ATS2907 Modern Islam

The unit examines developments in Islamic thought in the last three centuries. In many cases, this era has seen the breakdown of the classical Islamic paradigms of governance, leadership, learning, and social order, and the consequent development of new Islamic or Islamist ideologies and movements. Examples will be considered from both Sunni and Shi'ite perspectives across diverse landscapes. The lives and works of significant figures in modern Islamic history will be studied in order to understand the diversity of the ways in which Islamic thought has responded to the colonial and post-colonial age. The course introduces the pre-colonial background of the Mughal, Ottoman, and Safavid Empires, before moving to the colonial encounters, state reforms and emerging ideologies in the nineteenth century. The course provides an up-to-date introduction to various Muslim movements in the colonial and post-colonial period. The course materials entail selections from important primary sources, as well as audio-visual materials.