Muslims as actors : Islamic meanings and Muslim interpretations in the perspective of the study of religions / Jacques Waardenburg.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Waardenburg, Jean Jacques.

Series:

Religion and reason ; 46.

Religion and reason ; v. 46

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Islam--Research.

Islam.

Islam--Study and teaching.

Orientalism.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (492 p.)

Place of Publication:

Berlin ; New York : Walter de Gruyter, 2007.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This book deals with Islamic studies and with the question how the scholarly study of religion can contribute to the study of Islam. The author advocates studying Islamic phenomena as signs and symbols interpreted and applied in diverse ways in existing traditions. He stresses the role of Muslims as actors in the ongoing debate about the articulation of Islamic ways of life and construction of Islam as a religion. A careful study of this debate should steer clear of political, religious, and ideological interests. Research in this area by Muslims and non-Muslim scholars alike should address the question of what Muslims have made of their Islam in specific circumstances. Current political contexts have created an unhealthy climate for pursuing an "open" approach to Islam based on reading, observing, listening and reflecting. Yet, precisely nowadays we need to look anew at ways of Muslim thinking and acting that refer to Islam and to avoid certain schemes of interpreting Muslim realities that are no longer adequate for present-day Muslim life situations. Muslim recourses to Islam can be studied as human constructions of value and meaning, and relations between Muslims and others can be seen in terms of human interaction, without blame always falling on Islam as such.

Contents:

Front matter

Preface

Contents

Introduction

Selected Literature

Part One: Two Questions

Chapter 1. Can the Science of Religion Render Service to the Study of Islam?

Chapter 2. Can We Study Islam as a Signification System?

Part Two: Issues in Islamic Studies

Chapter 3. Islamic Studies and the Study of Religions and Cultures

Chapter 4. Some Social Scientific Orientations in Islamic Studies

Chapter 5. Islamic Studies and Intercultural Relations

Chapter 6. Presuppositions and Assumptions in Islamic Studies

Part Three: The Practice of Islamic Studies in History

Chapter 7. Massignon as a Student of Islam (1883-1962)

Chapter 8. Some Developments and Trends in Islamic Studies Since 1950

Chapter 9. Recent Scholarly Presentations of Islam

Chapter 10. Islamic and Religious Studies under the Conditions of the Cold War

Part Four: Studying Religions

Chapter 11. Religions as a Subject of Empirical Research

Chapter 12. Classical Phenomenology of Religion in the Netherlands 1920-1950

Chapter 13. Eliade as a Student of Religion (1907-1986)

Part Five: Muslims and Their Islam

Chapter 14. Believers in Focus. Exploring Muslim Life

Chapter 15. Islamic Reform and Renewal. Recourse to Scripture

Part Six: Further Reading

1. Middle Eastern Responses to Western Islamic Studies

2. Religion(s) and the Study of Religion(s)

3. Interpretative Studies of Religion

4. Gender and the Academic Study of Religion

5. The Study of Religions in Various Countries

6. Islamic Studies in Various Countries

Indexes

1. Index of Persons

2. Index of Subjects

3. Index of Concepts (Problem-Oriented)

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

ISBN:

9783110913958

311091395X

OCLC:

811406180