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Zusatztext "Splendid collection of provocative essays." Informationen zum Autor Mehran Kamrava is Interim Dean of Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service in Qatar and also the Director of the School's Center for International and Regional Studies. He is the author of The Modern Middle East: A Political History since the First World War (second edition! UC Press) and Iran's Intellectual Revolution. He has also edited The New Voices of Islam: Rethinking Politics and Modernity (UC Press). Klappentext “In a clear and historically incisive argument, Kamrava and the other contributors indicate how the Islamic concept of innovation (Arabic, bid ‘a ) is an essentially contested and adaptive concept. Since the time of the Prophet Muhammad, Muslims have vigorously argued about its meaning and how to apply it. This incisive collection of essays range far beyond the confines of theology and jurisprudence, integrating ideological concerns with the exigencies of mundane ones, as well as crossing the sectarian divide of Sunni and Shia.” —Dale Eickelman, author of Muslim Politics "The economic and political underdevelopment of the Islamic world is commonly attributed to conservatism rooted in Islam. This splendid collection of provocative essays addresses the issue from several different perspectives and in various contexts. Collectively, the essays provide a broad introduction to the topic of innovation in Islam, both through what they teach and what they invite the reader to pursue." —Timur Kuran, author of The Long Divergence: How Islamic Law Held Back the Middle East “Muhammad brought new ideas and practices to the monotheistic tradition, but Muslim scholars interpreting the Qur’an and ahadith sought to squelch ideas that smacked of innovation. Such is the conventional wisdom. But Mehran Kamrava leads a stable of distinguished scholars in demonstrating persuasively that innovation has never ceased to mark the Islamic tradition. Indeed, the greatest modern innovators may be those Islamists who denounce innovation! These powerful essays overwhelm the conventional wisdom.” —Robert D. Lee, author of Religion and Politics in the Middle East: Identity, Ideology, Institutions, and Attitudes Zusammenfassung Why has the West developed and modernized, while the Muslim world has lagged behind? Why has democracy not found a hospitable home in much of the Muslim world? And why have the opponents of innovation found their message so resonant with ordinary Muslims? This volume offers analyses of the history, causes, and consequences to innovation in Islam. Inhaltsverzeichnis List of Illustrations Acknowledgments 1. Contextualizing: Innovation in Islam Mehran Kamrava Part I: The Intellectual Process 2. Knowledge and Hermeneutics in Islam Today: Which Reform? Tariq Ramadan 3. Deconstructing Episteme(s) Mohammed Arkoun 4. Iranian Shi'ism at the Gates of Historic Change Mehran Kamrava Part II: The Arts and Letters 5. History from Below! Dictionary from Below Nelly Hanna 6. The Translation of the Qur'an: An Impossible Task The Classical Linguistic-Theological Roots of the Debate Nasr Abu-Zayd 7. Toward a New Understanding of Renewal in Islam Adonis 8. Creation! Originality! and Innovation in Sufi Poetry Patrick Laude 9. Innovation in the Visual Arts of Islam Walter B. Denny Part III: Islam in the Modern World 10. Liberal/Progressive! Modern! and Modernized Islam: Muslim Americans and the American State Sherman A. Jackson 11. Hijab and Choice: Between Politics and Theology Zi...