The Sociology of Islam: Secularism, Economy and Politics - Tapa blanda

The contribution of Islam to world civilization is undeniable, however in the last one hundred years, Muslims have been faced with all the effects and ramifications of modernity, caused by the emergence of global capitalism. What does modernity ultimately mean for Muslims, and how will the historical precepts of Islam meet with changes in our globalized world? To date, most scholars on Islam have tried to understand Muslim societies from historical observation alone; however, this simplistic academic approach does not allow us to understand the entire transformation that has taken place in Muslim societies. Sociological scholarship, on the other hand, argues that it would be difficult to understand Islam without first understanding the theoretical and practical underpinnings of the social structure of Muslim societies which are embedded in the relationship between religion, the economy, politics and society. This book, therefore, will attempt to make a connection between the economic system and its social and political consequences within Muslim societies. To do this, it will examine the role of Islam within Muslim societies in the context of ongoing and increasingly powerful neoliberal economic processes in a globalized world. The Muslim understanding of secularism, modernity, the state, collective identity, immigration, and Islamic political thought and economic life are all shaped by forces of globalization and new market conditions. However, this is a mutually constitutive process, as Islam also influences the West and its perceptions of Islam because of the interdependent relations brought about by the global economy. These interdependencies create social and political transformation on both sides.

Tugrul Keskin is currently an Assistant Professor of International and Middle East Studies at Portland State University. Previously, Dr Keskin was an Adjunct Professor in Sociology and Africana Studies at Virginia Tech and has also served as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology at James Madison and Radford Universities. He is a moderator of the Sociology of Islam and Sociology of the Middle East Listserv, and editor of the Sociology of Islam and Muslim Societies Newsletter. He is also a member of the Middle East Sociology Working Group.