology, history, and Near Eastern studies. Hughes's work challenges the dominance of traditional terms and concepts in religious studies, recasting religion as a set of social and cultural facts imagined, manipulated, and contested by various actors and groups over time. Making extensive use of contemporary identity theory, Hughes rethinks the teaching of Islam and religions in general and helps facilitate a more critical approach to Muslim sources. For readers seeking a non-theological, unbiased, and richly human portrait of Islam, as well as a strong grasp of Islamic study's major issues and debates, this textbook is a productive, progressive alternative to more classic surveys.


Book Synopsis Muslim Identities by : Aaron W. Hughes

Download or read book Muslim Identities written by Aaron W. Hughes and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2013-04-09 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rather than focus solely on theological concerns, this well-rounded introduction takes an expansive view of Islamic ideology, culture, and tradition, sourcing a range of historical, sociological, and literary perspectives. Neither overly critical nor apologetic, this book reflects the rich diversity of Muslim identities across the centuries and counters the unflattering, superficial portrayals of Islam that are shaping public discourse today. Aaron W. Hughes uniquely traces the development of Islam in relation to historical, intellectual, and cultural influences, enriching his narrative with the findings, debates, and methodologies of related disciplines, such as archaeology, history, and Near Eastern studies. Hughes's work challenges the dominance of traditional terms and concepts in religious studies, recasting religion as a set of social and cultural facts imagined, manipulated, and contested by various actors and groups over time. Making extensive use of contemporary identity theory, Hughes rethinks the teaching of Islam and religions in general and helps facilitate a more critical approach to Muslim sources. For readers seeking a non-theological, unbiased, and richly human portrait of Islam, as well as a strong grasp of Islamic study's major issues and debates, this textbook is a productive, progressive alternative to more classic surveys.


Refractions of Islam in India

Refractions of Islam in India

Author: Carl W. Ernst

Publisher: SAGE Publications Pvt. Limited

Published: 2016-08-22

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9789351508915

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The essays explore Sufism as it developed in the Indian subcontinent, including translations of previously unavailable texts, and revealing unexpected insights into the lives, practices, and teachings of Indian Muslims over nearly a thousand years. They also trace remarkable moments in the history of Muslim engagement with Indian religious and cultural practices. This includes not only Muslim participation in Indian art and literature, but also the extraordinary role that Sufis have played in the practice of yoga. Employing new approaches to religious studies that avoid essentialism and ideological concepts of religion, and shorn of unnecessary jargon, these compelling essays will be easily accessible to a larger audience.


Book Synopsis Refractions of Islam in India by : Carl W. Ernst

Download or read book Refractions of Islam in India written by Carl W. Ernst and published by SAGE Publications Pvt. Limited. This book was released on 2016-08-22 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The essays explore Sufism as it developed in the Indian subcontinent, including translations of previously unavailable texts, and revealing unexpected insights into the lives, practices, and teachings of Indian Muslims over nearly a thousand years. They also trace remarkable moments in the history of Muslim engagement with Indian religious and cultural practices. This includes not only Muslim participation in Indian art and literature, but also the extraordinary role that Sufis have played in the practice of yoga. Employing new approaches to religious studies that avoid essentialism and ideological concepts of religion, and shorn of unnecessary jargon, these compelling essays will be easily accessible to a larger audience.


What is Islam?

What is Islam?

Author: Shahab Ahmed

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 632

ISBN-13: 0691164185

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A bold new conceptualization of Islam that reflects its contradictions and rich diversity What is Islam? How do we grasp a human and historical phenomenon characterized by such variety and contradiction? What is "Islamic" about Islamic philosophy or Islamic art? Should we speak of Islam or of islams? Should we distinguish the Islamic (the religious) from the Islamicate (the cultural)? Or should we abandon "Islamic" altogether as an analytical term? In What Is Islam?, Shahab Ahmed presents a bold new conceptualization of Islam that challenges dominant understandings grounded in the categories of "religion" and "culture" or those that privilege law and scripture. He argues that these modes of thinking obstruct us from understanding Islam, distorting it, diminishing it, and rendering it incoherent. What Is Islam? formulates a new conceptual language for analyzing Islam. It presents a new paradigm of how Muslims have historically understood divine revelation--one that enables us to understand how and why Muslims through history have embraced values such as exploration, ambiguity, aestheticization, polyvalence, and relativism, as well as practices such as figural art, music, and even wine drinking as Islamic. It also puts forward a new understanding of the historical constitution of Islamic law and its relationship to philosophical ethics and political theory. A book that is certain to provoke debate and significantly alter our understanding of Islam, What Is Islam? reveals how Muslims have historically conceived of and lived with Islam as norms and truths that are at once contradictory yet coherent.


