MACMILLAN Islam, State, and Modernity: Mohammed Abed al-Jabri and the Future of the Arab World (Middle East Today)

This book offers the first comprehensive introduction to one of the most significant Arab thinkers of the late 20th century and the early 21st century: the Moroccan philosopher and social theorist Mohammed Abed al-Jabri. With his intellectual and political engagement, al-Jabri has influenced the development of a modern reading of the Islamic tradition in the broad Arab-Islamic world and has been, in recent years, subject to an increasing interest among Muslims and non-Muslim scholars, social activists and lay men. The contributors to this volume read al-Jabri with reference to prominent past Arab-Muslim scholars, such as Ibn Rushd, al-Ghazali, al-Shatibi, and Ibn Khaldun, as well as contemporary Arab philosophers, like Hassan Hanafi, Abdellah Laroui, George Tarabishi, Taha Abderrahmane; they engage with various aspects of his intellectual project, and trace his influence in non-Arab-Islamic lands, like Indonesia, as well. His analysis of Arab thought since the 1970s as a harbinger analysis of the ongoing “Arab Spring uprising” remains relevant for today's political challenges in the region. Review “Islam, State and Modernity is a significant contribution to exploring the various aspects of al-Jabri’s thought, philosophy, and legacy for a wider readership, on topics ranging from Arab–Islamic thought to the state, politics, ethics, education, and the Qur’an phenomenon. It will prove helpful to students and scholars in a wide range of disciplines, ranging from Middle East Studies to Philosophy.” (Tauseef Ahmad Parray, The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences AJISS, Vol. 35 (3), 2018) Review “Al-Jabri left no one indifferent; intellectuals throughout the Arab world were passionately either for or against him. His oeuvre offers several original insights which are just beginning to be assessed with some degree of objectivity. The present volume is the first publication in English to offer such assessments in a number of articles by specialists focusing on various aspects of one of the most original and multifaceted Arab philosopher and intellectual of our time.” (Abdou Filali-Ansary, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, Aga Khan University, London, UK) “This book celebrates a remarkable, but insufficiently recognized Muslim thinker. All those who claim that Islam lacks both reason and philosophy are refuted by al-Jabri's work. Rooted in the great Islamic philosophical tradition, al-Jabri also is a herald of democratic renewal in our time.” (Fred R. Dallmayr, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Notre Dame, USA)  “These informative and thoughtful articles offer a critical assessment of a most influential and controversial Arab thinker of the late 20th century. Praised by some for his historicist, archaeological analysis of Arab intellectual legacy, and appreciated by others for his work toward an immanent Arab rationality, al-Jabiri was also criticized for his essentialist and reductionist conclusions. A timely and valuable contribution to a necessary discussion of his work.” (Elizabeth S. Kassab, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Qatar) Review     From the Back Cover This book offers the first comprehensive introduction to one of the most significant Arab thinkers of the late 20th century and the early 21st century: the Moroccan philosopher and social theorist Mohammed Abed al-Jabri. With his intellectual and political engagement, al-Jabri has influenced the development of a modern reading of the Islamic tradition in the broad Arab-Islamic world and has been, in recent years, subject to an increasing interest among Muslims and non-Muslim scholars, social activists and lay men. The contributors to this volume read al-Jabri with reference to prominent past Arab-Muslim scholars, such as Ibn Rushd, al-Ghazali, al-Shatibi, and Ibn Khaldun, as well as contemporary Arab philosophers, like Hassan Hanafi, Abdellah La