islamic etiquettes

8/10/2019 islamic etiquettes

1/15

Home

Biography

Bibliography

Books

ArticlesInterviews

Videos

Links

Contact

Home InterviewsOn Social Change and Islamic Reform

On Social Change and Islamic Reform

Q. You are obsessed with change. This is in fact, your critics argue, one of the main problems with your

thought.

A. Wouldnt you be, if you see so much injustice, poverty and degradation all around you?

Q. But see social change as essential. A natural part of life.

A. I see change is normal; indeed, a natural part of life. And social change follows the patterns of overallchange. It is normal and an integral part of life. However, the term social change is itself part of the western

jargon of sociology and as such it reflects the values of the West. Whatever the value of Comte, Durkheim and

Mannheim, it is Marx who has, more than anyone else, shaped western sociology. Indeed, Weber can be

considered to be nothing more than a gloss on Marx. As such, I believe, western sociology assumes the

Marxian dimension to a very large degree. The basic assumptions can be identified as: stratification of society

(in classes), and the influence of economics on all spheres of society. Other cultures do not (necessarily)

subscribe to these notions of society and hence sociology. In Islam, for example, society is structured not on

the basis of class but piety (so the ideal theory goes). Furthermore, in western sociology change is itself a

positive value. Again, other cultures do not see change itself as good. In Islam, change is not a value in itself.

It can be blameworthy or praiseworthy and the society is suppose to exert and work towards positive changein Islamic terms. The value of change as perpetual and permanent is equated with the idea of progress; which

is by definition good. All progress is progress and innately good. The binary opposite of progress is

stagnation. Thus nothing should be allowed to impede change; and all obstacles to change are necessarily bad

leading to reaction, decadence and death. Most non-western societies do not subscribe to such notions of

progress. From social change to progress and from progress to development. This is the conventional western

historic dynamic. What I say about progress also holds true of development.

Q. So, what are the primary agents of social change? What drives change?

ocial Change and Islamic Reform | Ziauddin Sardar http://ziauddinsardar.com/2011/02/social-change-islami

12/31/2014 1


2/15

A. In contemporary society, the dominant agents of change are science and technology. Plus fashion and

zingiest. But this is hackneyed territory and I do not want to go into it. What I want to say is that different

cultures have different notions of agents of social change. In Islam, the primary agent of social change is

conceptual. It is a concept called ijtihad meaning reasoned and sustained struggle for innovation, positive

change and uplifting progress. There are other concepts which have a bearing on this such as the notion of

tajdid (renewal), islaah (correcting negative change) and istislah (promoting public interest). Theoretically, at

least, change in Muslim society is brought about by exerting ijtihad and putting other concepts into practice.

This is the kind of change I have argued for in Muslim societies.

Q. Do you assign any priority or instructions for determining which are the most crucial?

Yes. I always ask a simple question: Cui bono? Who benefits? It seems to me that almost all change in a

globalised world benefits only certain societies and certain individuals and groups in those societies. On the

whole, I am not really interested in change that leads to further marginalisation of the non-west or inner city

poor in western societies. Neither am I interested in change that enhances the power of the corporations. My

priorities are very simple: first the marginalised of the world wherever they are; second nature and

environment; third knowledge. I judge all social change by this criteria: does it benefit the marginalised? The

environment? Does it enhance our knowledge and understanding of our selves? I also think existing

institutions are an impediment to positive change. The quest for sustainable society forces us to actually

re-imagine society itself. We need the ability to transcend the existing poverty of thought and move forward to

a future with new institutions based on new visions. I have seen, for example, how Muslim scholars tried to

develop the idea of an Islamic economics (based on zero interest, the idea that land cannot be owned, notions

of partnerships and cooperatives, and deep notions of social justice) using existing, conventional institutions.

After 30 years of effort, we can safely say that they have failed. Existing institutions are innately unjust the

injustice inherent in them (the bias towards the poor and environment, for example) is difficult to overcome.

We need new institutions that are premised on the ideas of equality and social justice.