Book Synopsis What is Islam? by : Shahab Ahmed

Download or read book What is Islam? written by Shahab Ahmed and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2016 with total page 632 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A bold new conceptualization of Islam that reflects its contradictions and rich diversity What is Islam? How do we grasp a human and historical phenomenon characterized by such variety and contradiction? What is "Islamic" about Islamic philosophy or Islamic art? Should we speak of Islam or of islams? Should we distinguish the Islamic (the religious) from the Islamicate (the cultural)? Or should we abandon "Islamic" altogether as an analytical term? In What Is Islam?, Shahab Ahmed presents a bold new conceptualization of Islam that challenges dominant understandings grounded in the categories of "religion" and "culture" or those that privilege law and scripture. He argues that these modes of thinking obstruct us from understanding Islam, distorting it, diminishing it, and rendering it incoherent. What Is Islam? formulates a new conceptual language for analyzing Islam. It presents a new paradigm of how Muslims have historically understood divine revelation--one that enables us to understand how and why Muslims through history have embraced values such as exploration, ambiguity, aestheticization, polyvalence, and relativism, as well as practices such as figural art, music, and even wine drinking as Islamic. It also puts forward a new understanding of the historical constitution of Islamic law and its relationship to philosophical ethics and political theory. A book that is certain to provoke debate and significantly alter our understanding of Islam, What Is Islam? reveals how Muslims have historically conceived of and lived with Islam as norms and truths that are at once contradictory yet coherent.


Muslim Environmentalisms

Muslim Environmentalisms

Author: Anna M. Gade

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2019-08-20

Total Pages: 354

ISBN-13: 0231549210

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How might understandings of environmentalism and the environmental humanities shift by incorporating Islamic perspectives? In this book, Anna M. Gade explores the religious and cultural foundations of Islamic environmentalisms. She blends textual and ethnographic study to offer a comprehensive and interdisciplinary account of the legal, ethical, social, and empirical principles underlying Muslim commitments to the earth. Muslim Environmentalisms shows how diverse Muslim communities and schools of thought have addressed ecological questions for the sake of this world and the world to come. Gade draws on a rich spectrum of materials―scripture, jurisprudence, science, art, and social and political engagement―as well as fieldwork in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. The book brings together case studies in disaster management, educational programs, international development, conservation projects, religious ritual and performance, and Islamic law to rethink key theories. Gade shows that the Islamic tradition leads us to see the environment as an ethical idea, moving beyond the established frameworks of both nature and crisis. Muslim Environmentalisms models novel approaches to the study of religion and environment from a humanistic perspective, reinterpreting issues at the intersection of numerous academic disciplines to propose a postcolonial and global understanding of environment in terms of consequential relations.


Book Synopsis Muslim Environmentalisms by : Anna M. Gade

Download or read book Muslim Environmentalisms written by Anna M. Gade and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2019-08-20 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How might understandings of environmentalism and the environmental humanities shift by incorporating Islamic perspectives? In this book, Anna M. Gade explores the religious and cultural foundations of Islamic environmentalisms. She blends textual and ethnographic study to offer a comprehensive and interdisciplinary account of the legal, ethical, social, and empirical principles underlying Muslim commitments to the earth. Muslim Environmentalisms shows how diverse Muslim communities and schools of thought have addressed ecological questions for the sake of this world and the world to come. Gade draws on a rich spectrum of materials―scripture, jurisprudence, science, art, and social and political engagement―as well as fieldwork in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. The book brings together case studies in disaster management, educational programs, international development, conservation projects, religious ritual and performance, and Islamic law to rethink key theories. Gade shows that the Islamic tradition leads us to see the environment as an ethical idea, moving beyond the established frameworks of both nature and crisis. Muslim Environmentalisms models novel approaches to the study of religion and environment from a humanistic perspective, reinterpreting issues at the intersection of numerous academic disciplines to propose a postcolonial and global understanding of environment in terms of consequential relations.


Islamic Education and Indoctrination

Islamic Education and Indoctrination

Author: Charlene Tan

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2012-01-26

Total Pages: 223

ISBN-13: 113673144X

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This book critically examines the concept of indoctrination within the Western liberal traditions and analyses case studies of indoctrination in some Muslim societies. It offers suggestions to counter religious indoctrination and highlights the key tensions, challenges and prospects of Islamic education in a modern and multicultural world.


Book Synopsis Islamic Education and Indoctrination by : Charlene Tan

Download or read book Islamic Education and Indoctrination written by Charlene Tan and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012-01-26 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book critically examines the concept of indoctrination within the Western liberal traditions and analyses case studies of indoctrination in some Muslim societies. It offers suggestions to counter religious indoctrination and highlights the key tensions, challenges and prospects of Islamic education in a modern and multicultural world.


