Aiming to trace the development of Islamic theological discourse in Indonesia from the early 1900s to the end of the 20th century, the author focusses on how modernist Muslims have constructed their theological thought throughout the century, which, in turn, reflects their religious understanding in response to the particular demands of their age. The theological thought constructed so far signifies a continuum of progress, developing from one stage to the next. Implicitly, this progress also indicates the improvement of Indonesian Muslims' understanding of their own religion, which may...

Dealing with the roles of the Bektāshīs in Turkey's recent history, especially in its National Struggle (1918-1923) as well as their situation in late 19th and early 20th centuries Ottoman Empire, this volume is packed with well documented historical information on individuals who belonged or claimed to belong to the Bektāshī milieu, and contains many documents and several pictures hitherto unknown. It also treats the roles of the other Sufi orders in the National Struggle to emphasize its thesis that the Bektāshīs acted not differently during the National...

The present volume describes the various phases of the inner-Islamic ecumenical dialogue in the 20th century between Sunnis and Shiites, the short-lived periods of success it achieved, but also the fierce mutual polemics it inevitably engendered.
The examination focuses on the role of the Cairene Azhar University as the most important representative of Sunni Islam and its relations with Shiite scholars. Particular importance is attached to the interdependency of theological arguments and the political motivations of the interlocutors, and especially to the significance of Islamic ecumenism...

Mystic Regimes is a social-scientific and Iranological study of two Iranian, Shi'ite Sufi orders in the twentieth century. It studies their comparative social development in relation to political regimes and explores the cultural repertoires that Sufis have used to cope with these. The introductory part examines the interpretation and the development, until the end of the Qajar era, of Iranian Sufism. The second part explores Sufism in the Pahlavi era. The third part deals with the Sufi orders in the Islamic Republic. The fourth part provides afterthoughts on the relations between Sufi...

The author discusses the modern history of Hadhramaut in a novel way. Linked to the Indian Ocean through a long history of migration, she traces the ways in which members of the diaspora and travellers interacted with the homeland through their remittances, political initiatives and the introduction of new ideas and institutions. The book is based on a wide range of hitherto unused Hadhrami and British sources as well as on fieldwork in Yemen and Indonesia.
Exemplary life-histories of merchants and scholars illustrate the wide range of concerns for the establishment of stable polities in a...

This book consists of a collage of images that attempts to convey the transformation of consumer culture and how it is related to the urban reshaping of the city of Cairo to meet with the demands of globalisation. Analyzing the shift from socialist economy to the opening up of Egypt's economy, and how this has affected everyday life of the middle classes, the author touches on various themes such as the general changing lifestyles and conspicuous consumption, the spread of mobile phones, and coffee shops, the gated communities and secondary resorts. The "folklorisation of culture" through the...