Douglas Garrison | University of Denver (original) (raw)
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Papers by Douglas Garrison
Choice Reviews Online, 2014
--Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
Syrian Studies Association Bulletin, Dec 9, 2014
Reviewed by Douglas H. Garrison There is no shortage of books covering the Arab uprisings. A cott... more Reviewed by Douglas H. Garrison There is no shortage of books covering the Arab uprisings. A cottage industry devoted to the topic seems to exist within academic and trade publishers alike. This makes for both a wealth of information and perspectives to explore on one hand, but a considerable amount of hurried, half-baked, or overly ideological research on the other. Gilbert Achcar, Professor of Development Studies & International Relations at SOAS, offers a smattering of both in his latest book, The People Want: A Radical Exploration of the Arab Uprising. While Achcar provides a thorough, cogent, and challenging critique of the dominant narrative streams surrounding the so-called "Arab Spring," he occasionally crosses the very fine line between fact-based Marxist critique and specious, ideologically motivated polemic.
Studies on the life and thought of Turkish Islamic activist Said Nursi, colloquially known as Bed... more Studies on the life and thought of Turkish Islamic activist Said Nursi, colloquially known as Bediuzzaman or ‘wonder of the age,’ have increased both in intellectual breadth and quality over the past decade. Whereas this work has tended to focus on Nursi’s theology, theosophy, hermeneutical method, and approach to the modern sciences, comparatively little scholarly attention has been paid to Nursi’s social and political thought. This relative lack of scholarship seems strangely unwarranted, considering Nursi’s impact on Islamic social activism since the end of one-party rule in Turkey. Indeed, given the increased influence of Islamic social movements and political parties in Turkey – most notably the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the national and international organizations of Fethullah Gülen – inquiry into the socio-political, religious, and philosophical roots of these groups becomes all the more necessary. Such inquiry leads invariably to Said Nursi, whose corpus...
Digest of Middle East Studies, 2012
Decentering Discussion on Religion and State: Emerging Narratives, Challenging Perspectives, Apr 2015
Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam & Politics, 2014
This thesis represents a link in a long chain of recent Western scholarship that has attempted to... more This thesis represents a link in a long chain of recent Western scholarship that has attempted to bring the work of Ibn Khaldun, the late 14th century Tunisian jurist and historian, into the mainstream of historiographic, political, and sociological learning. Why Ibn Khaldun? What makes his work stand out among the classics of pre-modern and early-modern political and social theory? Why are his ideas still relevant to the study of politics and societies today? My thesis attempts to answer these questions through the lenses of comparative political theory and theoretical reinterpretation.
The study hinges on a thematic comparison of Ibn Khaldun’s major ideas to those authors considered mainstays in the pantheon of Western social science: Thucydides, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Rousseau, and Hegel. Such comparison is necessary, I believe, to emphasize the vast contextual differences among the authors while simultaneously highlighting their many theoretical similarities. By doing so, I demonstrate both the surprisingly contemporary relevance and lasting theoretical value of Ibn Khaldun’s conceptualization of political power, the state, and social change.
Through careful comparison, this study attempts to simultaneously deepen and strengthen extant understandings of Ibn Khaldun’s ideas while unearthing additional aspects either marginalized or neglected by the predominant scholarship. Moreover, it seeks to demonstrate Ibn Khaldun’s lasting contribution and value to the modern social sciences—especially as it relates to the study of political rebellion and social change
Zaytoon
Studies on the life and thought of Turkish Islamic activist Said Nursi, colloquially known as Bed... more Studies on the life and thought of Turkish Islamic activist Said Nursi, colloquially known as Bediuzzaman or ‘wonder of the age,’ have increased both in intellectual breadth and quality over the past decade. Whereas this work has tended to focus on Nursi’s theology, theosophy, hermeneutical method, and approach to the modern sciences, comparatively little scholarly attention has been paid to Nursi’s social and political thought. This relative lack of scholarship seems strangely unwarranted, considering Nursi’s impact on Islamic social activism since the end of one-party rule in Turkey. Indeed, given the increased influence of Islamic social movements and political parties in Turkey – most notably the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the national and international organizations of Fethullah Gülen – inquiry into the socio-political, religious, and philosophical roots of these groups becomes all the more necessary. Such inquiry leads invariably to Said Nursi, whose corpus of writing – particularly his Qur’anic commentary, the Risale-i Nur – reveals a strain of explicitly political thought designed to fuse the republicanism of the Kemalist state with his own brand of neo-Sufi Islamism. Understanding this deep intellectual history in Turkish Islam is imperative for developing a nuanced understanding of contemporary Turkish society and politics.
Book Reviews by Douglas Garrison
Syrian Studies Association Bulletin, Nov 2014
Review of Gilbert Achcar's 2013 book, "The People Want: A Radical Exploration of the Arab Uprisin... more Review of Gilbert Achcar's 2013 book, "The People Want: A Radical Exploration of the Arab Uprising," from the University of California Press.
Digest of Middle East Studies, Sep 2014
Book review of Abdou Filali-Ansari's newly edited and translated edition of Ali Abdel Razek's hig... more Book review of Abdou Filali-Ansari's newly edited and translated edition of Ali Abdel Razek's highly influential and controversial essay, "Islam and the Foundations of Political Power," published by Edinburgh University Press in 2013.
Digest of Middle East Studies, Apr 2012
Review of M. Şükrü Hanioğlu's latest book, an intellectual biography of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, fo... more Review of M. Şükrü Hanioğlu's latest book, an intellectual biography of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the modern Turkish state.
Teaching Documents by Douglas Garrison
Informational and visual aid to accompany a two-hour seminar on the history and politics of Turke... more Informational and visual aid to accompany a two-hour seminar on the history and politics of Turkey since 1908.
