Muslim Societies in Postnormal Times

Muslim Societies in Postnormal Times

Author: Ziauddin Sardar

Publisher: International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT)

Published: 2019-12-01

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 1642052604

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Where will Muslim societies be tomorrow? The world is increasingly and constantly changing, making it hard to keep up. This makes the state much more dire and troublesome for those already marginalised – particularly Muslim societies. Normal is no longer capable of upholding the promise of tomorrow’s certainty. These are postnormal times. In this storm of ignorance and uncertainty, Muslim societies stand to lose the most. But this is not destiny. In the cultivation of a new type of literacy – futures literacy – there resides a hope. Muslim Societies in Postnormal Times offers an alternative where we can ‘rescue’ and decolonise our futures. Sardar, Serra, and Jordan take an open and plural approach to the future revealing the true potentials that lie before us. Through detailed analysis of contemporary trends, the road to destruction is revealed. Through identifying and exploring emerging issues, agency through options can allow for positive change. And in the extrapolation of these ideas into scenarios, the authors pave the way for us to navigate our own preferred futures. Their study challenges the reader to think about the future in a new way, redefining the monolithic future as three tomorrows (Extended Present, Familiar Futures, and Unthought Futures), along the way ever watchful for Black Swans, Black Elephants, and the illustrious Black Jellyfish that could disrupt the path ahead. The authors pull no punches in critically evaluating the possibilities and nightmares that could potentially befall Muslim societies. Through a display of creativity and imagination, this book looks beyond the conventional to illuminate impacts in the context of the complex, interconnected world we find ourselves in. This informative and enlightening text will push readers to see beyond popular, yet native notions of present and future. In the exposition of the reader’s ignorance and uncertainty, they will begin to look for the unthought and take agency in recolonising and navigating their preferred tomorrow.


The Postnormal Times Reader

The Postnormal Times Reader

Author: Ziauddin Sardar

Publisher: International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT)

Published: 2019-01-01

Total Pages: 397

ISBN-13: 1642052442

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IIIT Books-In-Brief Series is a valuable collection of the Institute’s key publications written in condensed form to give readers a core understanding of the main contents of the original. Postnormal times are best defined as ‘an in-between period where old orthodoxies are dying, new ones have yet to be born, and very few things seem to make sense’. or, as Ezio Mauro puts it: ‘we are hanging between the “no longer” and the “not yet” and thus we are necessary unstable –nothing around us is fixed, not even our direction of travel.’ The postnormal times theory attempts to make sense of a rapidly changing world, where uncertainty is the dominant theme and ignorance has become a valuable community. The Postnormal Times Reader is a pioneering anthology of writings on the contradictory, complex and chaotic nature of our era. It covers the origins, theory and methods of postnormal times; and examines a host of issues, ranging from climate change, governance, Middle East to religion and science, from the perspective of postnormal times. By mapping some of the key local and global issues of our transitional age, the Reader suggests a way of navigating our turbulent futures.


Books-in-Brief: Rethinking Reform in Higher Education:

Books-in-Brief: Rethinking Reform in Higher Education:

Author: Ziauddin Sardar

Publisher: International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT)

Published: 2018-01-01

Total Pages: 43

ISBN-13: 1642052094

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The Reform in Higher Education in Muslim Societies is in sum a paradigm shift in perspective driven by important considerations including the aims of education itself. It may require reforming existing disciplines, inventing new ones, as well as working in conjunction with current knowledge(s) and discourses by taking effective account of the ethical, spiritual norms of Muslim society, the guiding principles that it operates under, which in turn mark the underlying basis of its makeup and spiritual identity. Rather than creating divisions, reform of Higher Education in Muslim Societies recognizes the plurality and diversity of the modern networked world, and seeks to replace sterile and uniform approaches to knowledge with a broader and more creative understanding of reality as lived on different soils and different cultures. Moderation, balance and effective communication are paramount features of the underlying philosophy.


Rethinking Reform in Higher Education

Rethinking Reform in Higher Education

Author: Ziauddin Sardar

Publisher: International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT)

Published: 2017-08-02

Total Pages: 239

ISBN-13: 1565647262

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The Reform in Higher Education in Muslim Societies is in sum a paradigm shift in perspective driven by important considerations including the aims of education itself. It may require reforming existing disciplines, inventing new ones, as well as working in conjunction with current knowledge(s) and discourses by taking effective account of the ethical, spiritual norms of Muslim society, the guiding principles that it operates under, which in turn mark the underlying basis of its makeup and spiritual identity. Rather than creating divisions, reform of Higher Education in Muslim Societies recognizes the plurality and diversity of the modern networked world, and seeks to replace sterile and uniform approaches to knowledge with a broader and more creative understanding of reality as lived on different soils and different cultures. Moderation, balance and effective communication are paramount features of the underlying philosophy.


Research Anthology on Measuring and Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

Research Anthology on Measuring and Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

Author: Management Association, Information Resources

Publisher: IGI Global

Published: 2021-12-30

Total Pages: 1235

ISBN-13: 1668438860

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The Sustainable Development Goals are an ongoing focus around the world as the needs of people and society continue to evolve at a rapid pace. The need for a more sustainable future has never been more pressing as issues such as climate change, natural disasters, and overpopulation present unique difficulties for the decision makers of the world. In order for them to make the best decisions regarding current priorities and strategies, up-to-date and detailed research regarding where we currently are as a society, where we want to be, and the many challenges that stand in the way is crucial. The Research Anthology on Measuring and Achieving Sustainable Development Goals is a comprehensive assessment of the current innovative research and discussions on the challenges to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the measures that have already been put in place to achieve them. Covering topics such as green consumer behavior and peace promotion, this book is vital for academicians, scientists, researchers, students, postdoctoral students, specialists, practitioners, businesses, governmental institutions, decision makers, environmentalists, and policymakers.


