Dr Elisabeth Kendall and Ahmad Khan (DPhil Oriental Studies) Publish 'Reclaiming Islamic Tradition'

Current upheavals in the Islamic world cannot be 'spectated' in isolation from deeper Islamic history. In this new book, 'Reclaiming Islamic Tradition: Modern Interpretations of the Classical Heritage', Dr Elisabeth Kendall and Pembroke DPhil candidate Ahmad Khan draw together leading experts to explore how the classical Islamic tradition has been reshaped in the modern Islamic world.

The book's ten chapters bring clarity to modern trends and debates across the Islamic world by placing them in their historical contexts. The book is very much a Pembroke effort, with four of the ten chapters contributed by Pembroke academics and funding for the project generously provided by alumnus Brian Wilson (1948).

Dr Elisabeth Kendall commented 'This book plays to Pembroke’s strengths, bringing our depth of knowledge of both Islam and original source languages to bear in our discussion of pressing debates about modern Islamic reform and revival. The book explores texts, groups and personalities that stake out a claim to classical traditions in disciplines as diverse as Islamic law, Qur’anic exegesis and jihadist literature.'

The book can be purchased from the Edinburgh University Press. To read the book’s introduction and chapter outlines for free, click here.