Q. Who is best placed to bring about positive social change?

A. You, me, everyone. Rivers are made of drops of water. Each drop of water must do the bit that is required.

And we should work collectively to enhance our efforts. We tend to neglect the power of the ordinary people.

An average Joe Bloggs or Sarah Smith has tremendous power even if he/she assumes that they are totally

powerless. There is power even in absolute powerlessness. What is need is the will to change, struggle and

fight for positive futures. And thats what I think is really lacking. Most of us are too comfortable and hence

too complacent.

Q. You are critical of attempts to package Islam into a single ideology, or to view Islam as a simple set

of rules and regulations that define everything from personal conduct to state power. At what point in

your career did you discover or learn that this is not what Islam meant for you?

A. In the mid-seventies while living in Saudi Arabia. If you want to see the true manifestation of Islam as a

one-dimensional ideology, simply look at Saudi Arabia. When I was first invited to come and work in Saudi

Arabia, I felt as though I had won the lottery. It was the height of the oil-boom years in the late seventies, and

I was going to join the newly established Hajj Research Centre at the King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah.

Saudi Arabia is, after all, the land of the two holiest cities of Islam: Mecca, the prime focus of every Muslim

during daily prayers, the site of the Sacred Mosque with the Holy Kaaba the House of Allah and the goal

of hajj, the pilgrimage that every Muslim must undertake at least once in his or her lifetime; and Medina, the


12/31/2014 1


3/15

city where the Prophet Muhammad laid the foundations of the Muslim civilisation. The emotional content of

the words Mecca and Medina on a young Muslim looking for his first job cannot be measured on any human

scale. I thought I was going to an Islamic paradise. But I soon discovered that when Islam and the state are

one and the same thing, and when there is only one way of interpreting Islam and of being a Muslim, you end

you with self-righteous fascism. If you believe that you possess the absolute truth, you naturally want to keep

it pure and exclude everything that you see as falsehood. Moreover, you are keen to impose it on others

whatever the cost. When you internalise Islam as a single ideology, you cease to be, in my opinion, human. .

In their excessive zeal to be guardians of their brand of hyper-orthodox Islam, many Saudis have forgottenhow to be human. When I first went to Saudi Arabia I thought I will discover a new level of humanity, a new,

unparalleled appreciation of the dignity of difference. Instead, I encountered a type of religious xenophobia

that I could not imagine. I realised then that Islam cannot be packaged into a single ideology. Later,

revolutionary Iran and the Taliban further strengthened my belief. For me, Islam is all about knowing yourself

as a human being. Before you can be a good Muslim you must be a good human being. Simplest, monolithic

interpretations of Islam undermine this equation.

Q. The Ijmalis were perhaps the most dynamic group of Muslim Diaspora intellectuals whose vision

and output is likely to remain unmatched for many decades. Why could you not institutionalise?

A. You insist on labelling me; and I insist on rejecting all labels. I am not a Diaspora anything. I do not feel

displaced. I am not in exile. I feel totally at home where I am! The Ijamlis did not see themselves as Diaspora

intellectuals they felt perfectly at home in the West because they were from and of the West. They emerged as

a network before networks were in fashion. It is very difficult to institutionalise a network. The Ijamlis were a

product of their time and existed as long as the network performed a useful function. They evaporated when

the network was no longer needed. I do not really lament their demise. The world has moved on and we need

new networks geared to contemporary times.

Q. Among the next generation of Diaspora Muslim public intellectuals, Tariq Ramadans ideas are

perhaps closest to yours. Notwithstanding 9/11, why do you think it has taken a quarter of a century for

your ideas to resurface in the public sphere?

A. Well, better late than never. When The Future of Muslim Civilisation was first published, I remember my

friend Jerry Ravetz saying, dont expect anyone to understand it; it will take decades for many of the ideas in it

to filter down. I think it is the job of reformers to be ahead of their time. Moreover, I am asking Muslims to

transcend centuries of historical baggage and overturn deeply entrenched obscurantism. I have always seen

this as a multi-generational task. Sometimes you need a crisis for certain reformist ideas to come to the fore. I

think the total failure of the notion of Islamic state and the Islamic movement, as well as intellectual

movements such as Islamisation of knowledge, has generated a sense of crisis. 9/11 has given this crisis an

urgent spin to this crisis. So the time is now ripe for many of my ideas to come to the fore. Indeed, it is

gratifying to see how so many of my ideas sometime with acknowledgement, mostly without

acknowledgement have now been embraced in places like Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey and in various

European Muslim circles. But I do not believe that Tariq Ramadan and others have still caught up with the

true import of my ideas.

