The Islamic Enlightenment: The Modern Struggle Between Faith and Reason - Hardcover

De Bellaigue, Christopher

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1847922414 ISBN 13: 9781847922410

Publisher: The Bodley Head Ltd, 2017

Synopsis

SHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE

Selected as a book of the year 2017 by the Times Literary Supplement and the Sunday Times ('At a time when the gulf between Islam and the West yawns distressingly wide, De Bellaigue’s book is a welcome and surprising corrective' Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times)

'The best sort of book for our disordered days: timely, urgent and illuminating' Pankaj Mishra

'It strikes a blow … for common humanity.' Sunday Times

The Islamic Enlightenment: a contradiction in terms?

The Muslim world has often been accused of a failure to modernise, reform and adapt. But, from the beginning of the nineteenth century to the present day, Islamic society in its Middle Eastern heartlands has in fact been transformed by modern ideals and practices, including the adoption of modern medicine, the emergence of women from purdah and the development of democracy.

Who were the scholars and scientists, writers and politicians that brought about these remarkable changes? And why is their legacy now under threat?

Beginning with the dramatic collision of East and West following Napoleon’s arrival in Egypt, and taking us through 200 tumultuous years of Middle Eastern history, Christopher de Bellaigue introduces us to key figures and reformers; from Egypt’s visionary ruler Muhammad Ali to brave radicals like Iran’s first feminist Qurrat al-Ayn and the writer Ibrahim Sinasi, who transformed Ottoman Turkey’s language and literature.

This book tells the forgotten story of the Islamic Enlightenment. It shows us how to look beyond sensationalist headlines to foster a genuine understanding of modern Islam and Muslim culture, and is essential reading for anyone engaged with the state of the world today.

About this title

About the Author

Christopher de Bellaigue is the award-winning author of The Lion House: The Rise of Suleyman the Magnificent, which was chosen as a book of the year by The Times, Sunday Times, Spectator and New Yorker among others, as well as five previous books, including The Islamic Enlightenment, which was shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-fiction and the Orwell Prize for Political Writing in 2017.

As a reporter he has covered war, politics, society and the environment in five continents for the Economist, the New York Review of Books, the Guardian and the BBC. He is the founder of the Lake District Book Festival in Cartmel, Cumbria, an Honorary Fellow of the University of St Andrews and in 2026 he will take up a Visiting Fellowship at All Souls College, Oxford.


www.christopherdebellaigue.com

Edition details

• Publisher: The Bodley Head Ltd
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1847922414
• ISBN 13: 9781847922410
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 432