[Oct 11, 2024] Workshop: Islamic Law, Imperialism, Colonialism, and the Modern State
Location: Zoom | Time: 2 pm to 4 pm | Date: Friday, October 11
The Fall 2024 and Winter 2025 schedule is as follows: TBA
Workshop Presenter: Dilyara Agisheva
Dilyara Agisheva is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute of Islamic Studies, University of Toronto.
Our workshop series aims to investigate the transformations in Islamic law under the influence of imperial powers, colonialism, and the modern state. Starting in September 2024, we will meet monthly to delve into the latest scholarly literature on Islamic legal practices within various imperial contexts. Each session will focus on different aspects of Islamic legal institutions, such as courts, legal education, legal practitioners, property practices, marriage, and other institutions affected by imperialism, colonialism, and modern state in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Our geographical scope includes the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, and less-studied regions such as the Russian and European areas of former Ottoman provinces, as well as different regions in West Africa.
A key feature of the workshop series is the participation of authors whose books we will discuss. These scholars will present their work and engage in Q&A sessions with the audience, providing a platform for in-depth discussions. Our goal is to foster a multifaceted understanding of how Islamic law was influenced by imperial and colonial forces from the 18th century onwards.
For our September workshop, we will read and discuss a book entitled The Making of the Modern Muslim State: Islam and Governance in the Middle East and North Africa (2024) by Malika Zeghal.The book explores the continuity of state involvement in Islam in the Middle East and North Africa, arguing that, despite adopting Western governance techniques, states have maintained and expanded their support for Islamic institutions, fueling political divisions over Islam’s role in governance. Please read the book’s Introduction ahead of our workshop.
