Thinking About Tradition, Religion, and Politics in Egypt Today

Authors

  • Talal Asad City University of New York (CUNY)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-7984.2017v16n36p347

Abstract

In this essay, Talal Asad reflects on politics in contemporary Egypt and its relationship with Islamic tradition. Against the background of the Egyptian revolution of January 2011 and its following events, including hostility towards the Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters, Asad not only looks at the links between the modern secular worldview and Islam but fundamentally for the aspects of this tradition that, according to secularists, are incompatible with the modern sovereign state. Assuming a critical stance on modern practice and discourse – aimed at undermining Islamic tradition – the author explores the possibilities of reintegrating this tradition into the post-2011 Egyptian democratic path but using it only as a model for how liberal states can benefit from a kind of embodiment of customs and ethical principles offered by tradition.

Author Biography

Talal Asad, City University of New York (CUNY)

Distinguished Professor no Centro de Pós-Graduação da City University of New York (CUNY).

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Published

2017-10-17

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 36 (2017)

Section

Special Issue 1 - Sociology and sociologists in Latin America: research, teaching, and interdisciplinarity in contemporary context

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