Books by Jakob Skovgaard-Petersen
Quote as:
Salvatore Armando, Babak Rahimi, and Roberto Tottoli (eds). 2018. The Wiley Blackwell H... more Quote as:
Salvatore Armando, Babak Rahimi, and Roberto Tottoli (eds). 2018. The Wiley Blackwell History of Islam. Oxford: Wiley Blackwell.
[You'll find the Introduction and my two co-authored Chapters in the section 'Book Chapters and Intros' by scrolling down my main academia webpage]
A theoretically rich, nuanced history of Islam and Islamic civilization with a unique sociological component. This major new reference work offers a complete historical and theoretically informed view of Islam as both a religion and a sociocultural force. It surveys and discusses the transformation of Muslim societies in different eras and various regions, providing a broad narrative of the historical development of Islamic civilization.
This text explores the complex and varied history of the religion and its traditions. It provides an in-depth study of the diverse ways through which the religious dimension at the core of Islamic traditions has led to a distinctive type of civilizational process in history. The book illuminates the ways in which various historical forces have converged and crystallized in institutional forms at a variety of levels, embracing social, religious, legal, political, cultural, and civic dimensions. Together, the team of internationally renowned scholars move from the genesis of a new social order in 7th-century Arabia, right up to the rise of revolutionary Islamist currents in the 20th century and the varied ways in which Islam has grown and continues to pervade daily life in the Middle East and beyond.
This book is essential reading for students and academics in a wide range of fields, including sociology, history, law, and political science. It will also appeal to general readers with an interest in the history of one of the world’s great religions.
An edited book exploring the interrelations between new public spaces and the public sphere in th... more An edited book exploring the interrelations between new public spaces and the public sphere in the period.
This is the introduction
Arab Media Moguls
Transformations in the Arab media landscape are a key element in the regional dynamics of politic... more Transformations in the Arab media landscape are a key element in the regional dynamics of political change. Where do the private owners of Arab media outlets stand on the scene? What part, if any, have they played in weakening dictatorships, countering sectarianism and political polarisation, and reforming business practices in the Arab world? Arab Media Moguls charts the rise of some leading investors and entrepreneurs in Arab media, examining their motives, management styles, financial performance and links to political power. Responding critically to scholarship on Western moguls, this book uncovers the realities of risk and success for Arab media potentates and billionaires.
Papers by Jakob Skovgaard-Petersen
Middle East Law and Governance, 2023
Although they may have learned the norms and practices of fiqh at home and in school, most Muslim... more Although they may have learned the norms and practices of fiqh at home and in school, most Muslims have scant knowledge of the ways in which their religious laws and mores were practiced in pre-modern times. Indeed, when it comes to imagining and understanding the role of fiqh in earlier Muslim societies, many contemporary Muslims get their information through fictional treatments, particularly from films and television dramas. For Arab Muslims, the relevant medium here is the musalsal, the 30-episode Ramadan drama. This article is a preliminary investigation into the role of fiqh in Egyptian historical films and musalsalāt. Based on collected scenes of fiqh-judges passing sentences, muftis issuing fatwas, teachers instructing, and student discussions-it identifies the issues at stake and analyzes the style of argumentation, the exercise of authority, and the general image of a fiqh-based society created in films and dramas. While the fuqahāʾ only play a minor role in Egyptian film, they are prominent in Arabic historical and religious musalsalāt, often, but not exclusively, produced in Egypt. In these two genres, we have biopics of major religio-legal figures, such as the founders of the four legal schools, major theologians, 19th century reformers, and a few modern ʿulamaʾ. Tracing the evolving treatment of fiqh and fuqahāʾ from the early dramas of the 1980s up to today, this article focuses on the themes of judicial independence, justice for the poor, corruption, and the intellectual process behind rulings. It argues that, overall, the lesson of the musalsalāt is a positive one: Shariʿa works, authoritarian rule has the capacity to be enlightened, and the key to effective leadership is appointing the right people to govern, or judge. The article concludes by discussing these messages in a contemporary Egyptian setting.
