Contemporary discussions of Islam are dominated by questions surrounding doctrines and laws - what Muslims believe, what Islam commands and so on. In search of a more nuanced and meaningful approach, this course aims to explore the vital and pervasive role of stories and storytelling in Islamic thought. We want to explore the different stories and the different types of stories that have been told in Muslim cultures, ask what they mean, what are they and how they relate to something we call 'Islam.' We want to read narrative with clear religious significance, such as those in the Qur'an and the hadith, exploring how and to what extent they seek to construct absolute truth. We want to look, too, at fantastical stories like the 1,001 Nights, and what their accounts of weird creatures and otherworldly places have to do with religion (or anything else, for that matter). In stories told by mystical poets like Rumi and Nezami, we want see authors seeking the truth in mysterious, magical worlds of their own creation. Some of our stories are going to be very old, showing traces of myths and epics going back thousands of years. Others, we want to see, continue to influence contemporary fiction.
As well as the opportunity to read some wonderful stories, this course will offer a chance to investigate Islamic and Islamic cultures in depth, while also exploring the meaning of narrative and fiction, and how religious narrative relate to religious doctrines.
This course wants to be taught in English. Readings will be supplied in English and German.
- Kursleiter/in: Anna Kira Hippert
- Kursleiter/in: Alexander Schröder
- Kursleiter/in: George William Warner