Download or read book Culture of Letter Writing in Pre Modern Islamic Society written by Adrian Gully and published by Edinburgh University Press. This book was released on 2008-02-07 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Culture of Letter-Writing in Pre-Modern Islamic Society received an honourable mention from the British-Kuwait Friendship Society at BRISMES 2009Writing letters was an important component of intellectual life in the Middle Islamic period, telling us much about the cultural history of pre-modern Islamic society. This book offers a unique analysis of letter-writing, focusing on the notion of the power of the pen. The author looks at the wider context of epistolography, relating it to the power structures of Islamic society in that period. He also attempts to identify some of the similarities and differences between Muslim modes of letter-writing and those of western cultures.One of the strengths of this book is that it is based on a wide range of primary Arabic sources, thus reflecting the broader epistemological importance of letter-writing in Islamic society.
Download or read book The Anthropology of Justice written by Lawrence Rosen and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1989-06-15 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Law has often been seen as a relatively autonomous domain, one in which a professional elite sharply control the impact of broader social relations and cultural concepts. By contrast this study asserts that the analysis of legal systems, like the analysis of social systems generally, requires an understanding of the concepts and relationships encountered in everyday social life. Using as its substantive base the Islamic law courts of Morocco, the study explores the cultural basis of judicial discretion. From the proposition that in Arabic culture relationships are subject to considerable negotiation the idea is developed that the shaping of facts in a court of law, the use of local experts, and the organization of the judicial structure all contribute to the reliance on local concepts and personnel to inform the range of judicial discretion. By drawing comparisons with the exercise of judicial discretion in America the study demonstrates that cultural concepts deeply inform the evaluation of issues and the shapes of a judge's decision. The Anthropology of Justice is not only the first full-scale study of the actual operations of the actual operations of a modern Islamic law court anywhere in the Arab world but a demonstration of the theoretical basis on which a cultural analysis of the law may be founded.
Download or read book Islamic Society and the West written by Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen Gibb and published by . This book was released on 1957 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Islamic Societies in Practice written by Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "When Americans look at the Muslim world, they see a uniform culture (Arab) with a single language (Arabic) communicated through a uniform religious belief and practice (Islam). Fluehr-Lobban shows us how simplistic and mistaken this view is."--Library Journal "Islamic Societies in Practice is an eloquent, thought-provoking antidote to the American media's attempts to reduce the complexity of the Muslim world to 30-second sound bytes. Fluehr-Lobban proffers insights which are the result of an open mind and long-term field experience. She addresses the misconceptions which many Westerners have about the Middle East, not only with fact and historical content, but also with anecdotal material about her own experience there, an unbeatable combination."--Middle East Women's Studies Review "An accessible primer on Islamic society, providing a good historical overview with a focus on how Islam is practiced. . . . The author's descriptions of Islamic values and social practices, gender relations, and the tensions within the umma, or the world Muslim community, are effectively filtered through her own experience."--Publishers Weekly "A wonderful contribution to the field . . . a concrete set of images and stories that offer many opportunities for discussions of the politics of ordinary life, as well as the opportunities in the region for increasing democracy, greater human rights, and expanded women's roles."--International Journal of Middle East Studies Originally written in the wake of the Gulf War, this book introduced the West to everyday Arab-Islamic cultures and societies, humanizing the region and its people. It ventured behind the headlines to offer a positive, constructive view of Islam and Muslims, showing how Islam is lived and practiced in daily life. Now revised and expanded in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Islamic Societies in Practice embraces the breadth of global Islam with significant new material on Islam in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States, as well as the Middle East. New maps and illustrations are included, detailing the diversity and representation of Islam and Muslims throughout the world. Additional material includes discussions of male and female relations; folk Islam, popular expressions of faith, and the five pillars; Sufism, including the Turkish Dervishes; ethnic and racial differences in the Muslim world; Islamic law and the application of harsh punishments; political Islam and the future of the state in the Islamic world; and the many voices of progressive Muslims--feminists, human rights activists, and anti-extremist writers. Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban is professor of anthropology at Rhode Island College.
Download or read book A History of Islamic Societies written by Ira M. Lapidus and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2014-10-13 with total page 1019 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This third edition of Ira M. Lapidus's classic A History of Islamic Societies has been substantially revised to incorporate the insights of new scholarship and updated to include historical developments in the first decade of the twenty-first century. Lapidus's history explores the beginnings and transformations of Islamic civilizations in the Middle East and details Islam's worldwide diffusion to Africa, Spain, Turkey and the Balkans, Central, South and Southeast Asia, and North America, situating Islamic societies within their global, political, and economic contexts. It accounts for the impact of European imperialism on Islamic societies and traces the development of the modern national state system and the simultaneous Islamic revival from the early nineteenth century to the present. This book is essential for readers seeking to understand Muslim peoples."--Publisher information.
