141195 VU Islam: Phenomena, Developments and Analyses II (2024W)

The course aims to discuss the notion of modernity and particularly its rampart secularism in relation to Islam reflecting on major scholarly debates as to whether these notions are compatible with Islam, or, rather, what is their relationship with Islam. For some, Islam in this relationship is associated with tradition, whereas Modernity signifies certain progressive norms attached exclusively to the West. In this case, the relationship is seen as a contrastive, if not a hostile binary. Some others see modernity and secularism as inescapably blended, and their compatibility historically unavoidable. The course aims to disentangle these diverging discourses by looking at the major scholarly stands on these issues both in the Western and Islamic/Arabic scholarship.

We will investigate the ways in which Islam was/is (re)defined and contested as religion in its operation with modernity and the ways how concepts such as tradition and heritage (turath), state, governance, law and human rights, gender, art and selfhood are negotiated or disputed in this framework. Besides reading major secondary sources on the themes, we will also do close readings of some Arabic literature to achieve more immediate understanding of the notions discussed.

While the course cannot exhaustively cover the vast literature on secularism, modernity, and Islam, it will however extensively familiarize the students with major academic debates and trends on the themes and provide a solid foundation for further research.
Students are welcome for regular consultations throughout the semester.