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A reinterpretation of Ibn Khaldun, 14th-century Arabic philosopher,
historian and politician.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Arab world has
undergone a series of radical transformations. One of the most
significant is the resurgence of activist and puritanical forms of
religion presenting as viable alternatives to existing social,
cultural and political practices. The rise in sectarianism and
violence in the name of religion has left scholars searching for
adequate conceptual tools that might generate a clearer insight
into these interconnected conflicts. In Striking from the Margins,
leading authorities in their field propose new analytical
frameworks to facilitate greater understanding of the fragmentation
and devolution of the state in the Arab world. Challenging the
revival of well-worn theories in cultural and post-colonial
studies, they provide novel contributions on issues ranging from
military formations, political violence in urban and rural
settings, trans-regional war economies, the crystallisation of
sect-based authorities and the restructuring of tribal networks.
Placing much-needed emphasis on the re-emergence of religion, this
timely and vital volume offers a new, critical approach to the
study of the volatile and evolving cultural, social and political
landscapes of the Middle East.
This is a study of the structure and composition of the official
learning current in medieval Arabic culture. This comprises natural
sciences both exoteric and esoteric (medicine, alchemy, astrology
and others), traditional and religious sciences (such as theology,
exegesis and grammar), philosophical sciences such as metaphysics
and ethics, in addition to technical disciplines like political
theory and medicine, and other fields of intellectual endeavour.
The book identifies and develops a number of conceptual elements
common to the various areas of official Arabic scientific
discourse, and shows how these elements integrate these disparate
sciences into an historical epistemic unity. The specific profile
of each of these different sciences is described, in terms of its
conceptual content, but especially with reference to its historical
circumstances. These are seen to be embodied in a number of
institutional supports, both intellectual and social: paradigms,
schools of thought, institutions of learning, pedagogic techniques,
and a body of professionals, all of which combine to form definite,
albeit ever renewed, traditions of learning. Finally, an attempt is
made to relate Arabic scientific knowledge in the Middle Ages to
patterns of scientific and political authority. First published in
1986.
This book underlines the mutability of Islamic law and attempts to
relate its substantive and institutional varieties and
transformations to social, political, economic and other historical
circumstances. The studies in the book range from discussion of the
received wisdom in Islamic law to studies of legal institutions and
the theoretical means employed by Islamic law for the accommodation
of changing historical circumstances. First published in 1988.
This book underlines the mutability of Islamic law and attempts to
relate its substantive and institutional varieties and
transformations to social, political, economic and other historical
circumstances. The studies in the book range from discussion of the
received wisdom in Islamic law to studies of legal institutions and
the theoretical means employed by Islamic law for the accommodation
of changing historical circumstances. First published in 1988.
This is a collection of essays on current questions of
historiography, illustrated with reference to Islamic
historiography. The main concerns are conceptions of time and
temporality, the uses of the past, historical periodisation,
historical categorisation, and the constitution of historical
objects, not least those called "civilisation" and "Islam." One of
the aims of this book is to apply to Islamic materials the standard
conceptual equipment used in historical study, and to exercise a
large-scale comparativist outlook.
A reinterpretation of Ibn Khaldun, 14th-century Arabic philosopher,
historian and politician.
This is a study of the structure and composition of the official
learning current in medieval Arabic culture. This comprises natural
sciences both exoteric and esoteric (medicine, alchemy, astrology
and others), traditional and religious sciences (such as theology,
exegesis and grammar), philosophical sciences such as metaphysics
and ethics, in addition to technical disciplines like political
theory and medicine, and other fields of intellectual endeavour.
The book identifies and develops a number of conceptual elements
common to the various areas of official Arabic scientific
discourse, and shows how these elements integrate these disparate
sciences into an historical epistemic unity. The specific profile
of each of these different sciences is described, in terms of its
conceptual content, but especially with reference to its historical
circumstances. These are seen to be embodied in a number of
institutional supports, both intellectual and social: paradigms,
schools of thought, institutions of learning, pedagogic techniques,
and a body of professionals, all of which combine to form definite,
albeit ever renewed, traditions of learning. Finally, an attempt is
made to relate Arabic scientific knowledge in the Middle Ages to
patterns of scientific and political authority. First published in
1986.