Download or read book Values in Islamic Culture and the Experience of History written by N. S. Kirabaev and published by CRVP. This book was released on 2002 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The different aspects of islamic culture written by UNESCO and published by UNESCO Publishing. This book was released on 1998-12-31 with total page 476 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume, the first of six to be published, studies fundamental values of Islam, along with the nature of rights and the responsibilities in a general context. The authors analyse the development of social thought and morality in Islam, and ways in which they are enforced through the family and education. Particular attention is paid to the status of women, children, youth and the socially excluded. Several chapters broach specially Islamic approaches to economics, government and justice. A world religion since its inception in the seventh century A.D., Islam is today seeking vigorous answers to contemporary problems through its multi-faceted history. Issues of poverty and wealth, inequality and demands for political expression, and respect for diversity in a difficult world of conformity are dealt with in this series. The study is organized along thematic rather than chronological lines and thus it is not necessary to read the volumes in order. Volume II is in fact the first to have been published. Volume IV is forthcoming end 2002, volume V mid 2003 and volumes III and VI in 2004. This volume, the first of six to be published, studies fundamental values of Islam, along with the nature of rights and the responsibilities in a general context. The authors analyse the development of social thought and morality in Islam, and ways in which they are enforced through the family and education. Particular attention is paid to the status of women, children, youth and the socially excluded. Several chapters broach specially Islamic approaches to economics, government and justice.
Download or read book Islamic Society and Culture written by Narendra K. Wagle and published by . This book was released on 1983 with total page 383 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Some Aspects of Islamic Culture written by S. M. Yusuf and published by . This book was released on 1961 with total page 64 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book A Culture of Ambiguity written by Thomas Bauer and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2021-06-08 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the Western imagination, Islamic cultures are dominated by dogmatic religious norms that permit no nuance. Those fighting such stereotypes have countered with a portrait of Islam’s medieval “Golden Age,” marked by rationality, tolerance, and even proto-secularism. How can we understand Islamic history, culture, and thought beyond this dichotomy? In this magisterial cultural and intellectual history, Thomas Bauer reconsiders classical and modern Islam by tracing differing attitudes toward ambiguity. Over a span of many centuries, he explores the tension between one strand that aspires to annihilate all uncertainties and establish absolute, uncontestable truths and another, competing tendency that looks for ways to live with ambiguity and accept complexity. Bauer ranges across cultural and linguistic ambiguities, considering premodern Islamic textual and cultural forms from law to Quranic exegesis to literary genres alongside attitudes toward religious minorities and foreigners. He emphasizes the relative absence of conflict between religious and secular discourses in classical Islamic culture, which stands in striking contrast to both present-day fundamentalism and much of European history. Bauer shows how Islam’s encounter with the modern West and its demand for certainty helped bring about both Islamicist and secular liberal ideologies that in their own ways rejected ambiguity—and therefore also their own cultural traditions. Awarded the prestigious Leibniz Prize, A Culture of Ambiguity not only reframes a vast range of Islamic history but also offers an interdisciplinary model for investigating the tolerance of ambiguity across cultures and eras.
Download or read book Islamic Society and Culture written by Milton Israel and published by South Asia Books. This book was released on 1983 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Collection of articles honoring Aziz Ahmad, 1913-1978, historian of Muslim life and Culture.
Download or read book The Individual and Society in Islam written by Abdelwahab Bouhdiba and published by Unesco. This book was released on 1998 with total page 496 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The second volume looks at living Islam, the everyday practicalities rather than the eternal principles of the Muslim faith. It is a highly topical volume, with chapters on politics, economics, human rights and the emancipation of women. The role of the individual Muslim in the community is discussed. Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) is studied in its attempt to achieve the goals of rationality, universality and equality set out in the Koran. Islamic society should be a reflection of these ideals, with individuals trying to satisfy God by going beyond worship and ritual and actually living in an Islamic way. A Muslim does not just have faith, he or she is faith. This volume shows the adaptability of Islam and its ability to take into account local traditions, which has allowed the faith to spread far afield to India, Africa and Europe. It also describes how, more recently, education has begun to take an increasingly important role in guiding Muslims, giving them confidence in their own values, and imbuing them with their faith." (http://www.unesco.org/culture/aic/).