Q. Talking of Europe, do you think that a European Islam is possible? Considering that Muslims are a

minority, do you think that a minority can play an role in shaping new interpretations of Islam?

A. I think the first thing we need to appreciate is that Islam is not a monolithic entity. We can interpret it


12/31/2014 1


4/15

according to the situation we find ourselves in. The basic contours of Islam what we believe, they way we do

our worship, the basic injunctions of the Quran and Sunnah are immutable; but the rest is open to

interpretation. And, I think, that it is the duty of European Muslims to shape a European Islam based on their

experience and understanding of both Islam and the contemporary European societies. So, I see the

development of a dynamic European Islam, underpinning European Muslim identities, as an urgent social and

cultural project.

To the question of minorities. Minorities have always played a great role in shaping Islam and giving it a

sense of direction. The idea of hijra or migration that leads to the formation of a Diaspora is central to Islam.

Our calendar itself starts with the hijra of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina. And when the

Prophet arrived in Medina, the Muslims were a minority. Moreover, throughout Muslim history, minorities

have played a major part in transforming the centre. It was the scholars and thinkers of the periphery, such as

Samarkand and Bukhara, who informed and changed the classical period. Think of the immense contribution

of Moorish Spain clearly a minority in relation to the rest of the then Muslim world in building the Muslim

civilisation. So being a minority is not necessarily an impediment to developing a civilisational project. I think

European Muslims are well placed to undertake this project and, through their efforts, change the rest of the

Muslim world itself.

Q. Do you think Turkeys membership can help this process? Is Turkeys exclusion from EU solely based

on economical and social reason? How can they contribute to the debate about Turkey or learn from it?

A. Certainly. I think Turkeys membership of EU will provide a big boost to the confidence of European

Muslims. It will confirm that Islam not only belongs in Europe but also has European roots. There are

primarily two reasons for Turkeys exclusion from the EU. The first is racism pure and simple. Europe has

never sees Turkey as part of itself; no matter how much Turkey saw itself as European. Western Europe has

always suffered from a serious identity crisis and where Europe ends and the rest of the world begins, its

boundaries, is an integral part of this identity crisis. So Eastern Europe, for example, is never actually seen as

European but as a part of the East. This is why Slovakians, Romanians and Albanians are never accepted as

fully-fledged Europeans. As the historic Other of Europe, Turkey is hardly likely to be seen as a trueEuropean state. The second is Turkeys human rights records. Indeed, this and the armys involvement in

politics, is often used to justify European racism against Turkey. Now, this has nothing to do with Islam. In

fact, the military justifies its involvement in politics and human rights abuses in terms of keeping Turkey

secular and suppressing Islam. It is perfectly possible for Turkey to be ruled by a moderate Islamic elements,

be free of human rights and freedom of expression abuses, thrive on plurality and develop a prosperous

economy. What is not possible is for Turkey to be totally overshadowed by the army and be a free, pluralistic

and democratic state. Only when the army cuts itself off totally from politics will it be possible for Turkey to

fulfil the basic condition for inclusion in the European Union. And only then can it have the moral ground to

fight the racist attitudes and deeply held prejudices that Europe holds about Turkey. I think this is happening.

Europe cannot keep Turkey out of the Union for ever; this could have serious consequences for the EU itself.So, sooner or later, I think, Turkey will join the EU.

Q. You have upset lots of people with your thoughts on conversion to Islam. On the whole, you do not

think this is a good idea. Why?