Choice Reviews Online, 2014
--Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
Syrian Studies Association Bulletin, Dec 9, 2014
Reviewed by Douglas H. Garrison There is no shortage of books covering the Arab uprisings. A cott... more Reviewed by Douglas H. Garrison There is no shortage of books covering the Arab uprisings. A cottage industry devoted to the topic seems to exist within academic and trade publishers alike. This makes for both a wealth of information and perspectives to explore on one hand, but a considerable amount of hurried, half-baked, or overly ideological research on the other. Gilbert Achcar, Professor of Development Studies & International Relations at SOAS, offers a smattering of both in his latest book, The People Want: A Radical Exploration of the Arab Uprising. While Achcar provides a thorough, cogent, and challenging critique of the dominant narrative streams surrounding the so-called "Arab Spring," he occasionally crosses the very fine line between fact-based Marxist critique and specious, ideologically motivated polemic.
Studies on the life and thought of Turkish Islamic activist Said Nursi, colloquially known as Bed... more Studies on the life and thought of Turkish Islamic activist Said Nursi, colloquially known as Bediuzzaman or ‘wonder of the age,’ have increased both in intellectual breadth and quality over the past decade. Whereas this work has tended to focus on Nursi’s theology, theosophy, hermeneutical method, and approach to the modern sciences, comparatively little scholarly attention has been paid to Nursi’s social and political thought. This relative lack of scholarship seems strangely unwarranted, considering Nursi’s impact on Islamic social activism since the end of one-party rule in Turkey. Indeed, given the increased influence of Islamic social movements and political parties in Turkey – most notably the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the national and international organizations of Fethullah Gülen – inquiry into the socio-political, religious, and philosophical roots of these groups becomes all the more necessary. Such inquiry leads invariably to Said Nursi, whose corpus...
Digest of Middle East Studies, 2012
Decentering Discussion on Religion and State: Emerging Narratives, Challenging Perspectives, Apr 2015
Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam & Politics, 2014
This thesis represents a link in a long chain of recent Western scholarship that has attempted to... more This thesis represents a link in a long chain of recent Western scholarship that has attempted to bring the work of Ibn Khaldun, the late 14th century Tunisian jurist and historian, into the mainstream of historiographic, political, and sociological learning. Why Ibn Khaldun? What makes his work stand out among the classics of pre-modern and early-modern political and social theory? Why are his ideas still relevant to the study of politics and societies today? My thesis attempts to answer these questions through the lenses of comparative political theory and theoretical reinterpretation.
The study hinges on a thematic comparison of Ibn Khaldun’s major ideas to those authors considered mainstays in the pantheon of Western social science: Thucydides, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Rousseau, and Hegel. Such comparison is necessary, I believe, to emphasize the vast contextual differences among the authors while simultaneously highlighting their many theoretical similarities. By doing so, I demonstrate both the surprisingly contemporary relevance and lasting theoretical value of Ibn Khaldun’s conceptualization of political power, the state, and social change.
Through careful comparison, this study attempts to simultaneously deepen and strengthen extant understandings of Ibn Khaldun’s ideas while unearthing additional aspects either marginalized or neglected by the predominant scholarship. Moreover, it seeks to demonstrate Ibn Khaldun’s lasting contribution and value to the modern social sciences—especially as it relates to the study of political rebellion and social change
Zaytoon
Studies on the life and thought of Turkish Islamic activist Said Nursi, colloquially known as Bed... more Studies on the life and thought of Turkish Islamic activist Said Nursi, colloquially known as Bediuzzaman or ‘wonder of the age,’ have increased both in intellectual breadth and quality over the past decade. Whereas this work has tended to focus on Nursi’s theology, theosophy, hermeneutical method, and approach to the modern sciences, comparatively little scholarly attention has been paid to Nursi’s social and political thought. This relative lack of scholarship seems strangely unwarranted, considering Nursi’s impact on Islamic social activism since the end of one-party rule in Turkey. Indeed, given the increased influence of Islamic social movements and political parties in Turkey – most notably the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the national and international organizations of Fethullah Gülen – inquiry into the socio-political, religious, and philosophical roots of these groups becomes all the more necessary. Such inquiry leads invariably to Said Nursi, whose corpus of writing – particularly his Qur’anic commentary, the Risale-i Nur – reveals a strain of explicitly political thought designed to fuse the republicanism of the Kemalist state with his own brand of neo-Sufi Islamism. Understanding this deep intellectual history in Turkish Islam is imperative for developing a nuanced understanding of contemporary Turkish society and politics.
Syrian Studies Association Bulletin, Nov 2014
Review of Gilbert Achcar's 2013 book, "The People Want: A Radical Exploration of the Arab Uprisin... more Review of Gilbert Achcar's 2013 book, "The People Want: A Radical Exploration of the Arab Uprising," from the University of California Press.
Digest of Middle East Studies, Sep 2014
Book review of Abdou Filali-Ansari's newly edited and translated edition of Ali Abdel Razek's hig... more Book review of Abdou Filali-Ansari's newly edited and translated edition of Ali Abdel Razek's highly influential and controversial essay, "Islam and the Foundations of Political Power," published by Edinburgh University Press in 2013.
Digest of Middle East Studies, Apr 2012
Review of M. Şükrü Hanioğlu's latest book, an intellectual biography of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, fo... more Review of M. Şükrü Hanioğlu's latest book, an intellectual biography of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the modern Turkish state.
Informational and visual aid to accompany a two-hour seminar on the history and politics of Turke... more Informational and visual aid to accompany a two-hour seminar on the history and politics of Turkey since 1908.