Download or read book Culture and Identity in a Muslim Society written by Gary S. Gregg and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2007-02-15 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the last fifteen years, psychologists have rediscovered culture and its influence on emotion, thought, and self. Many researchers have come to the conclusion that the world's cultures can be ranked according to the degree to which they are individualist or collectivist, with Western cultures falling at the individualist end and non-Western cultures at the collectivist end. These scholars argue that while individualist cultures give rise to "independent" selves, leading Westerners to think and act autonomously, collectivist cultures foster "interdependent" selves, leading non-Westerners, embedded in social-relationships, to think and act relationally. Culture and Identity in a Muslim Society presents an alternative to the individualist- collectivist approach to identity. Unlike most psychological and anthropological studies of culture and self, Gary Gregg's work directly investigates individuals, using "study of lives"-style interviews with young adults living in villages and small towns in southern Morocco. Analyzing these young adults' life-narratives, Gregg builds a theory of culture and identity that differs from prevailing psychological and anthropological models in important respects. In contrast to modernist theories of identity as unified, the life-narratives show individuals to articulate a small set of shifting identities. In contrast to post-modern theories that claim people have a kaleidoscopic multiplicity of fluid identities, the narratives show that the identities are integrated by repeated use of culturally-specific self-symbols, metaphors, and story-plots. Most importantly, the life-narratives show these young Moroccans' self-representations to be pervasively shaped by the volatile cultural struggle between Western-style "modernity" and authentic Muslim "tradition." Offering a new approach to the study of identity, the volume will be of interest to cross-cultural psychologists, anthropologists, scholars of Middle-East societies, and researchers specializing in the study of lives.
Download or read book The Culture of the Islamic World written by Vic Kovacs and published by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. This book was released on 2016-07-15 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Islam is one of the world’s major religions, and in ancient times, the Islamic world was one of the world’s major societies. This title provides a sweeping look at the important contributions people of the Islamic world made to learning, architecture, trade, the military, and religion. Readers will learn about the “birth” of Islam through the height of Islamic rule, life in the Ottoman Empire, and the culture’s decline. Coverage of architecture, education, class structure, trade, and the role of men and women supports elementary social studies curricula. Readers will walk away with an understanding of daily life in the culture, as well as its long-standing legacy.
Download or read book Barren Women written by Sara Verskin and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2020-04-06 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Barren Women is the first scholarly book to explore the ramifications of being infertile in the medieval Arab-Islamic world. Through an examination of legal texts, medical treatises, and works of religious preaching, Sara Verskin illuminates how attitudes toward mixed-gender interactions; legal theories pertaining to marriage, divorce, and inheritance; and scientific theories of reproduction contoured the intellectual and social landscape infertile women had to navigate. In so doing, she highlights underappreciated vulnerabilities and opportunities for women’s autonomy within the system of Islamic family law, and explores the diverse marketplace of medical ideas in the medieval world and the perceived connection between women’s health practices and religious heterodoxy. Featuring copious translations of primary sources and minimal theoretical jargon, Barren Women provides a multidimensional perspective on the experience of infertility, while also enhancing our understanding of institutions and modes of thought which played significant roles in shaping women’s lives more broadly. This monograph has been awarded the annual BRAIS – De Gruyter Prize in the Study of Islam and the Muslim World.
Download or read book Islam and Colonialism written by Muhamad Ali and published by Edinburgh University Press. This book was released on 2015-12-08 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers a comparative and cross-cultural history of Islamic reform and European colonialism as both dependent and independent factors in shaping the multiple ways of becoming modern in Indonesia and Malaya during the first half of the twentieth century.
Download or read book Before Sufism written by Christopher Melchert and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2020-06-08 with total page 307 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Christopher Melchert proposes to historicize Islamic renunciant piety (zuhd). As the conquest period wound down in the early eighth century c.e., renunciants set out to maintain the contempt of worldly comfort and loyalty to a greater cause that had characterized the community of Muslims in the seventh century. Instead of reckless endangerment on the battlefield, they cultivated intense fear of the Last Judgement to come. They spent nights weeping, reciting the Qur’an, and performing supererogatory ritual prayers. They stressed other-worldliness to the extent of minimizing good works in this world. Then the decline of tribute from the conquered peoples and conversion to Islam made it increasingly unfeasible for most Muslims to keep up any such régime. Professional differentiation also provoked increasing criticism of austerity. Finally, in the later ninth century, a form of Sufism emerged that would accommodate those willing and able to spend most of their time on religious devotions, those willing and able to spend their time on other religious pursuits such as law and hadith, and those unwilling or unable to do either.