A. In my experience, many converts, if not most, converts come to Islam to seek certainty and simplicity, and

perhaps a recognition that they need authoritarianism the three things I believe Islam is not about. Most

converts tend to be more Muslims than the Muslims and take every minute aspect of Islam as they have been

thought or have learned very, very seriously. If they happen to adopt the Wahabi way, they want everyones


12/31/2014 1


5/15

who does not have a beard to be declared an unbeliever, those who are not vigilant with their prayers are

seriously lacking in faith, and want to impose Shariah law on everything and everyone. Now, I dont want to

name names; but check out the opinions of some prominent white Muslims and you will see what I mean.

Theres another problem. Converts automatically assume leadership position. In America, Hamza Yusuf and

in Britain Yusuf Islam and Abdul Hakim Murad are a clear example. In the eighties many white converts

formed what was than known as Islamic Society of Britain (now it has changed a lot) and their declared

purpose was to (1) lead the Muslim community because the immigrants were not capable of being leaders;

and (2) represent Islam to the host community because the Subcontinental were a bad advert for Islam. I

found many of its members to be totally obnoxious, and some were plainly and expressly racist. Indeed,

converts only play the race card sometime consciously, sometimes innocently viz a viz the Arabs. The

Arabs, as you know, are deeply racist when it comes to white converts because they prove the superiority of

Islam. They look up to them. And some white converts exploit this. In a strange way, converts also play a role

in projecting a normal image of Islam. They are often brought on radio and television to make the point: look

if a Yorkshire (for example) born lassie can convert to Islam, then it must be alright. Or at least cant be bad. I

wouldnt say I am against converts per se. But I am concerned that many of them have extremists or very

narrow views on Islam; and many impose themselves as leaders of the Muslim community.

Q. Yet your closest collaborator and co-author Merryl Davies is a convert from Wales.

Those coverts who retain a balance, take their newly adopted religion in their stride, make tremendous

contribution all around. Consider the achievements, for example, of Mohammad Asad or Marmaduke

Pickthall, both of whom translated the Quran. Converts that do not wear their Islam on their sleeves, or suffer

from some kind of identity crisis, can be a boon to Muslim society. Unfortunately, such people are few and far

in between. Merryl is one of them. She is so confident of her Welsh identity that she did not even bother to

change her name. That says something!

Q. The Sufi Traditionalists claim that your ideas for an Islamic Science are devoid of an appreciation of

spirituality and the soul. Would you say there is some truth to this?

A. Science is all about problem solving, it has nothing to do with the soul. You may find spirituality in nature

but that is not the same thing as studying nature to understand it laws. Now I do think that values play an

important part in shaping science; and these values can be spiritual values. But at the same time, I believe

science to be socially objective and its results to be repeatable and applicable throughout all cultures. This

view clashes with the Traditionalist notion that sees science as sacred, secret, concerned with the occult, and

based on some sort of perennial philosophy. I make no apology for that. I reject this notion of science totally.

Q. In retrospect, do you feel you were too hard on Hussian Nasr, the champion of Traditionalist notion

of science and the Bucaillists, who seek to justify the discoveries of science through a reading of theQuran. Their views remain mainstream among Muslims all over the world.

A. As I said earlier, I believe in speaking my mind, and stating the truth as I see it. I may be wrong; and often

am. But I still prefer to speak truth to power. I dont believe that I was either hard or soft on Nasr or

Bucaillists. It is for others to critically evaluate my arguments. My views often go against the mainstream.

That doesnt really bother me. What does bother me is the lack of critical thought in Muslim societies. I think

the mainstream views of Nasr and Bucaillists are pushing Muslim societies away from science. Muslims, I

think, need to realise that there are no quick fixes in science you cant do science by contemplating the

universe nor can scientific discoveries be made by simply reading the Quran. There is no substitute for rolling


12/31/2014 1


6/15

ones sleeves and going back to the laboratory.

Q. After 9/11, Muslims everywhere began to ask questions about their faith. Britains Muslims are

racked with pain and soul-searching following the 7 July London bombs. What impact do you think

these events have had and how do you interpret the debate?