Writing Religion

Writing Religion

Author: Steven W. Ramey

Publisher: University of Alabama Press

Published: 2015-07-30

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 0817318720

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Writing Religion: The Case for the Critical Study of Religion is a collection of outstanding essays on wide-ranging aspects of religious studies by well-known scholars, delivered as part of the University of Alabama's annual Aronov Lectures.


Book Synopsis Writing Religion by : Steven W. Ramey

Download or read book Writing Religion written by Steven W. Ramey and published by University of Alabama Press. This book was released on 2015-07-30 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Writing Religion: The Case for the Critical Study of Religion is a collection of outstanding essays on wide-ranging aspects of religious studies by well-known scholars, delivered as part of the University of Alabama's annual Aronov Lectures.


Muslim Identities

Muslim Identities

Author: Aaron Hughes

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2013-04-23

Total Pages: 330

ISBN-13: 0231161476

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This well-rounded introduction takes an expansive view of Islamic ideology, culture, and tradition, sourcing a range of historical, sociological, and literary perspectives.


Book Synopsis Muslim Identities by : Aaron Hughes

Download or read book Muslim Identities written by Aaron Hughes and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2013-04-23 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This well-rounded introduction takes an expansive view of Islamic ideology, culture, and tradition, sourcing a range of historical, sociological, and literary perspectives.


New Methodological Perspectives in Islamic Studies

New Methodological Perspectives in Islamic Studies

Author:

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2023-05-25

Total Pages: 329

ISBN-13: 9004536639

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This volume draws attention to and moves beyond the traditional methodological frames that have governed knowledge production in the academic study of Islam. Departing from Orientalist and largely textual studies, the chapters collected herein revolve around three main themes: gender, the political, and what has come to be known as "lived Islam." The first involves ascertaining how to read gender and gender issues into traditional sources. The second encourages an attunement to the often delicate intersection between the spheres of religion and politics. The final provides a corrective to our traditional over-emphasis on the interpretation of texts and a preoccupation with studying (mainly male) elites. Taken as a whole, this volume encourages a multi-methodological approach to the study of Islam. Contributors include Abbas Aghdassi, Aaron W. Hughes, Eva Kepplinger, Taira Amin, Betül Avcı, Ali Abedi Renani and Seyyed Ebrahim Sarparast Sadat, Meral Durmuş and Bahattin Akşit, Walid Ghali, Isabella Crespi and Martina Crescenti, Brian Arly Jacobsen, Pernille Friis Jensen, Kirstine Sinclair, and Niels Valdemar Vinding, Magdalena Pycińska, Zahraa McDonald, Emin Poljarevic, Abdessamad Belhaj.


Book Synopsis New Methodological Perspectives in Islamic Studies by :

Download or read book New Methodological Perspectives in Islamic Studies written by and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2023-05-25 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume draws attention to and moves beyond the traditional methodological frames that have governed knowledge production in the academic study of Islam. Departing from Orientalist and largely textual studies, the chapters collected herein revolve around three main themes: gender, the political, and what has come to be known as "lived Islam." The first involves ascertaining how to read gender and gender issues into traditional sources. The second encourages an attunement to the often delicate intersection between the spheres of religion and politics. The final provides a corrective to our traditional over-emphasis on the interpretation of texts and a preoccupation with studying (mainly male) elites. Taken as a whole, this volume encourages a multi-methodological approach to the study of Islam. Contributors include Abbas Aghdassi, Aaron W. Hughes, Eva Kepplinger, Taira Amin, Betül Avcı, Ali Abedi Renani and Seyyed Ebrahim Sarparast Sadat, Meral Durmuş and Bahattin Akşit, Walid Ghali, Isabella Crespi and Martina Crescenti, Brian Arly Jacobsen, Pernille Friis Jensen, Kirstine Sinclair, and Niels Valdemar Vinding, Magdalena Pycińska, Zahraa McDonald, Emin Poljarevic, Abdessamad Belhaj.


Islamic Traditions and Muslim Youth in Norway

Islamic Traditions and Muslim Youth in Norway

Author: Christine Jacobsen

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2010-12-17

Total Pages: 431

ISBN-13: 9047441257

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Drawing on a broad range of theorizing in anthropology and the social sciences, this book provides an in-depth ethnographic account of how 'young Muslims' in Norway engage and rework Islamic traditions in a context of international migration, globalization, and secular modernity.


Book Synopsis Islamic Traditions and Muslim Youth in Norway by : Christine Jacobsen

Download or read book Islamic Traditions and Muslim Youth in Norway written by Christine Jacobsen and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2010-12-17 with total page 431 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drawing on a broad range of theorizing in anthropology and the social sciences, this book provides an in-depth ethnographic account of how 'young Muslims' in Norway engage and rework Islamic traditions in a context of international migration, globalization, and secular modernity.