FORUM: Conflict and Convergence in Late Antiquity (Part 2) Michael Pregill | December 21, 2015 Global Late Antiquity AboutGlobal Late Antiquity Islam was born out of the imperial struggles of Late Antiquity, a period during which claims of political authority were commonly intertwined with assertions of religious truth. Islam was unusual in this period in that it recognized the partial authenticity of the Jewish and Christian messages while asserting its superiority as the final revelation to humanity, as well as establishing a world empire aiming to restore God's rule on earth... Read the rest of this entry
Farkhunda: Mob Murder, Martyrdom, and Redemption through Social Media Olga M. Davidson | December 7, 2015 Critical Approaches / Current Events, Visual Culture AboutCritical Approaches "Farkhunda Malikzada was a fine carpet weaver and a great cook. She always wore black, and recited the Koran early every morning." So begins an article reporting on the murder of this 27-year-old woman by a mob in Kabul on March 19, 2015... Read the rest of this entry
VIDEO: On the Interpretive Strategies of the Islamic State Michael Pregill | November 25, 2015 Critical Approaches / Current Events AboutCritical Approaches Jessica Stern addresses the Islamic State organization’s appeal to its recruits, arguing that we must evaluate that appeal in terms of the material incentives ISIS provides to its supporters as well as its ideology. Michael Pregill describes the political exegesis of the biblical and qur’anic image of Noah’s Ark in Dabiq, the Islamic State’s propaganda magazine. Read the rest of this entry