Politik, 2012
Although dating back to the late 19th century, research in Arab media has been weak and marginal ... more Although dating back to the late 19th century, research in Arab media has been weak and marginal until the 1990s. Around that time, the deregulation and privatization of media, and the rise of pan-Arab satellite TV, had led to a dramatic increase in the quality and impact of the Arab media, locally, regionally and gradually even globally. Scholarship has taken up a number of themes – big and small media; local and regional public; Saudization; translocal Islamic identity; TV-dramas as social comment, blogs – that were clearly visible in this new, invigorated media environment. Along with these themes, there has been an ongoing discussion about the democratic potential of the new, competitive media, and the events of 2011 will be seen as a con rma- tion of their political impact. is again raises questions as to the changes in Arab media that the political transformations will bring about.
Guardians of Faith in Modern Times: ʿUlamaʾ in the Middle East
6 On the brief history of this institution see Bernard Botiveau, "L'Ecole de la magistrature shar... more 6 On the brief history of this institution see Bernard Botiveau, "L'Ecole de la magistrature sharʿi (1907-1930) et la production d'un droit islamique réformé," in Roussillon (ed.), Entre réforme sociale et mouvement national, pp. 549-564.
Arab Media Moguls: An Introduction
Arab Media Moguls, 2015
Dansk Sociologi, 2009
2008 er 30-året for udgivelsen af Edward Saids Orientalism. Og den er stadig aktuel, hvis man ska... more 2008 er 30-året for udgivelsen af Edward Saids Orientalism. Og den er stadig aktuel, hvis man skal tro nogle nye bøger, som angriber den. Det er dog et spørgsmål, om man skal det. Not everything is Said in Middle Eastern Studies.
Arab Liberal Thought after 1967, 2015
is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throu... more is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
Tidsskrift for Islamforskning, 2018
Den 10. juni 2017 skrev Martin Krasnik en leder i Weekendavisen under overskriften “Ufredens reli... more Den 10. juni 2017 skrev Martin Krasnik en leder i Weekendavisen under overskriften “Ufredens religion”, som Jakob Skovgaard-Petersen skrev et modsvar til på Facebook den 15. juni 2017. Hen over sommer fulgte en længere debat på Facebook og i flere dagblade om forholdet mellem islam og vold. Vi genoptrykker her den del af debatten, som udfoldede sig mellem Jakob Skovgaard-Petersen og Thomas Hoffmann på Facebook, suppleret med et nyt indlæg fra dem hver. Det er ikke kun en debat om, hvorvidt islam er fredens eller ufredens religion, men i lige så høj grad en debat om, hvordan både forskere og journalister bør gå til de islamiske tekster og muslimers fortolkninger heraf, både historisk og i dag.
Middle Eastern cities 1900-1950 : public places and public spheres in transformation
Introduction: Public Places and Public Spheres in Transformation Colonising Popular Culture or Cr... more Introduction: Public Places and Public Spheres in Transformation Colonising Popular Culture or Creating Modernity? Town Planning Schemes for Cairo The Pleasure of Public Space Muhammad 'Ali Street and the Nightclubs in Cairo (1900-1950) Sex and Cinema in Damascus The Early Museums and the Formation of Their Publics Istanbul in the 1940's and the Garip Poets The Appearance and Disappearance of Public Space Construction of the Public Sphere in the Middle Eastern Medina During the First Half of the 20th Century.
The ‘Ulama’: Challenges, Reforms, and New Patterns of Social Relevance
The Khuṭba Scene in Arab Religious Films and TV Dramas
An imam delivering a khutba is a standard scene in Arab films and tv-serials. It can, however, co... more An imam delivering a khutba is a standard scene in Arab films and tv-serials. It can, however, convey different intended meanings, depending not only on the words pronounced, but also on the camera’s focus: do we see the preacher’s face and state of mind, or the impact he makes on his listener? And how about the distance and hierarchy between them? Analyzing these scenes, this chapter points to a development whereby the top-down sermon has gradually become unpopular and today is mainly used to depict extremist preachers addressing their loyalist followers. More positive depictions of preachers have often moved to more level-field discussion circles where they take the concerns of their listeners to heart.