This book is a translation of Aziz al-Azmeh's seminal work
Al-'Ilmaniya min mandhur mukhtalif that was first published in
Beirut in 1992. Both celebrated and criticised for its reflections
on Arab secularisation and secularism in the modern history of the
Arab World, it is the only study to date to approach its subject as
a set of historical changes which affected the regulation of the
social, political and cultural order, and which permeated the
concrete workings of society, rather than as an ideological
discussion framed from the outset by the assumed opposition between
Islam and secularism. The author takes a comprehensive analytical
perspective to show that an almost imperceptible yet real,
multi-faceted and objective secularising process has been underway
in the Arab world since the 1850s. The early onset was the result
of adapting to systemic novelties introduced at the time and a
reaction to the perceived European advance and local retardation.
The need for meaningful reform, and the actions taken in order to
put in place a new organisation of state and society based on
modern organisational and educational criteria, rather than older,
religious traditions, stemmed from the perceived weakness of Arab
polities and from an internal drive to overcome this situation. The
book follows these themes into the close of the twentieth
centuries, marked with the rise of Islamism. A preface to the
English translation takes a retrospective look at the theme from
the vantage point of social, political and intellectual issues of
relevance today.
This book is a translation of Aziz al-Azmeh's seminal work
Al-'Ilmaniya min mandhur mukhtalif that was first published in
Beirut in 1992. Both celebrated and criticised for its reflections
on Arab secularisation and secularism in the modern history of the
Arab World, it is the only study to date to approach its subject as
a set of historical changes which affected the regulation of the
social, political and cultural order, and which permeated the
concrete workings of society, rather than as an ideological
discussion framed from the outset by the assumed opposition between
Islam and secularism. The author takes a comprehensive analytical
perspective to show that an almost imperceptible yet real,
multi-faceted and objective secularising process has been underway
in the Arab world since the 1850s. The early onset was the result
of adapting to systemic novelties introduced at the time and a
reaction to the perceived European advance and local retardation.
The need for meaningful reform, and the actions taken in order to
put in place a new organisation of state and society based on
modern organisational and educational criteria, rather than older,
religious traditions, stemmed from the perceived weakness of Arab
polities and from an internal drive to overcome this situation. The
book follows these themes into the close of the 20th century,
marked with the rise of Islamism. A preface to the English
translation takes a retrospective look at the theme from the
vantage point of social, political and intellectual issues of
relevance today.
Based on epigraphic and other material evidence as well as more
traditional literary sources and critical review of the extensive
relevant scholarship, this book presents a comprehensive and
innovative reconstruction of the rise of Islam as a religion and
imperial polity. It reassesses the development of the imperial
monotheism of the New Rome, and considers the history of the Arabs
as an integral part of Late Antiquity, including Arab ethnogenesis
and the emergence of what was to become Muslim monotheism,
comparable with the emergence of other monotheisms from
polytheistic systems. Topics discussed include the emergence and
development of the Muhammadan polity and its new cultic deity and
associated ritual, the constitution of the Muslim canon, and the
development of early Islam as an imperial religion. Intended
principally for scholars of Late Antiquity, Islamic studies and the
history of religions, the book opens up many novel directions for
future research.
This study outlines the main features of the theory and practice of
political power in Muslim polities in the Middle Ages against the
background of Near Eastern traditions of kingship, particularly
Hellenistic, Persian, and Byzantine. The early Arab-Muslim polity
is treated as an integral part of late Antiquity and the book
explores the way in which older traditions were transposed into
Islamic form and given specifically Islamic textual sanction.
