The Princeton Encyclopedia of Islamic Political Thought: Critical Review

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THEOLOGICAL LIBRARIANSHIP
An Online Journal of the American Teological Library Association
Volume 6, Number 2 July 2013
CRITICAL REVIEW
Te Princeton Encyclopedia of Islamic Political Tought
Gerhard Bowering, ed. Te Princeton Encyclopedia of Islamic Political Tought. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton
University Press, 2013. 656 pp. $75.00. Hardcover. ISBN: 9780691134840. E-book: 9781400838554.
T
he impact of Muslim faith and practice upon global issues today can scarcely be denied. Islam exerts an
infuence as a primary motivator and source of organizing principles in the daily personal behavior and
communal or national life of about 1.5 billion of the earths population. Of particular importance in
international afairs is the role of political philosophies, movements, structures, personalities, and systems derived
from or expressing various interpretations of Islamic belief.
Tis beautifully constructed new reference work ofers the serious reader solid and detailed information about the
historical origins and development of Islamic political and legal ideas and institutions and their roles in todays
world. Te writing is intended for the educated nonspecialist (xix), though I have no doubt that academics in
the many disciplines of Islamic studies will beneft from it, and those in related felds will fnd it as useful as Te
Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World, the Encyclopaedia of Islam, and other indispensible references.
Te work has an unusual and appealing conceptual basis in fve ranges of responsibility undertaken by the fve
editors. Te central or foundational themes such as Muhammad, the Quran, sharia, authority, government
are examined in articles overseen by the editor-in-chief, Gerhard Bowering (Yale). Patricia Crone (Princeton)
led the work on the historical evolution of political thought, sects and schools, regions, and dynasties throughout
the Muslim world; Muhammad Qasim Zaman (Princeton) directed the contributions on modern concepts,
institutions, movements, and political parties; Devin Stewart (Emory) developed the key area of Islamic law, legal
theory, and practice; and Wadad Kadi (Chicago) selected the specifc thinkers, leaders, and individuals discussed.
Each one of these editors is an instantly recognizable and widely respected authority in his or her subject area.
Te editors have marshaled contributions from an interesting array of international scholars, men and women,
and Muslims and non-Muslims, many of them established professors who have written important books on their
particular subjects within the past ten years, and some emerging younger scholars and graduate students. For
example, there is an article by Jane Dammen McAulife, editor of the massive Encyclopaedia of the Quran, on
exegesis; one by Jonathan A.C. Brown on hadith; and several by doctoral student Nassima Neggaz. Te contributors
were asked to make their articles accessible, informative and comprehensive and to maintain an objective tone
(xviii), and this they have accomplished to an impressive degree, in a feld that has traditionally been somewhat
fractured and strained over tendencies toward orientalism and/or essentialism.
Bowerings own introductory essay is an excellent example of detail in context: it provides ample names and dates
and specifc information, within a lucid and well-organized overview of the historical development of political ideas
and activity through centuries of time and the widest possible geographical expanse. One can gain a sense of the
entire feld and identify the vital issues and individuals involved just by attending with care to this introduction.
Te tone is both critical and scrupulously respectful. Some will take exception to Bowerings characterization of
THEOLOGICAL LIBRARIANSHIP
An Online Journal of the American Teological Library Association
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Volume 6, Number 2 July 2013
the confict between Israel and the Palestinians, but it would be difcult to refute his specifc comments about it.
Likewise, the one-page article on Palestine by Loren Lybarger, his articles on Hamas and the PLO, and those by
others on Islamic Jihad, the Muslim Brotherhood, and so on will attract attention.
In fact, Malika Zeghals article on the Muslim Brotherhood is one of the few in this volume in which the balance of
historical background and current relevance fails. It relies entirely on a retrospective approach and remains agnostic
on the role of this organization in the present. One must read Bowerings article on Egypt to fnd out what has
transpired since the emergence of the Arab Spring movements in 2010 up to early 2012, and the Brotherhoods
role in those developments. Te currency of the entire volume is impressive; the death of Osama bin Laden
in 2011 is discussed, as is the outbreak of civil war in Syria, up to April 2012 (again by Bowering). Evidently,
editorial updates on these articles continued right up to the last possible point, when the book went to press. Te
demographic maps and table in the front of the book also provide information as recent as 2010.
