110-018 Islam and Questioning of Modernity

Credit Points

HECS Band

Coordinator

Prerequisites

Admission to the Postgraduate Diploma in Islamic Studies, or the Postgraduate Diploma or combined Honours in Arabic, or the Postgraduate Diploma or Fourth Year Honours in Asian Studies.

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

This subject is a study of Islam's historical experience as a major world religion and a politically dominant force that, with the onslaught of the modern European colonial power, had to come to grips with being vanquished and subdued. This colonial experience brought with it an ambivalent attitude towards modernity within Islam. As a result two major forms of reaction developed: to adopt modernity as the very reason behind the West's conquering power; or to resent and reject modernity as a part of the West which had to be fought. These positions are represented by the Modernist and Neo-Modernist trends, and the Revivalist and Neo-Revivalist trends. This subject explains the background and the substance of these trends, as they revolve around Muslims' questioning of modernity on the one hand, and rediscovering Islam as both an intrinsically modern culture in itself, and as an alternative to a westernising model of modernity.

Assessment

A 3-hour written examination and written work totalling 2000 words, or written work totalling 5000 words.

Prescribed Texts

Materials prepared by the Institute.