Qur'ānic Studies Today brings together specialists in the field of Islamic studies to provide a range of essays that reflect the depth and breadth of scholarship on the Qur'ān. Combining theoretical and methodological clarity with close readings of qur'ānic texts, these contributions provide close analysis of specific passages, themes, and issues within the Qurʾān, even as they attend to the disciplinary challenges within the field of qur'ānic studies today. Chapters are arranged into three parts, treating specific figures appearing in the Qurʾān, analysing particular suras, and finally reflecting on the Qur'ān and its "others." They explore the internal dimensions and interior chronology of the Qur'ān as text, its possible conversations with biblical and non-biblical traditions in Late Antiquity, and its role as scripture in modern exegesis and recitation. Together, they are indispensable for students and scholars who seek an understanding of the Qur'ān founded on the most recent scholarly achievements. Offering both a reflection of and a reflection on the discipline of qur'ānic studies, the strong, scholarly examinations of the Qur'ān in this volume provide a valuable contribution to Islamic and qur'ānic studies.
Offering both a reflection of and a reflection on the discipline of qur'ānic studies, the strong, scholarly examinations of the Qur'ān in this volume provide a valuable contribution to Islamic and qur'ānic studies.
This is a wide-ranging monograph on rhyme and rhythm in the Qur'an, drawing on and attempting to synthesize several disparate strands of medieval and modern criticism.
The Qur'an is the foundational sacred text of the Islamic faith. Traditionally revered as the literal word of God, its pronouncements and discussions form the bedrock of Islamic beliefs and teachings. Notwithstanding its religious pre-eminence and the fact that it is the sacred text for over one billion of the world's Muslims, the Qur'an is also considered to be the matchless masterpiece of the Arabic language. Its historical impact as a text can be discerned in all aspects of the heritage of the Arabic literary tradition. Over recent decades, academic engagement with the Qur'an has produced an impressive array of scholarship, ranging from detailed studies of the text's unique language, style and structure, to meticulous surveys of its contents, concepts and historical contexts. The Oxford Handbook of Qur'anic Studies is an essential reference and starting point for those with an academic interest in the Qur'an. It offers not only detailed reviews of influential subjects in the field, but also a critical overview of developments in the research discourse. It explores the tradition of Qur'anic exegesis and hermeneutics, making it a comprehensive academic resource for the study of the Qur'an. No single volume devoted to such a broad academic survey of the state of the field currently exists.
Alexander Knysh is Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Michigan and
Principal Investigator of a research project on Islamic studies at the St.
Petersburg State University, Russia. His research interests include Islamic
mysticism, ...
This book offers an interdisciplinary set of contributions from leading scholars, and explores the complex relationship between media, technology and social movements. It provides a valuable resource for scholars and students working in this rapidly developing field. Providing theoretical engagement with contemporary debates in the field of social movements and new media, the book also includes a theoretical overview of central contemporary debates, a re-evaluation of theories of social movement communication, and a critical overview of media ecology and media approaches in social movement scholarship. The theoretical contributions are also developed though empirical case studies from around the world, including the use of Facebook in student protests in the UK, the way power operates in Anonymous, the "politics of mundanity" in China, the emotional dynamics on Twitter of India’s Nirbhaya protest, and analysis of Twitter networks in the transnational feminist campaign ‘Take Back The Tech!’. This book was originally published as a special issue of Social Movement Studies.
This book offers an interdisciplinary set of contributions from leading scholars, and explores the complex relationship between media, technology and social movements.
Social movements take shape in relation to the kind of state they face, while over time states are transformed by the movements that they both incorporate and resist. Green States and Social Movements is a comparative study of the environmental movement's successes and failures in four very different states: the USA, UK, Germany and Norway. The history covers the entire sweep of the modern environmental era that begins in 1970. The end in view is a green transformation of the state and society on a par with earlier transformations that gave us first the liberal capitalist state and then the welfare state. The authors explain why such a transformation is now most likely in Germany, and why it is least likely in the United States, which has lost the status of environmental pioneer that it gained in the early 1970s. Their comparative analysis also explains the role played by social movements in making modern societies more deeply democratic, and yields insights into the strategic choices of environmental movements as they decide on what terms to engage, enter or resist the state. Sometimes it makes sense for a movement to act conventionally, as a green party or set of interest groups. But sometimes inclusion can mean co-optation, in which case a movement can instead emphasize action in and through civil society.
Green States and Social Movements is a comparative study of the environmental movement's successes and failures in four very different states: the USA, UK, Germany and Norway.
Through historical and comparative research on the immigrant rights movements of the United States, France and the Netherlands, Cities and Social Movements examines how small resistances against restrictive immigration policies do – or don’t – develop into large and sustained mobilizations. Presents a comprehensive, comparative analysis of immigrant rights politics in three countries over a period of five decades, providing vivid accounts of the processes through which immigrants activists challenged or confirmed the status quo Theorizes movements from the bottom-up, presenting an urban grassroots account in order to identify how movement networks emerge or fall apart Provides a unique contribution by examining how geography is implicated in the evolution of social movements, discovering how and why the networks constituting movements grow by tracing where they develop Demonstrates how efforts to enforce national borders trigger countless resistances and shows how some environments provide the relational opportunities to nurture these small resistances into sustained mobilizations Written to appeal to a broad audience of students, scholars, policy makers, and activists, without sacrificing theoretical rigor
Through historical and comparative research on the immigrant rights movements of the United States, France, and the Netherlands, this book examines how small resistances against restrictive immigration policies do – or don’t – develop ...
The 25 articles in this brief reader show how the collective actions of ordinary people can solve social problems and reform social institutions. The authors examine progressive social movements that have sought to redress social problems such as barriers to class, race and gender equality, democratic practices, economic advancement, and social justice. The format of this book is that each chapter introduces the topic, followed by selected readings that describe particular movements generally, their leadership, or other manifestations of a successful movement.
The text is divided into six chapters: Chapter 1 incorporates articles on the importance of social movements. Chapter 2 looks at social movements that have promoted race, class, and gender equality.
Globalization and social movements are inextricably linked. Contemporary social movements both shape and are shaped by globalization. Social Movements and Globalization explores this link, providing a fascinating insight into the dynamics, challenges and opportunities of contemporary social movements in a globalized world, whilst simultaneously revealing the effects, critiques and limitations of globalization. Engaging and accessible, the book's comprehensive introduction to the definitions, theories and debates surrounding social movements and globalization is richly illustrated by case studies from around the world - from Anonymous, to 15-M/Indignados, to the Zapatistas, the Arab Spring and more. In drawing on cutting-edge research, up-to-date analysis, and offering coverage of key areas of study - with chapters on the 'Global Justice Movement', cultural resistance, media, cyberactivism and the recent 'Global Protest Wave' of anti-austerity and pro-democracy movements - the book makes a vital and original contribution to a range of disciplines, not least Sociology, Politics, International Relations, Media Studies and Cultural Studies.
Engaging and accessible, the book's comprehensive introduction to the definitions, theories and debates surrounding social movements and globalization is richly illustrated by case studies from around the world - from Anonymous, to 15 ...
