Libya: Democracy Promotion for Oil

The Sociology of Islam: Secularism, Economy and Politics Edited by Tugrul Keskin

The Sociology of Islam: Secularism, Economy and Politics

Edited by Tugrul Keskin

Hardback, 520pp, 235 x 155mm
Ithaca Press
ISBN: 978-0-86372-371-1

June 2011



About this book

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.

REVIEWS

Tugrul Keskin brings wisdom and a deep cosmopolitan commitment to his scholarship. This may be the first book ever published that clarifies the social, political and economic context of Islam and the complex relations between Muslim and predominately non-Muslim societies. The Sociology of Islam will open up new inquires. It is an important book.
Judith Blau
Department of Sociology - University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

In recent years the sociological study of Islam has emerged as a distinct forum. In this collection, Tugrul Keskin and his contributors exemplify some of the most useful approaches in this vibrant field. They explore how Islam is employed in several contemporary areas of sociological concern, including globalization, economic conditions, immigration, civic cultures, diversity, and public philosophy. As such, this volume should be of great interest to the students and scholars of Islam alike.
Mohammed Bamyeh
Department of Sociology - University of Pittsburgh

This book is a must read for individuals in the policy and academic worlds who want to gain insight into complexities of Muslim societies. Contributors cover a large geographic area and provide profound analysis of relations between economics and socio-political development in several Muslim societies.
Birol Yesilada
Contemporary Turkish Studies Endowed Chair - Hatfield School of Government, Portland State University

Middle East Studies - FALL 2011

Middle East Studies

INTL 247C (CRN: 11691) and
Global Perspectives (Mid East) UNST 233 (CRN: 14144)

FALL 2010

INSTRUCTOR: TUGRUL KESKIN

Monday and Wednesday -17:30 - 18:45 PM

This course provides a foundation for upper level Islam and Middle East Studies courses at Portland State University. The “Middle East” as a region did not exist as such according to “Middle Easterners” such as Turks, Kurds, Arabs, Jews, Iranians, and other groups native to the area. The term “Middle East” is an artificial and fabricated concept, which was created by European and American imperialist powers in order to divide, conquer and exploit natural resources in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The objective of this course is to understand the basic social and political aspects of the Modern “Middle East” from the insider perspective, using the Non-Orientalist Approach. It is difficult to understand Middle Eastern societies and political actors without first exploring the fundamental principles and facts regarding the history of the region because events today are a continuation of the past. I will therefore introduce you to topics such as Orientalism, economic underdevelopment, the emergence of the nation-state, European and American occupations, and the revitalization of religious fundamentalism in the Middle East. The destruction of religious and ethnic harmony between the Jews, Muslims and Christians in the Middle East as a consequence of imperialist policies and occupations will also be explored.

Required Reading:
Mehran Kamrava. The Modern Middle East: A Political History since the First World War. University of California Press, 2011. ISBN: 9780520241503
Tugrul Keskin, The Sociology of Islam: Secularism, Economy and Politics.
Ithaca Press, 2011. ISBN: 978-0-86372-371-1

For more information: tugrulkeskin@pdx.edu
or visit the Sociology of Islam and Muslim Societies http://www.pdx.edu/sociologyofislam

Sociology of the Middle East - Fall 2011 Portland State University

Sociology of the Middle East

FALL 2011
INTL/SOC 483U
CRN: 13440

INSTRUCTOR: TUGRUL KESKIN

Monday, Wednesday - 2:00 - 3:50 PM – CH 221

Sociology of the Middle East seeks to understand the transformation of society, politics and the economy in the modern Middle East. It is divided into three sections; the goal of the first section is to critically analyze Middle Eastern societies and cultures in the context of nationalism, and the concepts of tradition/modernity, ethnicity, religion and gender/sexuality. Section two covers the State and politics, and examines the formation and structure of the nation-state, the military, political parties and religious groups, bureaucracy, and the consequences of colonialism and imperialism. The last section looks at economic development – or under-development across the region, as the source of major current social and political changes. In this course, we examine these changes based upon sociological observation in the context of four societies; Turkish, Iranian, Arab, and Israeli.

