Islam and the cognitive study of colonialism: The case of religious and educational reform at Egypt’s al-Azhar

IF 1.7 1区 历史学 Q1 HISTORY Journal of Global History Pub Date : 2021-08-09 DOI:10.1017/S1740022821000267
Aria Nakissa
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引用次数: 6

Abstract

Abstract This article argues that the emerging Cognitive Science of Religion (CSR) provides a valuable new perspective on colonialism. CSR argues that humans are innately inclined towards certain types of religious belief (e.g., belief in spirit beings, belief in immortal souls) and certain types of non-utilitarian morality (e.g., belief in an obligation to care for kin, belief in an obligation to avoid ‘disgusting’ substances or behaviours). These innate inclinations underlie many religious and cultural traditions transformed by colonialism, including Islam. The article suggests that colonial power operates not only by suppressing traditional non-Western institutions but also by suppressing the natural inclinations underlying non-Western traditions. This claim is developed through a study of colonial efforts to transform Egypt’s al-Azhar, the world’s most influential institution of Islamic learning and scholarship. These efforts made al-Azhar into the centre of a global Islamic reform movement, which sought to integrate Islam with a colonial scientific-utilitarian worldview.
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伊斯兰教与殖民主义的认知研究——以埃及爱资哈尔的宗教和教育改革为例
本文认为,新兴的宗教认知科学(CSR)为研究殖民主义提供了一个有价值的新视角。企业社会责任认为,人类天生就倾向于某些类型的宗教信仰(例如,对精神存在的信仰,对不朽灵魂的信仰)和某些类型的非功利主义道德(例如,对照顾亲属的义务的信仰,对避免“恶心”物质或行为的义务的信仰)。这些天生的倾向构成了许多被殖民主义改变的宗教和文化传统的基础,包括伊斯兰教。这篇文章表明,殖民权力不仅通过压制传统的非西方制度,而且还通过压制非西方传统背后的自然倾向来运作。这一说法是通过对殖民时期改造埃及爱资哈尔大学(al-Azhar)的研究得出的,爱资哈尔大学是世界上最有影响力的伊斯兰学习和学术机构。这些努力使爱资哈尔成为全球伊斯兰改革运动的中心,该运动试图将伊斯兰教与殖民主义的科学功利主义世界观结合起来。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
3.30
自引率
5.30%
发文量
28
期刊介绍: Journal of Global History addresses the main problems of global change over time, together with the diverse histories of globalization. It also examines counter-currents to globalization, including those that have structured other spatial units. The journal seeks to transcend the dichotomy between "the West and the rest", straddle traditional regional boundaries, relate material to cultural and political history, and overcome thematic fragmentation in historiography. The journal also acts as a forum for interdisciplinary conversations across a wide variety of social and natural sciences. Published for London School of Economics and Political Science
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