A. I dont think September 11 marked a sharp departure soul searching has been going on in the Muslim world

for decades. But 9/11 and 7/7 do bring certain questions into sharper focus. Why do Muslims feel so enraged?What kind of despair has modernity, postmodernism and western foreign policies engendered in non-western

societies? We need deep answers to these question not the ridiculously facile ones provided by American

politicians and newspaper columnists such as we the rest of the world are jealous of American success or

we envy their democracy September 11 also raises some profound question for Muslim too. Why does Islam

today appear to be synonymous with violence? And why are those who claim to be following the will of God

so bent on the path of war? How in the 21st century, the Muslim world could have produced a bin Ladin?

Why is the Muslim world so crammed with despots, theocrats, autocrats and dictators? Or, to put it another

way: Why have Muslim societies failed so spectacularly to come to terms with modernity?

These are not new questions. I have raised them many times. Other writers and scholars have asked the same

questions. But after September 11, these questions have acquired a new poignancy and a much broader

currency. However, such debate and earnest discourse has some notable features. The debate is conducted, for

the most part, by Muslim intellectuals and writers, who like myself live and work in the West, though they

enjoy a readership and close links within the Muslim world. The reason is not hard to find. Living in the West

requires a direct response to the circumstances and human dilemmas of modernity; it allows more ready

access to sources of Muslim scholarship than in most Muslim countries; within the Muslim world dissent,

wide ranging intellectual inquiry and argument has little if any public scope. So the central debate on the

contemporary meaning of Islam is, in its most challenging form, doubly marginal. It occurs outside Muslim

nations, where any attempt to apply its ideas is blocked by existing power structures and entrenched vested

interests. In the West it is hardly known, being the concern of a minority of a minority, it is almost inaudible

and invisible. Furthermore from a western perspective it is not consistent with popular perceptions of Islam,nor the real politick of relations with the Muslim World. I think, we need to ensure that this debate has the

widest currency possible. Everyone must be involved in thinking about and attempting to answer these

questions.

Q. This brings us to the vexed questions of democracy and liberalism. Are these concepts

products of the imperialist West, as some Muslim writers argue? Do they have any place

in Islam?

A. I think Islam does not have any problem with democracy; indeed, I would argue, that Islam is inherently

democratic in that it seeks, without compromise, governance that is both accountable and participatory.

Indeed, democracy and other western ideas, clash with Islam only when they conceive themselves as a

doctrine of Truth or violates one of the fundamental notions of Islam. Only when democracy becomes wedded

to atheistic humanism, becomes an arch ideology, and lays claims to being a dogma of Truth, or when

secularism interprets itself as an epistemology, does it clash with the faith of Islam. As a mechanism for

representative government, devoid of its ideological pretensions and trappings, democracy has no quarrel with

Islam.

We can say the same about liberal humanism. Indeed, the West took humanism from Islam. And, if Europe

was true to its origins, and if it had any integrity and self-respect, it would acknowledge that it learnt how to


12/31/2014 1


7/15

reason, what is the difference between civilisation and barbarism, and what are the basic features of a civil

society from Islam. It was thinkers like ibn Sina, ibn Rushd, ibn Khaldun and al-Baruni who introduced

humanism to Europe. Indeed, with these and other Muslim thinkers, Europe as a civilised idea is

inconceivable. So there is nothing in humanism per se that is European or anti Islamic. But Europes unique

role was the construction of liberal humanism as an arch ideology, as a grand narrative, into which all other

narratives must be assimilated. It is this dimension of European humanism that we reject.

I think a major goal for us Muslims today is to rediscover our democratic and humanist roots. And, in the

process, show Europe that there are other notions of democracy and other ways of being human. To some

extent, that is also the goal of reformulating Islam as a transmodern outlook.

Let me distinguish between transmodernism and postmodernism and modernity. Transmodernism goes

beyond modernity; it transcend modernity in that it takes us trans ie through modernity into another state of

being. Thus, unlike postmodernism, transmodernism is not a linear projection. We can best understand it with

the aid of chaos theory. In all complex systems societies, civilisations, eco-systems etc. many independent

variables are interacting with each other in great many ways. Chaos theory teaches us that complex systems

have the ability to create order out of chaos. This happens at a balancing point, called the edge of chaos. At

the edge of chaos, the system is in a kind of suspended animation between stability and total dissolution into

chaos. At this point, almost any factor can push the system into one or other direction. However, complexsystems at the edge of chaos have the ability to spontaneously self-organise themselves into a higher order; in

other words the system evolves spontaneously into a new mode of existence.