Required Readings:

1.Ali Gheissari, Contemporary Iran: Economy, Society, Politics. Oxford University Press, 2009.
2.Ersin Kalaycioglu, Turkish Dynamics: Bridge Across Troubled Lands. Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.
3.Colin Shindler, A History of Modern Israel. Cambridge University Press, 2008.
4.Ibrahim Albadawi and Samir Makdisi (Eds.), Democracy in the Arab World. Routledge, 2011.
5.Tugrul Keskin, The Sociology of Islam: Secularism, Economy and Politics. Ithaca Press, 2011.

For more information: tugrulkeskin@pdx.edu
or The Sociology of Islam and Muslim Societies

Study Abroad in Istanbul: Politics, Religion and Globalization in Modern Turkish Society - July 4-29 Portland State University

CALL FOR PAPERS Panel – Middle East Studies in the Post September 11 Era

CALL FOR PAPERS

Panel – Middle East Studies in the Post September 11 Era

45th Annual Meeting of the Middle East Studies Association Conference
MESA 2011

December 1-4, 2011 Washington DC
http://www.mesa.arizona.edu/

Dear all,

We are in the process of organizing a panel entitled: Middle East Studies in
the Post September 11 Era. The panel is intended as a contemporary
exploration of Edward Said’s thesis, first laid out in Orientalism, that
Middle Eastern Studies produces not value-free knowledge but policy-oriented
knowledge and, moreover, is tied to the culture of colonialism. In the post
September 11 era, we have witnessed an increasing tendency to build closer,
more explicit and more multifaceted relationship between universities and
the state, which in the case of Middle East Studies may be approached as
“Neo-Orientalism.” Several examples may be identified within US academic
study of the Middle East and Islam, especially where the field is most
connected to the work of think-tanks, governmental and non-governmental
organizations.

We are seeking submissions related to Neo-Orientalism and Middle East
Studies in the Post-September 11 Era. Possible areas of research and study
include but are not limited to:

Orientalism, Neo-Orientalism and Middle East Studies
Middle East Studies, Think-Tanks and NGOs
"Moderate" Islam and Neo-Orientalism
Orientalism, Neo-Orientalism, and C. Wright Mills’ conception of the
sociological imagination
The Role of Semi-governmental organizations such as NED, NDI, the Woodrow
Wilson Center and others in financing Middle East and Islamic Studies
Comparisons of Orientalism and Neo-Orientalism across US and European
Academic cultures, or elsewhere
The Role of the State in Middle East Studies in the Post-September 11 era,

Deadline: January 30, 2011

Please send abstract to: tugrulkeskin@pdx.edu and mab205@pitt.edu

Organizers:
Mohammed Bamyeh, University of Pittsburg
Tugrul Keskin, Portland State University

Samih Farsoun (1937-2005) A Palestinian Sociologist

Islamophobia: A different face of racism

An Islamic woman goes to the Al-Farooq Islamic Center on Fourth Avenue South to pray. Vandals had inscribed “Muslims Go Home” on the wall near the entrance.
JOHN PARTIPILO / FILE / THE TENNESSEAN

Call for papers: Social Transformations in South/Southeast Asia: Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh

Mirza Sultan-Galiev: One of the first representative of the Socialism in the Global South

Happy Workers Day!

Sponsor of the World Islamic Economic Forum: Islamic Way of Capitalism

6th World Islamic Economic Forum

The 6th World Islamic Economic Forum is back in Kuala Lumpur and is scheduled to be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on 18-20 May 2010. Purportedly one of the most important business forums scheduled for the year 2010, at least one that focuses on a niche market of the emerging economies of the Muslim world, the 6th WIEF is expected to attract an estimated 2000 participants based on the past record of 1728 participants at the 5th WIEF in Jakarta in March 2009. The Forum, a platform where world leaders in government and business converge to discuss trade and economic issues affecting the globe, is poised to be the ultimate meeting place for investors, fund managers, entrepreneurs, bankers, and other stakeholders of the business community.

