Reform Within the Scholarly Tradition

2019 ◽  
pp. 201-218
Author(s):  
Nathan Spannaus
Keyword(s):  
18Th Century ◽  
Divine Attributes ◽  
Sound Sources ◽  
Religious Knowledge ◽  
Central Asian

Qursawi’s reformist project focuses on tahqiq as a means of ensuring religious correctness, against the predominance of taqlid, which he saw as perpetuating misguidance, and of questioning conventional positions on the divine attributes and the timing of the isha (night) prayer. It is not fundamentalist or scripturalist, but rather relies on established Hanafi-Maturidi forms of reasoning and methods of interpretation, tied to sound sources of religious knowledge—scripture and authoritative consensus. This chapter presents the underlying logic and approach of his reformism as a coherent whole within the postclassical scholarly tradition. It also compares Qursawi’s thought with that of the 18th-century reformers in Voll’s Hijaz network, arguing that while Qursawi has no connection with this network, the similarities show how reform can be (independently) articulated in different settings. Qursawi’s reformism is ultimately shaped by the Central Asian scholarly tradition and the circumstances under Russian imperial rule.

A virtual orchestra to qualify the acoustics of historical opera houses

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 235-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dario D’Orazio ◽  
Giulia Fratoni ◽  
Anna Rovigatti ◽  
Massimo Garai
Keyword(s):  
18Th Century ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Early Age ◽  
Impulse Responses ◽  
Sound Sources ◽  
Social Division ◽  
Subjective Preference ◽  
Acoustic Comfort ◽  
Opera Houses

Italian Historical Opera Houses are private or public spaces built around a cavea, with tiers of boxes on the surrounding walls. At the early age – from 16th to 18th century – boxes were private properties of the richest class, typically the financial responsible of the whole building. The stalls hosted the middle class, that gradually increased its social position and for this reason the wooden seats were progressively replaced by chairs. The gallery was reserved to lower classes. Does this social division correspond to a different acoustic comfort? The present work tries to answer this question using subjective preference models provided by scholars. With this aim, the room criteria defined by different authors and in distinct times are lined up with the ISO 3382 standards and analysed depending on the acoustic peculiarities of an Italian Historical Opera House selected as case study. Calibrated impulse responses were handled through the numerical simulations of a whole orchestra of virtual sound sources in the pit.

Locating the Non-Aḥrārī Silsila of the Naqshbandīya in Central Asia: A Historical Contextualization of Ḥāfiẓ Baṣīr within the Central Asian Sufi Tradition

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-51
Author(s):  
Aziza Shanazarova
Keyword(s):  
Central Asia ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
Historical Contextualization

Abstract The aim of the paper is twofold. Firstly, to provide a historical contextualization of Ḥāfiẓ Baṣīr, the author of the Maẓhar al-‘ajā’ib (circa 973/1565), within the Central Asian Sufi tradition based on historical and hagiographical sources from the 16th to the 18th centuries. Secondly, to locate the non-Aḥrārī silsila of the Naqshbandīya in Central Asia passing through Ḥāfiẓ Baṣīr that survived in the region of Khwarazm until the second half of the 18th century.

scholarly journals Orenburg Governor I. I. Neplyuev and the Russian policy of pacifying the Kazakh nobility after the death of Khan Abulkhair (1748—1750)

2021 ◽  
pp. 113-123
Author(s):  
S. V. Dzhundzhuzov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
18Th Century ◽  
Balance Of Power ◽  
Russian Empire ◽  
Political Space ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
The Russian Empire

The article examines the activities of the Orenburg governor I. I. Neplyuev to clarify the circumstances of the death of Abulkhair Khan of the Junior Zhuz, which happened in 1748 as a result of an unequal battle with the Sultan of the Middle Zhuz Barak, and the “policy of pacification” of his heir Nuraly Khan. The analysis of departmental and diplomatic documents shows that the subsequent death of Barak Sultan two years later was perceived by the Orenburg administration as an ordinary and expected incident. The legitimization of Khan’s power by the Russian monarch, even more than a treaty of citizenship, turned the heirs of Abulkhair into vassals of the Russian Empire. Thus, the events related to the change of power in the Junior Zhuz in the middle of the 18th century should be considered as an important indicator of the involvement of the Kazakh elite in the Russian political space. At the same time, the essence of the Central Asian policy of Russia, based on the “balance of power” of competing clan families and the pacification of their warlike aspirations, remained unchanged.

scholarly journals A Different Kind of “Scripture”: Women’s Access to Religious Knowledge Without the Written Word

1970 ◽  
pp. 17-25
Author(s):  
Julia Droeber
Keyword(s):  
Altai Mountains ◽  
Religious Knowledge ◽  
Sacred Site ◽  
Best Friend ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
National Hero ◽  
Written Word ◽  
The Village ◽  
Important Site