Mapping Intellectual Building and the Construction of Thought and Reason

Mapping Intellectual Building and the Construction of Thought and Reason

Author: Fathi Hasan Malkawi

Publisher: International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT)

Published: 2020-09-01

Total Pages: 268

ISBN-13: 1642053481

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The subject of this work is thought, a distinguishing characteristic of human beings that the Creator has dignified humankind with. The book attempts to provide an in-depth conceptualization of intellectual building. Man’s intellect is awoken by his/her surroundings, by his need to make sense of reality, his own existence, and a desire to know. How he articulates this reality to himself, interprets, and organizes information as it presents itself to his conscience, makes decisions, takes action, and draws conclusions based on whatever framework he gives value to, whether spiritual or other, is the subject of this book. The work reflects on many interesting aspects of human inner communication, including the workings of logic, and in today’s information age, the control and manipulation of information by others for personal gain. What is meant by the concept of ‘thought’? What place does it hold, and in what relation does it stand to the concepts of knowledge, culture, philosophy, literature, and fiqh (deep understanding, jurisprudence)? These are some of the issues addressed.


American Journal of Islam and Society (AJIS) - Volume 37 Issues 3-4

American Journal of Islam and Society (AJIS) - Volume 37 Issues 3-4

Author: Timothy Gutmann

Publisher: International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT)

Published: 2020-11-07

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13:

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In an editorial essay, Ovamir Anjum reflects on the current moment of (and literature on) de-globalization, considering in turn conservative and liberal arguments. He concludes by raising several questions which de-globalization opens, key among them the challenges posed by ongoing ecological degradation. In the first research article, Timothy Gutmann offers the term “propaedeutic” to refer to the critical pedagogy necessary for teaching unfamiliar material to audiences whose sensibilities and expectations are already structured by distinctive anxieties and concerns. Gutmann addresses common caricatures of Islamic law and suggests that Islamic traditions may themselves contain a propaedeutic potential for teaching Islamic studies in the North American context. In the second research article, Brannon Wheeler traces a possible Islamic “Responsibility To Protect.” By focusing on Islamist exegesis of Q 3:110 and on classical and contemporary understandings of migration, Wheeler ultimately notes the political and intellectual compromises involved in accepting certain instances of violence and rejecting others. In the third research article, Abbas Ahsan makes an analytic-philosophical case for radical epistemic relativism. Our inability to conceive of the logically impossible, he concludes, is itself a testimony that God transcends the laws of logic. Next, a review essay is followed by ten book reviews; in this issue’s Forum article, Scott Lucas introduces readers to the sophisticated work of four Muslim thinkers of the 5th/11th century: Miskawayh, al-Hakim al-Jishumi, Ibn Hazm, and al-Khatib al-Baghdadi. Lucas encourages Muslims to emulate these figures’ practices of reading widely, with intellectual generosity and commitment, and to insist on the relationship between knowledge and practice.


Stalin: From Theology to the Philosophy of Socialism in Power

Stalin: From Theology to the Philosophy of Socialism in Power

Author: Roland Boer

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-10-17

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 9811063672

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This book not only explicates Stalin’s thoughts, but thinks with and especially through Stalin. It argues that Stalin often thought at the intersections between theology and Marxist political philosophy – especially regarding key issues of socialism in power. Careful and sustained attention to Stalin’s written texts is the primary approach used. The result is a series of arresting efforts to develop the Marxist tradition in unexpected ways. Starting from a sympathetic attitude toward socialism in power, this book provides us with an extremely insightful interpretation of Stalin’s philosophy of socialism. It is not only a successful academic effort to re-articulate Stalin’s philosophy, but also a creative effort to understand socialism in power in the context of both the former Soviet Union and contemporary China. ------- Zhang Shuangli, Professor of Marxist philosophy, Fudan University Boer's book, far from both "veneration" and "demonization" of Stalin, throws new light on the classic themes of Marxism and the Communist Movement: language, nation, state, and the stages of constructing post-capitalist society. It is an original book that also pays great attention to the People's Republic of China, arising from the reforms of Deng Xiaoping, and which is valuable to those who, beyond the twentieth century, want to understand the time and the world in which we live. -------Domenico Losurdo, University of Urbino, Italy, author of Stalin: The History and Critique of a Black Legend.


Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation

Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation

Author: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2012-05-28

Total Pages: 593

ISBN-13: 1107025060

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Extreme weather and climate events, interacting with exposed and vulnerable human and natural systems, can lead to disasters. This Special Report explores the social as well as physical dimensions of weather- and climate-related disasters, considering opportunities for managing risks at local to international scales. SREX was approved and accepted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on 18 November 2011 in Kampala, Uganda.


Three Tomorrows Level 1 Beginner/Elementary Book with Audio CD Pack

Three Tomorrows Level 1 Beginner/Elementary Book with Audio CD Pack

Author: Frank Brennan

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 36

ISBN-13: 9780521693783

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Three stories which ask questions about the world in five years, in a hundred years and in fifteen hundred years. Can an email tell us what to buy? How can you know if someone is a machine or a person? What are the dreams of the last woman to live?