Post-conflict scenarios are often proposed for Arab countries that
have witnessed significant changes and civil wars. Yet the plans
for reconciliation, transitional justice, and the return of the
displaced often overlook the real conditions that make these
recommendations impossible. This book provides a critical analysis
of current post-conflict frameworks for Syria and Iraq. Drawing on
empirical research, the book shows that reconciliation and
reconstruction scenarios need to be considered alongside the
realities on the ground. It argues that Iraq and Syria exist in a
condition of ‘conflict transformation’ rather than of
‘conflict termination’, because the extreme changes that
accompanied these countries into war continue long after the
conflicts end. Furthermore, the chapters highlight why experts
should not seek solutions in culturalist terms and ancestral
enmities, or rely on the wartime status quo. Rather, they should
look to the specific military, political, economic and
socio-cultural conditions that require different solutions. A
critical analysis of existing post-conflict frameworks, their
applicability and their potential outcomes in Iraq and Syria, the
book is a vital contribution to post-conflict studies. It
highlights the need for new approaches to reconstruction and
peacebuilding in Arab countries and points to how they should be
found.
Islam has become the new spectre haunting Europe. All too often,
even well-meaning liberals portray the modern resurgence of Islam
as the new "Green Menace" intolerant, medieval and barbaric which
has replaced Communism as the main threat to Western civilization
and values. For Aziz Al-Azmeh, this Orientalist and racist view of
Islam is nothing but the mirror-image of the myths propagated by
Islamic fundamentalists and radicals. Both views share an erroneous
and a historical conception of Islam as an unchanging and
monolithic entity. Surveying both its social origins and its
intellectual genealogy, Al-Azmeh rethinks the relationship between
Islam and the West, uncovering a rich actual history of
interaction. In this expanded new edition, the author examines the
discourse surrounding Islamism and irrationalism after 9/11.
The purpose of this study is to consider the value and relevance of
these sources for the reconstruction of the social, political,
cultural and religious history of the Arabs as they were still
pagans, and to reconstruct the emergence of Muhammadan and
immediately post-Muhammadan religion and polity. -- This is the
first book in a new series entitled Theories and Paradigms of
Islamic Studies.
Based on epigraphic and other material evidence as well as more
traditional literary sources and critical review of the extensive
relevant scholarship, this book presents a comprehensive and
innovative reconstruction of the rise of Islam as a religion and
imperial polity. It reassesses the development of the imperial
monotheism of the New Rome, and considers the history of the Arabs
as an integral part of Late Antiquity, including Arab ethnogenesis
and the emergence of what was to become Muslim monotheism,
comparable with the emergence of other monotheisms from
polytheistic systems. Topics discussed include the emergence and
development of the Muhammadan polity and its new cultic deity and
associated ritual, the constitution of the Muslim canon, and the
development of early Islam as an imperial religion. Intended
principally for scholars of Late Antiquity, Islamic studies and the
history of religions, the book opens up many novel directions for
future research.
Events over recent years have increased the global interest in
Islam. This volume seeks to combat generalisations about the Muslim
presence in Europe by illuminating its diversity across Europe and
offering a more realistic, highly differentiated picture. It
contends with the monist concept of identity that suggests Islam is
the shared and main definition of Muslims living in Europe. The
contributors also explore the influence of the European Union on
the Muslim communities within its borders, and examine how the EU
is in turn affected by the Muslim presence in Europe. This book
comes at a critical moment in the evolution of the place of Islam
within Europe and will appeal to scholars, students and
practitioners in the fields of European studies, politics and
policies of the European Union, sociology, sociology of religion,
and international relations. It also addresses the wider framework
of uncertainties and unease about religion in Europe.
Events over recent years have increased the global interest in
Islam. This volume seeks to combat generalisations about the Muslim
presence in Europe by illuminating its diversity across Europe and
offering a more realistic, highly differentiated picture. It
contends with the monist concept of identity that suggests Islam is
the shared and main definition of Muslims living in Europe. The
contributors also explore the influence of the European Union on
the Muslim communities within its borders, and examine how the EU
is in turn affected by the Muslim presence in Europe. This book
comes at a critical moment in the evolution of the place of Islam
within Europe and will appeal to scholars, students and
practitioners in the fields of European studies, politics and
policies of the European Union, sociology, sociology of religion,
and international relations. It also addresses the wider framework
of uncertainties and unease about religion in Europe.
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