This week provides a historical background of Islam. It introduces the early history of Islam in terms of its origins as dogma, faith, and set of practices. We ask how Islam is perceived and practiced by present day Muslims.

[LECTURE SLIDES]

Seminar Questions:

Islam is a complex faith, but how do we explain the appearance of this religion though it appears to emerge from apparent 'backwaters' of the Middle East rather than ‘civilisation’ such as Persia or Mesopotamia?

Why did people believe the Prophet Mohammed?

What are the basic tenets of Islam and why is this knowledge significant for us today?

Are ‘Islam’ and ‘the West’ mutually exclusive categories? Can one be a ‘Western’ Muslim?

Readings:

John Esposito, Islam: The Straight Path, (Oxford University Press, 2016), pp.1-67 (chapters 1 and 2 to the end of Islam and the West section).

Kristina Nelson, ‘The sound of the Divine in daily life,’ and Anne Betteridge, ‘Muslim women and shrines in Shiraz,’ in Donna Lee Bowen and Evelyn Early, eds., Everyday Life in the Muslim Middle East (Indiana University Press, 2014), pp. 257-261 and pp. 276-289.

Recommended Reading:

Michael Gilsenan, Recognizing Islam: Religion and Society in the Modern Middle East (I.B. Taurus: 2000).