Transmodernism is the transfer of modernity from the edge of chaos, where it has brought the Muslim world,

into a new order of society. As such, transmoderism and tradition are not two opposing worldviews but a new

synthesis of both. Traditional societies use their ability to change and become transmodern while remaining

the same! Both sides of the equation are important here: change has to be made and accommodated; but the

fundamental tenets of tradition, the source of its identity and sacredness, remain the same. So we may define a

transmodern future as a synthesis between life enhancing tradition that is amenable to change and transition

and a new form of modernity that respects the values and lifestyles of traditional cultures.

In developing democratic, humane and pluralistic models of Muslim societies, that is a transmodern

framework, it is important to think of the Muslim world beyond the straight jackets of governments. Most

Muslim countries are governed by ultra modernists or ultra traditionalists neither of whom have any

understanding of the complexity of the contemporary world or the urgent need to develop transmodern

frameworks. We need to go beyond decision makers and involve ordinary people scholars, writers, activists,

academics, journalists in our discussions. We will discover that most people have a critical but positive

attitude towards both tradition and the West; and women will be as willing, if not more so, to participate in

such discussions and the transformations they may initiate, as men. Transmodernism is not about conflict, or a

false sense of aggrandisement, but about symbiosis between Islam and the West. Its aim must be to replace

homogenising globalisation with what Anwar Ibrahim, the former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, hascalled global convivencia that is, a more harmonious and enriching experience of living together.

Q. In Battle for Islam, you travelled across 5 Muslim countries, talking to everyone from catwalk

models to military dictators. How was this visit different from all your previous journeys?

A. For one thing, I was accompanied by a television crew. For another, I had a good idea what I was looking

for, the kind of conversation I wanted to generate, and how I wanted to mediate the end product. So in a sense

it was an artificial journey. All television is mediated and constructed. Battle for Islam was no exception.


12/31/2014 1


8/15

Share

Q. Your many journeys have taken you to many places and brought you in contact with a multitude of

personalities. Do you ever tire of travel? Can you see yourself ever stopping?

A. After each journey, I vow to stop. Somehow I never do.

Q. Some of your critics have suggested that sometimes you are too self-mocking and not serious enough.

A. I am very serious; but I do not take myslef seriously.

Q. What do you see yourself doing when you are 70?

Reading, writing, thinking, loving, regretting, and as usual, planting seeds that I hope would grow and prosper

and turn the world into a garden.

468 ad

Subscribe to:

Recent Posts

Read the Reviews of Mecca: The Sacred City

Read Ziauddin Sardars interview in the Daily TelegraphMecca, The Sacred City

East-West in Postnormal Times (Editorial)

Freeze Framing Muslims

Ziauddin Sardar

1,543 people like Ziauddin Sardar.

Facebook social plugin

LikeLike

Designed by Elegant Themes| Powered by Wordpress

6LikeLike


12/31/2014 1


9/15

ABOUT GUIDED HISTORY FOR STUDENTS JEWISH HISTORY EUROPEAN HISTORY RUSSIAN HISTORY

OTHER TOPICS

Madeleine Atkinson

The Renaissance was an era of cultural rebirth and achievement that occurred in

Italy during the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries. The period can be

best described as the rise of humanism, which was an intellectual movement that

emphasized secular ideas found in literature from Ancient Greece and Rome.

Among these ancient ideas was a newfound faith in the individual. The God-fearing

Middle Ages viewed man as unworthy by virtue and stained by original sin. [1]

However, as Renaissance Humanism brought a newfound interest in education in

art and the humanities, people became less absorbed in religious hierarchy and

more curious about the capabilities of man. As the Renaissance developed,

Individualismbecame a prominent theme in Italy. Many philosophers wrote

about the potential of man and developed their own beliefs as to the kind of person

an individual should aim to be. These views inspired many people to invest in their

studies of the arts and humanities, and as a result, many significant achievements

came out of the Renaissance.

