"Open to Reason: Muslim Philosophers in Conversation with the Western Tradition" by Souleymane Bachir Diagne

What does it mean to be a Muslim philosopher, or to philosophize in Islam? In Open to Reason (Columbia University Press) , Souleymane Bachir Diagne traces Muslims’ intellectual and spiritual history of examining and questioning beliefs and arguments to show how Islamic philosophy has always engaged critically with texts and ideas both inside and outside its tradition. Through a rich reading of classical and modern Muslim philosophers, Diagne explains the long history of philosophy in the Islamic world and its relevance to crucial issues of our own time.

From classical figures such as Avicenna to the twentieth-century Sufi master and teacher of tolerance Tierno Bokar Salif Tall, Diagne explores how Islamic thinkers have asked and answered such questions as Does religion need philosophy? How can religion coexist with rationalism? What does it mean to interpret a religious narrative philosophically? What does it mean to be human, and what are human beings’ responsibilities to nature? Is there such a thing as an “Islamic” state, or should Muslims reinvent political institutions that suit their own times? Diagne shows that philosophizing in Islam in its many forms throughout the centuries has meant a commitment to forward and open thinking. A remarkable history of philosophy in the Islamic world as well as a work of philosophy in its own right, this book seeks to contribute to the revival of a spirit of pluralism rooted in Muslim intellectual and spiritual traditions.

Souleymane Bachir Diagne is a professor in the departments of French and philosophy at Columbia University. His books in English include African Art as Philosophy: Senghor, Bergson, and the Idea of Negritude (2011) and The Ink of the Scholars: Reflections on Philosophy in Africa (2016).

"Divine Words, Female Voices: Muslima Explorations in Comparative Feminist Theology" by Jerusha Tanner Lamptey

The relationship between Islam and feminism is complex. There are many Muslim scholars who fervently promote women's equality. At the same time, there is ambivalence regarding the general norms, terminology, and approaches of feminism and feminist theology. This ambivalence is in large part a product of various hegemonic, androcentric, and patriarchal discourses that seek to dictate legitimate and authoritative interpretations. These discourses not only fuel ambivalence, they also effectively obscure valuable possibilities related to interreligious feminist engagement. 

Divine Words, Female Voices (Oxford University Press) is the follow-up to Jerusha Rhodes's 2014 book, Never Wholly Other, in which she introduced the idea of "Muslima" theology and applied it to the topic of religious diversity. In this new book, she extends her earlier arguments to contend that interreligious feminist engagement is both a theologically valid endeavor and a vital resource for Muslim women scholars. She introduces comparative feminist theology as a method for overcoming challenges associated with interreligious feminist engagement, reorients comparative discussions to focus on the two "Divine Words" (the Qur'an and Jesus) and feminist theology, and uses this reorientation to examine intersections, discontinuities, and insights related to diverse theological topics. This book is distinctive in its responsiveness to calls for new approaches in Islamic feminist theology, its use of the method of comparative theology, its focus on Muslim and Christian feminist theology in comparative analysis, and its constructive articulation of Muslima theological perspectives.

Jerusha Rhodes is Assistant Professor of Islam and Interreligious Engagement and the Director of the Islam, Social Justice, and Interreligious Engagement Program (ISJIE) at Union Theological Seminary in New York. She is the author of Never Wholly Other: A Muslima Theology of Religious Pluralism (Oxford University Press, 2014).

New Course Proposed by CSMS Faculty Members Funded by Columbia Global Scholars Program

Course title: Critical Texts and Practices in the Study of Muslim Societies: Orientalism and Its Others to be offered in 2019 with instruction at Columbia and in Tunis, Fez and Rabat.

GSP supports curricular development and innovation for undergraduate students. GSP was successfully launched, with generous support from the President’s Office, in 2012 as a pilot program by the Weatherhead East Asian Institute. Beginning in the summer of 2012, groups of undergraduate students, competitively chosen from across all Columbia schools and disciplines, have been led by Columbia faculty on multi-week, multi-country research workshops on themes of global importance. Unlike traditional study abroad programs, GSP allows students to conduct fieldwork in one area of the world and then test their findings in additional host countries that offer new sets of variables. GSP builds on the expertise, resources, and cross-regional networks offered by Columbia’s eight Global Centers. Its aim is to help undergraduates map the globe by exploring transnational issues and applying social science research skills in a range of challenging and diverse international contexts. In 2017, it transitioned to a joint initiative between the Office of Global Programs and Columbia Global Centers.

Marwa Elshakry, Lead Faculty Director of Critical Texts and Practices in the Study of Muslim Societies: Orientalism and Its Others (Tunis, Fez, and Rabat) is Associate Professor in the Department of History at Columbia University, where she specializes in the history of science, technology, and medicine in the modern Middle East.