Lifeworlds of Islam: The Pragmatics of a Religion - Paperback

by Mohammed A. Bamyeh (Author)

How do old ideas continue to appear relevant in a modern world? A sociological approach to Islam allow us to approach an answer to this question.

In Lifeworlds of Islam, Mohammed A. Bamyeh shows that Islam has typically operated not in the form of standard dogmas, but more often as a compass for practical individual orientations or "lifeworlds." Through a comprehensive sociological analysis of Islam, he maps out how Muslims have employed the faith to foster global networks, public philosophies, and engaged civic lives both historically and in the present. Bamyeh further argues that all three fields are poorly understood in recent literature, which tends to focus on one specific problem or another and does not take into account the variety of lifeworlds in which Islam operates. The book contends that the larger preoccupations of ordinary Muslims-how to imagine a global society, how to guide life in the manner of a total philosophy, and how to relate to the world of daily struggles in organized or semi-organized civic forums and social movements-are neither unique to the present period nor to religious life. They are rather shared
universal quandaries.

A focused empirical lens on the career of a religion, Lifeworlds of Islam contributes to the larger literature and provides insight into the nature of global citizenship, the philosophical needs of individuals, and the ethical values that foster social participation.

Author Biography

Mohammed A. Bamyeh is Professor of Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh. He was the lead author of Social Sciences in the Arab World (2015). His other books include The Social Origins of Islam; Intellectuals and Civil Society in the Middle East; Anarchy as Order; The Ends of Globalization; and
Of Death and Dominion; in addition to a few edited volumes. Previously he served as the editor of International Sociology Reviews and is currently President of the Board of Trustees of the Arab Council for the Social Sciences (ACSS).