This guide provides a comprehensive view of the development of individual identity

during the Renaissance. It is divided into five sections, which present both primary

SEARCH GUIDED HISTORY

S

Guided HistoryHistory Research Guides by Boston University Students

leine Atkinson | Guided History http://blogs.bu.edu/guidedhistory/moderneurope/madeleine-

1/2/2015


10/15

and secondary sources to present a complete understanding of the subject. The first

section provides a General Overview of Renaissance Individualism. The following

three sections highlight main themes within Renaissance Individualism: The

Origins of Individualism, The Renaissance Man, and Individualism in

Renaisance Art. The final section lists other electronic sources that provide

additional information about humanism, individualism, and the Renaissance era as

a whole.

Lukes, Steven. The Meanings of Individualism.Journal of the

History of Ideas31.1 (1971): 45-66. Print.

Defines individualism by examining meanings various cultures attributed to

the term in its nineteenth century origins. On page 58 and 59, Lukes discusses

renaissance individualism by examining the ideas presented in The

Development of The Individual written by renaissance scholar Jacob

Burckhardt. Additionally, Lukes analyzes the modern significance of

individualism and how the concept has evolved since its origins.

Humanism by the Encyclopedia Britannica

Examines a history of Renaissance Humanism and traces how its ideals andideologies were used in Renaissance literature, art, religion, and more. One

section, titled The emergence of the individual and the idea of the dignity of

man, discusses famous humanists ideas of individualism and helps explain

the changes these ideas made to how people thought about man. Another

section titled Anthropocentricity and individualism illustrates how the rise

in individualism influenced a shift in the subjects of new Renaissance art.

Cassirer, Ernst. The individual and the cosmos in Renaissance

hilosophy. New York: Harper & Row, 1963. Print.

Provides a detailed account of Renaissance philosophy. Cassirer examines how

the Renaissance broke with midevil tradition and brought about changes to

literature, art, and philosophy. He also describes the new ideologies of

individualism that emerged as people began to break from the religious

hierarchy of the Middle Ages.


1/2/2015


11/15

Although most historians recognize the prominence of individualism during the

Renaissance, there has been much debate between scholars about the origins and

historical development of the emergence of the individual. The following sources

include major works and scholarly comparisons of the different theories of

individualism.

Jacob Burckhardt. The civilization of the Renaissance in Italy. New

York: Modern Library, 1995.

This famous essay presents an analytical historiography of Individualism. He

examines the prominence of individualism 14th century culture of the Italian

city-state and the ideologies of famous Renaissance philosophers. The essay

has been the subject of much discussion and debate amongst Renaissance

scholars.

Greenblatt, Stephen.Renaissance self-fashioning: from More to

Shakespeare. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980. Print.

This book seeks to provide a history of individualism using new-historicism, a

method of understanding history by analyzing the literature of a given time

period. Greenblatt presents the idea that the emergence of the individual

during the Renaissance was not a result of a break with the middle ages, nor

did it influence the literary and artistic achievements that came out of the

Renaissance. Instead, Greenblatt uses specific works to support his claim that


1/2/2015


12/15

individual identity was a poetic concept that emerged from the literary works

of the Renaissance.

Martin, John Jeffries.Myths of Renaissance individualism.

Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.

Print.

This book presents an argument on popular theories of RenaissanceIndividualism. Martin critically analyzes the works of Burckhardt, Greenblatt,

and other famous Renaissance scholars. He presents a unique perspective on

individual progress, which he supports using careful examination of the social

history and literary artifacts from 15th and 16th century Venice.

As the individual became increasingly important during the Renaissance, many

philosophers developed their own ideas of a perfect individual. A Renaissance

Man, or a man who is capable and knowledgeable of all things, can be found in the

writings of many Renaissance philosophers.

The following primary sourcesare direct works from famous Renaissance

Philosophers that discuss the concept of the Renaissance Man:

Mirandola, Giovanni. Oration on the dignity of man. Washington, D.C.:

Regnery Publications, 1996. Print.

