Islam in European Thought [Hardcover]

Albert Hourani (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 26, 1991 | ISBN-10: 0521392136 | ISBN-13: 978-0521392136 | Edition: 1

This collection of essays focuses on the relation between European and Islamic thought and culture from the late eighteenth to the twentieth century. Albert Hourani explores the development of ideas about Islam in European thought and discusses the individual writers who played an important part in informing and communicating an image of Islamic history and civilisation. He also examines some of the reactions of the Islamic world to the powerful new ideas of European civilization including the first Arabic encyclopedia and translation of Homer.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[Hourani] has an understanding of both western and Arab-Muslim intellectual traditions unmatched in his generation. His writing is elegant and judicious, marked by a passionate concern to get as near to the truth as possible....Wise voices like Hourani's, uncontaminated by religiosity or lust for power, are especially needed at this time." New Statesman and Society

"The new collection of his essays, Islam in European Thought, once more indicates those remarkable qualities and is in continuity with his previous writing; nevertheless, at the same time this new publication provides some insights and fresh reflections which are particularly timely and worthy of attention." Andrej Kreutz, Arab Studies Quarterly

"This history of an evolving European...study of Islam is one of inclusion: Hourani's enduring legacy may be his dedication to widening the circles of discussion on behalf of Islamic studies, which were in 'danger of being isolated from the mainstreams of academic life.'" Common Knowledge

"...serves as an excellent introduction to his approach to the history of the Middle East since the beginning of the eighteenth century....This book is a fitting conclusion to a career that pointed out some of the ways to transcend both the tradition and its limitations, while also appreciating and benefiting from it." Rashid Khalidi, Journal of Modern History

"...Albert Hourani's Islam in European Thought is a passionate, magnificent, and elegant piece of writing. It deserves to be read carefully and attentively." Islamic Studies

Book Description

Louis Massignon, H.A.R. Gibb, Marshall Hodgsons and T.E. Lawrence are discussed in a collection of essays that focuses on the relationship between European and Islamic thought and culture from the late eighteenth to the twentieth century.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 211 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (April 26, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521392136
• ISBN-13: 978-0521392136
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,871,086 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 19-20th century scholars view Middle East, August 29, 2010

By 

William Garrison Jr. (Bellevue, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Islam in European Thought (Paperback)

"Islam in European Thought" by Albert Hourani, 1991, English 199 pgs. This is a collection of 9 essays pertaining to various Middle East issues between the eighteenth to the twentieth century that written by the author. They are: "Islam in European Thought" (1986 and the longest with 50 pgs) .) [discusses the views of various European historians regarding the Middle East]; "Wednesday afternoons remembered" (1988) [discussion of Oriental studies at English universities]; "Marshall Hodgson and the Venture of Islam" (1978) [study of Hodgson developing his great book]; "Islamic History, Middle Eastern history, modern history (1980) [a study of various European and Occidentalist scholars that impacted the author]; "T.E. Lawrence and Louis Massignon" (1983) [a study of the French military officer Massignon and his `workings' with the young British officer during their mutual support of the Arabian forces revolting against the Ottomans during late WWI]; "In search of a new Andalusia" (1982) [a study of the French scholar Jacques Berque]; "Culture and change: the Middle East in the Eighteenth century" (1977); "Bustani's enclyclopaedia" (1990); & "Sulaiman al-Bustani and [his translation of] the Iliad". A lot of enjoyable reading about how various scholars pursued historical topics regarding the Middle East.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars invaluable, November 15, 2004

By 

Farseem Mohammedy (Hamilton, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Islam in European Thought (Paperback)

This is an invaluable companion to islamic history, historiography and the historians themselves. This book contains monograph-type short essays on wide topics concerning middle-east and Islam. With an emphasis on sociology of the society to be studied the author makes careful study of his subject in a concise way. His reviews are also very insightful. Hourani has put all his life-long wisdom into this slender volume.