Te article on Osama bin Laden brings up one of the most vexing problems in a reference work on Islam the
alphabetical ordering of traditional Muslim names. Te article is found under B for Bin Laden, without a
cross-reference in the index from Osama, or even Laden, where the inexperienced reader might look. On the other
hand, the article on Sayyid Qutb is found under S, but there is a cross-reference in the index: Qutb, Sayyid. See
Sayyid Qutb. Hasan al-Turabi, however, is found under T, with no cross-reference. Tis is a problem without a
solution, though I am sure they tried to organize a consistent practice, with imperfect results.
Te index does serve to help the reader fnd mention of particular topics or names within articles under other
headings; for example, Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti is discussed in the article Ijtihad and Taqlid by Devin Stewart,
although al-Suyutis name is not used as the heading of an article. Te index also coordinates terms with subheadings
efectively, such as:
Shiism, 510-512
Abbasids and, 2
Abu Bakr and, 13-14, 110
in Afghanistan, 20
and so on. Yes, this is entirely normal, but the art of indexing is becoming depleted in this age of keyword searching
to the point where competent standard indexing is noteworthy.
Te entire work rests upon a foundation of ffteen core articles: authority, caliph/caliphate, fundamentalism,
government, jihad, knowledge, minorities, modernity, Muhammad, pluralism/tolerance, Quran, revival/reform,
sharia, traditional political thought, and ulama. Tese lengthy essays are meant to provide a basis for the contextual
understanding of the fne-grained detail found in the very specialized articles. For example, Patricia Crones essay
Traditional Political Tought begins with this explanation:
In terms of political thought, as in so many other respects, Muslims today could be said to be bilingual.
On the one hand, they speak the global political language of Western derivation marked by key concepts
such as democracy, freedom, human rights, and gender equality; on the other hand, they still have their
traditional political idiom, formed over 1400 years of Islamic history and marked by concepts such as
prophecy, imamate, and commanding right and forbidding wrong. Te Islamic tradition is alien to most
Western readers. What follows is an attempt to familiarize them with it to make it easier for them to
follow the other entries in this volume (554).
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THEOLOGICAL LIBRARIANSHIP
An Online Journal of the American Teological Library Association
Volume 6, Number 2 July 2013
And what follows is, indeed, a marvel of clarity and persuasion, flled with provocative statements that are surprisingly
vivid in a reference work. Tis article could become the stimulus for very proftable and lively classroom discussion
among advanced students. Fostering greater bilingual awareness among Western scholars and students is the
intention underlying the entire volume. Each of the lengthy core articles is more than a recitation of data. Tey are
interpretations of data, often with a distinct point of view and an implicit invitation to debate.
Te professors with whom I have shared this book immediately expressed an interest in assigning some of the
topical articles for classroom use, such as those on modernity, sharia, ijtihad and taqlid, pluralism and tolerance,
and jihad. Smaller articles on gender issues and Salafsm seemed appropriate to them for able undergraduates. Tey
also appreciated the selective bibliography provided with each article, both large and small (with the exception of
Crones). Tese book lists, headed Further Reading, are compact but well chosen, up to date, and convenient.
Each article also directs the reader to other pertinent articles within this volume. Tese professors also wished to
have desk copies for ready reference and fact-checking on a whole range of topics, both current and historical. Te
value of the work is certainly not confned to instructors in the feld of religion, however those teaching in the
areas of history, politics, law, culture, international relations, security studies, and social science would also fnd it
applicable.
Te good news on desk copies is that this volume is almost unbelievably afordable: the list price of $75 from
Princeton University Press is terrifc, and discounts can be found. I hesitate to mention this for fear that they will
be inspired to raise the price. Professors can aford to have a copy of their own, and every academic library should
purchase one without delay. An e-book and Kindle version is available, though this reviewer had no opportunity
to examine these. But the print edition of this reference comes highly recommended.
Paula Skreslet
William Smith Morton Library
Union Presbyterian Seminary

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