Secularism in the Arab World: Contexts, Ideas and Consequences

This book is a translation of Aziz al-Azmeh's seminal work Al-Ilmaniya min mandhur mukhtalif, which was first published in Beirut in 1992. It is the only study to approach Arab secularization as a set of historical changes that affected the regulation of the social, political, and cultural order and permeated the concrete workings of society. The author takes a comprehensive analytical perspective to show that an almost imperceptible yet real, multi-faceted and objective secularizing process has been underway in the Arab world since the 1850s, resulting from adapting to systemic novelties and a reaction to the perceived European advance and local retardation. The need for meaningful reform stemmed from the perceived weakness of Arab polities and an internal drive to overcome this situation. The book follows these themes into the close of the twentieth centuries, marked with the rise of Islamism.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 592 pages
Publication date: 30 November 2021
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

This book is a remarkable translation of Aziz al-Azmeh's seminal work, Al-Ilmaniya min mandhur mukhtalif, which was first published in Beirut in 1992. Widely celebrated and debated for its insightful reflections on Arab secularization and secularism in the modern history of the Arab World, it stands as the sole study to date that approaches its subject as a series of historical transformations that impacted the regulation of social, political, and cultural orders, permeating the very fabric of society. The author adopts a comprehensive analytical perspective to demonstrate that an almost imperceptible yet profound secularizing process has been underway in the Arab world since the 1850s. The early onset of this transformation was driven by the need to adapt to systemic innovations introduced at the time, as well as a response to the perceived European advancements and local stagnation. The desire for meaningful reform emerged from the perceived weakness of Arab polities and an internal drive to overcome this predicament. The book intricately explores these themes throughout the late twentieth century, marked by the rise of Islamism. A preface to the English translation provides a retrospective analysis of the subject, considering it from the vantage point of social, political, and intellectual issues that remain relevant in today's world.

Weight: 724g
Dimension: 138 x 214 x 37 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781474447478