Clergy and conflict intensity
Fatwas in print
Cet article examine les fatwas imprimees (qui a publie quelles fatwas et dans quel but) aux alent... more Cet article examine les fatwas imprimees (qui a publie quelles fatwas et dans quel but) aux alentours de 1900, mais il tente de poser la question elargie d'une revolution de l'imprimerie : que representait le fait d'imprimer pour la pratique de la fatwa, et a-t-il eu une influence sur le genre fatwa ? L'imprimerie ou la presse ne doivent pas etre vues comme variables independantes mais considerees dans un contexte de changement politique et socio-economique general durant cette periode. L'alphabetisation, le nombre de lecteurs et le controle sont seulement les plus visibles parmi une longue liste de facteurs qui ont conditionne le role de l'imprimerie aux 19 e et 20 e siecles.
Historical Retrospective on Muftiship: Muftis, State Muftis and Official Muftis
Islamic Leadership in the European Lands of the Former Ottoman and Russian Empires
In Islamic Leadership in the European Lands of the Former Ottoman and Russian Empires the develop... more In Islamic Leadership in the European Lands of the Former Ottoman and Russian Empires the development of national muftiates is presented through a double prism of the institutional structures of Muslim communities and the dimension of the spiritual guidance.
Global mufti : the phenomenon of Yūsuf al-Qaraḍāwī
A widely respected legal scholar, Islamist activist, and renowned host of al-Jazeera's most p... more A widely respected legal scholar, Islamist activist, and renowned host of al-Jazeera's most popular religious program, Sharia and Life, Yusuf al-Qaradawi is an extremely controversial figure in contemporary Islamism. When he was a young man, Qaradawi attended a lecture by Hassan al-Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, and immediately joined the organization's youth wing. After earning his degree in theology at al-Azhar University in Cairo, Qaradawi settled in Qatar, where he played a pivotal role in establishing a system of Islamic higher education. When the Muslim Brotherhood was forced underground in the 1960s, Qaradawi eschewed a formal position with the movement, opting instead to pursue a career as a major writer and ideologist of contemporary Islamist thought. Beginning in the mid-1970s, Qaradawi became one of a handful of Islamist ulama (Muslim scholars) who were accepted as authorities on doctrinal and political matters, both by Islamists and within the wider Is...
The Sixth Nordic Conference on Middle Eastern Studies
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Books by Jakob Skovgaard-Petersen
Salvatore Armando, Babak Rahimi, and Roberto Tottoli (eds). 2018. The Wiley Blackwell History of Islam. Oxford: Wiley Blackwell.
[You'll find the Introduction and my two co-authored Chapters in the section 'Book Chapters and Intros' by scrolling down my main academia webpage]
A theoretically rich, nuanced history of Islam and Islamic civilization with a unique sociological component. This major new reference work offers a complete historical and theoretically informed view of Islam as both a religion and a sociocultural force. It surveys and discusses the transformation of Muslim societies in different eras and various regions, providing a broad narrative of the historical development of Islamic civilization.
This text explores the complex and varied history of the religion and its traditions. It provides an in-depth study of the diverse ways through which the religious dimension at the core of Islamic traditions has led to a distinctive type of civilizational process in history. The book illuminates the ways in which various historical forces have converged and crystallized in institutional forms at a variety of levels, embracing social, religious, legal, political, cultural, and civic dimensions. Together, the team of internationally renowned scholars move from the genesis of a new social order in 7th-century Arabia, right up to the rise of revolutionary Islamist currents in the 20th century and the varied ways in which Islam has grown and continues to pervade daily life in the Middle East and beyond.
This book is essential reading for students and academics in a wide range of fields, including sociology, history, law, and political science. It will also appeal to general readers with an interest in the history of one of the world’s great religions.
This is the introduction
Papers by Jakob Skovgaard-Petersen