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Hegel's philosophy has been of fundamental importance for the development of contemporary thought and for the very representation of Western modernity. This book investigates Hegel's influence in the Arab world, generally considered "other" and far from the West, focusing specifically on Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt. Lorella Ventura discusses the reception of Hegelian thought and outlines a conceptual grid to help interpret the historical, cultural, and political events that have affected the Arab region in the last two centuries, and shed light on some aspects of its complex relationship with the western world.
List of contents
1. Introduction.- 2. Widespread views in Hegel's time.- 3. World history and the role of peoples.- 4. Hegel's view of Islam.- 5. The "modern" West and the non-Western world.- 6. Translations and the transmission of "modern" ideas in Muhammad Ali's Egypt.- 7. The foreign universities in Syria: competition among the "West".- 8. The Syrian Protestant College: between mission and education.- 9. Religion and reason in the view of the American missionaries in Syria.- 10. The presence of Hegelian elements in the thought of Josiah Strong.- 11. The textbooks of Syrian Protestant College and Hegel's philosophy of history.- 12. The Université Saint-Joseph and French culture.- 13. The direct reception of Hegel as a recent phenomenon: Syria and Lebanon.- 14. Hegel today: conversations with Yusuf Salama and Joseph Maaluf.- 15. Conversations with Ahmad Barqawi and George Saddiqni.- 16. Hegel's philosophy of history and the thought of Nadrah al-Yazaji.- 17. Dialectics and freedom: the interpretation of Hegel in Syria.- 18. The reception of Hegel in Egypt and the "Spirit of time" (Zeitgeist).- Appendix. Hegel's works translated into Arabic.
About the author
Lorella Ventura is "Cultore della materia” (expert of the subject) in History of Islamic Countries at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
Summary
Hegel's philosophy has been of fundamental importance for the development of contemporary thought and for the very representation of Western modernity. This book investigates Hegel’s influence in the Arab world, generally considered "other" and far from the West, focusing specifically on Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt. Lorella Ventura discusses the reception of Hegelian thought and outlines a conceptual grid to help interpret the historical, cultural, and political events that have affected the Arab region in the last two centuries, and shed light on some aspects of its complex relationship with the western world.