Market (Pazaryeri) in Istanbul

Sociology of Islam and Muslim Societies at Portland State University

Dear all,

We have created the Sociology of Islam and Muslim Societies homepage at Portland State University and this has been transferred from Virginia Tech. You will find detailed information at the following web address: http://www.pdx.edu/sociologyofislam/

We have also updated our academic advisory and editorial board.

Academic Advisory Board:
http://www.pdx.edu/sociologyofislam/advisory-board

Editorial Board:
http://www.pdx.edu/sociologyofislam/editorial-board

We would like to post your Islam and Muslim Societies related syllabi on our website, if you would like to send them to us as a word document. You will see other syllabi in the syllabus section of the homepage. This homepage will also help our students to select Islam and Muslim Societies related courses.

Please also visit the new Religious Studies website at Portland State University:
http://www.pdx.edu/religiousstudies/

Dr. Jennifer Schubert from the Religious Studies program is presenting the Religious Studies Program's first public event. You will find this lecture information on our website: http://www.pdx.edu/sociologyofislam/lectures

Peace and salaam to all,

--
Tugrul Keskin

Assistant Professor of International and Middle Eastern Studies
And Center for Turkish Studies
Portland State University
International Studies-INTL
East Hall 309
632 SW Hall Street
Portland, OR 97201 - USA
Office: 503-725-3495

Editor of Sociology of Islam and Muslim Societies
Book Editor of Societies Without Borders

Civilized us, uncivilized them: The Dichotomoy of Imperialism

Turkish Immigrant Cruelly Beaten by the Norway Police As His Mother was Left to Die by the Norway Doctors.

Sociology of Islam and Muslim Societies: SUMMER 2009

Classical Social Theory: 9th European Sociological Association Conference

9th European Sociological Association Conference
European Society or European Societies?
September 2 - 5, 2009
Lisbon, Portugal

Friday, September 4, 2009

5A Classical Social Theory: The Classical Canon, Mannheim and Troeltsch

Chair: Henning Bech

Robert Fine: Marx and the Radical Critique of Antisemitism
WARWICK UNIVERSITY

Tugrul Keskin: Sociology of Islam and Muslim Societies in Neoliberal Globalization
PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY

Isabelle Darmon: The notions of 'type of man' and 'personality' in early German
social and cultural sciences: lessons from a selective comparison between Ernst
Troeltsch and Max Weber
THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER

Richard Simon: Scientific Specialization as Utopian Practice

The Lion of the Desert: Omar Muhtar

The Lion of the desert: Omar Muhtar

The Most Strange of Creatures by Nazim Hikmet

The Most Strange of Creatures

Like the scorpion, my brother,
You are like the scorpion
In a terror-stricken night,
Like the sparrow, my brother,
You are like the sparrow
In inconsiderable restlessness.
Like the mussel, my brother,
You are like the mussel
Closed tight and tranquil.
You are terrible, my brother,
Like the mouth of an extinguished volcano.
And you are not one, alas,
you are not five
you are some millions.
You are like the sheep, my brother,
When the butcher dressed in your wool
when the butcher lifts his Staff
you hurry yourself to get back in the flock
and you go to the slaughterhouse running, almost proud.
You are the most strange of creatures, in short,
More strange than the fish
who lives in the sea without knowing the sea,
And if there is so much misery on the earth
it is thanks to you, my brother,
If we are starved, worn out,
If we are flayed till the blood flows,
Pressed like a bunch of grapes to yield our wine,
Will I go so far as to say that it is your fault, no,
But for many it is so, my brother.

Nazim Hikmet Ran
1901 Selanik -1963 Moscow

The United States of Corporation

Madrassas in India

If you are interested in Madrassas in India and Pakistan, please visit the following website that is updated by a colleague of mine, Yogi Skand:

http://www.madrasareforms.blogspot.com/

or Islam in India

http://www.islampeaceandjustice.blogspot.com/