Religion, Orientalism and Modernity : : Mahdi Movements of Iran and South Asia / / Geoffrey Nash.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter EBOOK PACKAGE COMPLETE 2022 English
• VerfasserIn: Nash, Geoffrey,
• Place / Publishing House: Edinburgh : : Edinburgh University Press, , [2022]; ©2022
• Year of Publication: 2022
• Language: English
• Series: Edinburgh Historical Studies of Iran and the Persian World
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (336 p.)

Analyses modernity and Orientalist discourses in Iranian millenarian movements Employs historical and discourse analysis to probe the conflict between orthodox and heterodox religious movements in 19th- and 20th-century IranLinks the conflict between orthodoxy and heterodoxy to the impact of modernity on Iran’s society and religion and to colonisation on India’s MuslimsBroadens the scope of this conflict to include Palestine, Central Asia and Turkey Presents a postcolonial analysis of the new movements and their broader relationship to the Islamic world during the age of imperialismReligion, Orientalism and Modernity explores the emergence of the revolutionary Babis and reformist Baha’is and their conflict with mainstream Shi’a Muslims in Iran, and of the parallel Ahmadi movement in North India. It gives fresh insights into the writings that defined these innovatory movements, penned on the one hand by their proponents, and on the other by western interpreters. Comparing these movements shows that, together, they define important aspects of Islamic modernity. A focus on two case studies (Babis and Baha’is in Iran, and Ahmadis in India) reveals similarities and differences in their responses to a perceived need for change and renewal of religious authority.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgements -- Notes on Transliteration -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Contexts and Issues -- 3 Race and Religion in Gobineau’s Persia -- 4 Ernest Renan’s Search for a Religion of Modernity -- 5 Edward Granville Browne and the Writing of Babi Narratives -- 6 Empire and Orient: Baha’is in Russian Transcaspia and Palestine -- 7 Orientalism and Modernity in Baha’i and Ahmadi writings -- 8 Muslim Responses and a Future for Mahdi Movements -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index