More than any other book I have read recently, Stefania Pandolfo’s Knot of the Soul made me ask myself time…
Knot of the Soul: Voices, textures, resonances
Science and the soul: New inquiries into Islamic ethics
Seventeen scholars consider a broad range of topics that pivot off, but are not limited to, inquiries into itineraries of Islam and science. The forum features five recent books: The Iranian Metaphysicals (Princeton, 2018) by Alireza Doostdar, Jinnealogy (Stanford University Press, 2017) by Anand Taneja, The Arabic Freud (Princeton University Press, 2017) by Omnia El Shakry, Knot of the Soul (Chicago University Press, 2018) by Stefania Pandolfo, and The Lighthouse and the Observatory (Cambridge University Press, 2018) by Daniel Stolz.
Begin by reading Noah Salomon’s introduction to the forum here. He provides an overview of the intellectual depth of the conversation that arises between and among these five books, as well as outlines the forum’s structure. Then, check back each week as a new book is featured with essays by the author and two other scholars. These essays will be followed with reflections from some of the book authors and a conclusion by Hussein Agrama.
Listening to the torment of existence
On the one hand, the story of modern Islam across multiple disciplines has for decades been organized by a figure…
In-capacities of the soul: A reply to Largier and Iqbal
“It is the other who can see my form.” My friend Omnia El Shakry, also a participant in this forum,…
Rethinking the history of the astral sciences in modern Egypt with The Lighthouse and the Observatory
How the history of science can inform histories of the modern Middle East (and vice versa) is precisely what The…
Encountering another science
The Lighthouse and the Observatory’s learned account of nineteenth-century Egyptian astronomy’s imbrications with religion, empire, and the social realities and…
On continuity and rupture: A reply to Elshakry and Quadri
By pulling at different threads of the book’s argument, Elshakry and Quadri expose a basic tension between the book’s emphasis…
A liturgy of the soul
Reading and responding to Knot of the Soul deeply signifies a longstanding dialogue with my friend and interlocutor Stefania Pandolfo.…
Compulsory things: Some reflections on Hirschkind and Doostdar
In an illuminating exchange, Charles Hirschkind and Alireza Doostdar debate the compulsory quality of modern scientific reasoning. Doostdar, in The…
On intellectual hospitality and the plenitude of time: A response to Bardawil
It is undeniable that colonialism and post-colonial nationalism have wreaked havoc on many forms of life. I am acutely aware…
Proximate enigmas
I’m delighted—and daunted!—for this chance at engaging the rich discussions of this forum. Nothing I say in this short space…