31551 - History of the Islamic Thought

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student is able to recognise the earliest stages of the languages, linguistics and cultures of the Arab countries. They will possess the knowledge and methodological tools to grasp and analyse the interaction between Islamic principles and the various articulations of Islamic thought.

Course contents

Two weekly lessons of 2 and 4 hours each. Lectures, prezi.com slides and video documents.

Part One.
Historical overview of the development of Islamic religious thought from its origins to the Umayyad and Abbasid periods up to the 13th century.

-The Abrahamic roots of Islam, the Koran and Tradition (Sunna). The influence of Christianity and Judaism.

-The rebirth of the academic system in Dar al-Islam, the school of translation of ancient sources into Arabic: Dar al-Hikma (9th-10th centuries).

-Kalam, from Hasan al-Basri (d. 728) to al-Maturidi (d. 944), passing through Mu'tazilism and Ash'arism.

- Islamic mysticism between the 8th and 10th centuries. Ibn al-Mubarak (d. 797), al-Muhasibi (d. 857), al-Tirmidhi (d. 892), Abu Mansur al-Hallaj (d. 922). The Ikhwan al-Safa.

- Falsafa through al-Kindi (d. 873), al-Farabi (d. 950) and Ibn Sina (Avicenna, d. 1037).

- The affirmation of religious orthodoxy, the legal schools in the Sunni and Shiite worlds. From the Academy to the Madrasa. The advent of the Seljuk Turkish world.

- The fragmentation of the caliphate: thought in al-Andalus and in the Shiite Fatimid world.

-Al-Ghazali (d. 1111), Ibn Rushd (Averroes, d. 1198), Ibn 'Arabi (d. 1240), Ibn Taymiyya (d. 1328), Ibn Khaldun (d. 1406).

- Can we speak of a decline in Islamic thought from the 14th century onwards?

Part Two.

- Islamic thought in the Mughal, Safavid and Ottoman empires (15th-18th centuries).

- The Islamic Nahda and its phases: the phase of discovery, Islamic reformism, the split and crisis of Islamic thought and its relationship with autocracy.

- The impact of the First World War and the rise of nationalism in the Islamic world. The impact of Zionism. The weakness of the liberal Arab-Islamic world.

- Self-determination and religious revanchism: Pan-Arabism, Arab socialism and Pan-Islamism. The end of colonialism?

- From Jihad to Jihadism, Mawdudi, Qutb, Khomeini and Azzam.

- Orientalism-Occidentalism, from Said to Buruma-Margalit.

- The clash of civilisations and the end of the Nahda (an irreversible crisis?): Khalafallah, Mahmud M. Taha, Shariati, Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd.

- Islamic thought and the reaction to the West in contemporary times: Feminism and Liberation Theology (from Malcolm X to Farid Esack).

- The Thought of the Diaspora from M. Arkoun to T. Ramadan.

- Indonesian democracy and its Reformist Thought.

Readings/Bibliography

Course handouts prepared directly by the lecturer, plus the Prezi.com slides.

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons, slide prezi.com, videos and docu-film.

Assessment methods

Final oral exam on the topics covered in the course, which will assess the student's mastery of the subject matter covered during the course.

The student will be asked to refer to the exam handouts and the contents of the lectures.

The following will be assessed:

- Mastery of the content and the ability to place any event or subject of historical investigation in time and space.

- Ability to summarise and analyse the content.

- Ability to express oneself adequately and in the specific language of the subject matter.
_______________

In-depth mastery of the topics covered in class, excellent presentation skills and command of the specific language of the subject matter, together with excellent reasoning and argumentation skills. (28-30L).

Mnemonic knowledge of the subject, ability to summarise and analyse articulated in correct but not always appropriate language, poor analytical and reasoning skills. (25-27).

Gaps in knowledge and/or inappropriate language – albeit in a context of minimal knowledge of the exam material. (18-24).

Gaps in knowledge, inappropriate language, lack of orientation within the bibliographic material. (exam failed)

Teaching tools

Course handouts and the Prezi.com slide.

Students with DSA or temporary or permanent disabilities: it is advisable to get in touch immediately with the University office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it ) and with the lecturer, in order to seek together the most effective strategies for following the lessons and/or preparing for the exam. Any requests for adaptations must be made within 15 days of the date of the exam, by sending an email to the lecturer and entering the email address disabilita@unibo.it [mailto:disabilita@unibo.it] (in the case of a disabling condition) or dsa@unibo.it [mailto:dsa@unibo.it] (for students with DSA)."

Office hours

See the website of Marco Demichelis