Islams and Modernities

by Aziz Al-Azmeh

The conflict between fundamentalist Islam and the West, highlighted by the fatwah on Salmon Rushdie, appears impossible to resolve. This book examines how much of this antipathy between the two cultures is based on shared romantic notions of unchanging cultural identity. Al-Azmeh shows that, in fact, Islamic fundamentalism represents a break with important aspects of the Muslim tradition and should be seen as a general characteristic of populist nationalism. Utilizing his knowledge of history and the intellectual life of Islamic societies, Al-Azmeh calls for a deeper understanding of the way Islam is used in politics, society and history.

Genres: Islam, Religion, Politics, Nonfiction

164 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1993

About the author

Aziz Al-Azmeh was born in Damascus. He received the PhD in Oriental Studies from University of Oxford. He is currently University Professor at the Central European University in Budapest, Hungary. His other works include Keywords, Islam in Europe, Ibn Khladun, and The Times of History.

Reviews

[Derek · Rating 5 out of 5]

It dawns on me that Azmeh is sort of the quintessential anti-Hallaq, although he shares the same dense and esoteric style. Read this along with Azmeh's talk "Is Islamism the future for the Arabs?" All in all he presents a trenchant critique against postmodernism's celebration of the irrational. Must read, would suggest with Aijaz Ahmad's "In Theory" as well as Vivek Chibber's "Postcolonial Theory and the Spectre of Capital."