Introduction to Islamic Intellectual History (I): Classical Islamic Thought

Catalog description

It is often claimed that "Western civilization as we know it would not exist without Islamic culture." But what does that actually mean? What is "Islamic culture"? How does it relate to "Classical Islamic Thought"? When did it come to be, and how? What were its contributions to human societies over time? Which authors, texts and ideas played a leading role in shaping this story? What do we mean when we speak of Islam as a 'tradition'? What forms of being and knowing does this evoke and promote? How did historical contexts in the lands conquered by Muslims since the middle of the 7th century impact the intercultural transmission of knowledge in the medieval Mediterranean world? And what lasting legacies does this have in our contemporary modern world? How does this history support or confront the multitude of strong and often conflicting opinions about Islam (and indeed religion more broadly) prevalent in our day? Indeed, how might studying the past inform our present? ? These are just some of the questions that loom behind the subject of this course. The aim is to begin unpacking some of these issues by providing a general survey of Islamic intellectual history focusing on what has been called the 'Classical Period' (the 7th century to c. 1258). Covering topics in theology, history, philosophy, mysticism, and ethics the course introduces students to some of the key themes, texts, authors, and debates in the Islamic tradition, and how they have been approached in the scholarly literature. By resituating Islam within the broader world of Late Antiquity, the course also attempts to highlight points of interaction, convergence and divergence with neighbouring religious and intellectual traditions (Hellenic, Ancient Near Eastern, Jewish, Christian etc.) that have historically shaped the parameters of the Islamic intellectual tradition in this period. Students are…