This book, written by famous Renaissance philosopher and humanist Pico

della Mirandola, is known as the Manifesto of the Renaissance[2]. It

describes man as a dignified being, created by God to achieve his highest

potential. The book cites important biblical figures and books to prove his

theory that humans were intended to exercise their intellectual capacities and

make themselves into the person they desired. His theories inspired many

people to study the humanities as he encouraged people to become an expert

in all subjects.


1/2/2015


13/15

Castiglione, Baldassarre. The book of the courtier. London &

Toronto/New York: JMDent & Sons, ltd./EPDutton co., 1928.

Amidst a culture that placed high value on civilized man, Baldassar

Castigliones work discusses the perfect Renaissance Courtier, or attendant of

the Royal court. Castiglione explains his idea of a Renaissance Man as one

who is not only well-versed in the humanities and arts, but one who also

exemplifies proper behavior and carries himself with elegance.

Elmer, Peter, Nick Webb, and Roberta Wood. The Renaissance in

Europe: an anthology. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000. Print.

This book presents a collection of original documents and artifacts from the

Renaissance and analyzes how they contributed to the historical significance of

the era. The works are divided into five thematic sections. The first two

sections concentrate on Renaissance Humanism and include works from

famous philosophers like Machiavelli, Villani, and Pico della Mirandola. The

book compares the different philosophies on individual development andevaluates the impact these views had on Renaissance society as a whole.

Other works on the subject:

Heller, Agnes.Renaissance man. London; Boston: Routledge & KPaul,

1978.

Heller presents a detailed analysis of the Renaissance individual. She

highlights works from famous Renaissance philosophers and discusses how

their ideas combined with the fertile ground for cultural and artisticachievement influenced individuals to aim for high achievement.

Renaissance Man: Leonardo Da Vinci the Museum of Science

Leonardo Da Vinci is often regarded as the epitome of a Renaissance Man.

This site examines Da Vincis life and analyzes the talents and contributions

that contributed to his legacy as a universal person.


1/2/2015


14/15

The idea that man was capable of great accomplishment inspired many artists to

pursue their studies in the arts and humanities. During the Middle Ages, people

believed that only God had the power to create. The Renaissance, however, gave

credit to artistic creativity and achievement. Artists started to take pride in their

artwork and began exploring new humanist themes in their art rather than focusing

on the traditional biblical subject matter that was popular during the middle ages.

The Renaissance in Florence East Tennessee State University

This site offers a comprehensive explanation of humanist subject matter

during the Renaissance. It provides pictures of paintings and sculptures,

explaining how individual thought influenced the humanist subject matter

that was portrayed. Additionally, it provides a brief overview of the

Renaissance and the patronage that made artistic achievement possible.

The Early Renaissance in Florence The National Gallery of Art

This website, sponsored by the National Gallery of Art, offers a virtual tourthrough the Early Renaissance in Florence. It gives a general overview of the

time period and identifies its prominent perspectives and themes. The website

identifies a newfound focus on individual achievement as one of the primary

influences for new styles and subjects that emerged and provides examples of

Renaissance art that reflected this focus.

Renaissance Conceptions of Man SUNY Oneonta

Provides an explanation for how the Renaissance philosophy of the individual

influenced major achievements in Renaissance culture and thought. Examines

excerpts from humanist philosophers and different forms of Renaissance

artwork.

Video: The Renaissance History.com


1/2/2015


15/15

The History Channel presents a history of the Renaissance using an original

song and colorful illusrations. Although the video is rather playful, it presents

important information from the time period in a fun and interesting way.

Towards the end of the video (around 2:10), the song evaulates the

Renaissance man and the achievements that came out of the new ways of

individualism thinking.

Bibliography (for quotes used):

[1]Merriman, John M.. . New

York: W.W. Norton, 1996. 59. Print.

[2]Cheyney, Liana. Humanism & Philosophical Background: Neoplatonism, Ficino and

Pico. . University of Massachusetts Lowell, n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.

.

BU Blogs | Guided History | Disclaimer | Contact Author


islamic etiquettes

Documents