Muslim identities and modernity : the transformation of Egyptian culture, thought and literature / Maha Habib.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Habib, Maha, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Social change--Egypt.

Social change.

Islamic modernism--Egypt.

Islamic modernism.

Islam and politics--Egypt.

Islam and politics.

Secularism.

Egypt.

Secularism--Egypt.

Physical Description:

335 pages ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

London : I.B. Tauris, 2016.

Summary:

What have the concepts of modernity and secularization meant for Islamic tradition, culture and society? How have the discourses which surround all of these issues influenced Muslim self-perception and individual identity? There have been many attempts to describe and analyse the encounter between Islam and modernity in the Middle East, but few have been able so effectively to explore the impact this has on the idea and reality of religious identity and individual religiosity. Maha F. Habib examines modernity from this angle, offering socio cultural, philosophical and literary perspectives. She assesses how this is played out in Egypt, analysing cultural changes in the country through its intellectual thought and literature, from the nineteenth century to the present day. Her references to the works of Muhammad Abdu, Muhammad Husayn Haykal, 'Abbas Mahmud al-'Aqqad, Naguib Mahfouz, Alaa al-Aswany and Salwa Bakr reveal contemporary issues and concerns which will interest those researching the cultural and social milieu of modern Egypt. Book jacket.

Contents:

Part I Secularization, Islam and the Predicament of Identity 23

1 The Enlightenment Project and Secularization in the West 29

2 Modernity and Islam in Egypt: The Struggle for Self-Representation and the Problem of Orientation (Late Nineteenth Century-Early Twentieth Century) 43

3 Islam and Modernity: The Predicament of Identity (Early Twentieth Century-Present) 68

4 Narrating Islam, Modernity and Muslim Identity (Mid-Twentieth Century-Present) 84

Part II States of Cultural Contestation and the Struggle for Self-Definition (Early Twentieth Century-Mid-Twentieth Century) 105

5 Nartating the Nation: The Rise of Egyptian (Territorial) Nationalism (1900-1930s) 109

6 The Rise of Easternism and National Redefinition (1930s-1950s) 151

Part III States of Ambivalence (Mid-Twentieth Century - Present) 181

7 From Sacred to Secular: Time and Space, Alienation and Exile 199

8 The Transformation of Social Formations 208

9 The Plight of Women 225

10 Ambivalent Identities and the Sacred 234.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [314]-328) and index.

ISBN:

9781784532192

1784532193

OCLC:

946705144