Kyrgyzstan in 2004. My hostmother Nurgul and her best friend Ainura decided to show me an important site just outside the village. Together with my two hostsisters, nine and fourteen years old, we set off and twenty minutes later we arrived at an overgrown site: a field, the size of a football pitch, surrounded by what could havebeen the overgrown remainder of ruined walls. It was an awe-inspiring sight – the snowcapped Altai-mountains in the background, lush vegetation around us, an azure sky above, and not a sound to be heard. This was, my hostmother explained, the place where Manas, the Kyrgyz national hero, had built a fortress, and it was a sacred site. We circumambulated the site while listening to more stories about Kyrgyzstan’s hero of a thousand years ago. Then, just before we turned to walk home, my hostmother suggested to her friend to “read the Qur’an”. We squatted down in that typically Central Asian way and fell silent. Then Ainura cupped her hands in her lap and began to “read the Qur’an”. Only there was no Qur’an. And her recitation was in an Arabic I could not even remotely recognise. We finished our prayer with the “omeen”3 gesture and made our way home.

Islam and the Discursive Landscape of Globalisation

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 74-113
Author(s):  
Asif Mohiuddin
Keyword(s):  
18Th Century ◽  
Religious Authority ◽  
Information Communication ◽  
Extrinsic Factors ◽  
Religious Knowledge ◽  
New Methods ◽  
Distinct Process ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Multidimensional Process

Abstract Globalisation is a multidimensional process, involving both intrinsic and extrinsic factors, playing out simultaneously within the domains of economy, politics, technology—particularly media and information communication technology (ICT)—culture and environmental change. By contrast, the spread of knowledge that transforms global Islamic authority in heterogeneous forms, challenging conventional understandings, location and mode of articulation of authority, is considered to be a distinct process. This paper attempts to investigate the role of knowledge in the construction of globalised Islamic authority in Islam. It explores the evolution of Islamic authority vis-à-vis the rapidly developing network of interconnections and interdependencies. Focusing on identifying the element of consensus (ijmā) in sustaining and upholding religious authority in Islam, the paper examines how modernist critiques of consensus take various forms in light of what modernists consider to be “true” and how they see the challenges and opportunities of global transformations. While shedding light on a growing fragmentation and decentralisation of religious authority in the Muslim world, this paper argues that the authoritative religious knowledge was established and sustained down to 18th century when new methods of interpretation emerged challenging the authoritative corpus of religious structures. Consideration is also given to the causes, spectrum, and effects of increasingly diverse, and disjointed transformations of religious authority in Muslim societies, the outcome of which is a spectacularly wild growth of interpretation.

Astrakhan and Orenburg: Russia’s Asian Trade in the 17th and 18th Centuries

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Romaniello
Keyword(s):  
Caspian Sea ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Direct Access ◽  
The Caspian Sea ◽  
Volga River ◽  
Trade Networks ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Early Modern Era ◽  
Modern Era

Astrakhan and Orenburg were the Russian Empire’s two “official” entrances from Asia in the early modern era. Russia’s “Asia” was conceived broadly as the expanse of Eurasia from the Ottoman Empire to the shores of the Pacific. Russia’s control of the Volga River, culminating in the conquest of Astrakhan on the shores of the Caspian Sea in the 16th century, was intended to open direct access for Russia’s merchants to reach Asia. Throughout the 17th century, trade with the Middle East and Central Asia increased, followed by an important breakthrough in relations with China culminating in the Treaty of Nerchinsk in 1689. In the 18th century, Russia’s Asian trade increased; Astrakhan’s customs fees collected from Asian trade goods surpassed the revenue generated by Russia’s Baltic ports in the first half of the century. A growing trade with the Central Asian Khanates of Bukhara, Khiva, and Khoqand led to the creation of Orenburg as the entry point for overland trade from the steppe in 1753. In theory, the new outpost separated Russia’s “Asia” into separate zones for increased regulation: Astrakhan for goods arriving from the Caspian Sea, imported from Iran and India, and Orenburg for the increasing steppe traffic. This is not to suggest that increased regulation produced better control over Eurasia’s trade networks, but rather to reveal Russia’s significant investment in profiting from Asia’s trade as much as its competitors in Britain or the Netherlands did. While overland Eurasian trade remains plagued by a historiographical assumption of its decline in the 18th century, Astrakhan and Orenburg were vital centers of Eurasian commerce, revealing the robust overland trade that remained outside of West European observation.

scholarly journals Вооружение и знамена ойратов Джунгарии середины XVIII в. по материалам «Циньдин Хуанъюй Сиюй тучжи»

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 770-796
Author(s):  
Leonid A. Bobrov ◽  
◽  
Alexey M. Pastukhov
Keyword(s):  
Present Article ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Qing Empire ◽  
Military Leaders ◽  
Asian Populations ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Visual Materials ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Special Relevance

Introduction. The article deals with “Qinding Huangyu Xiyu tuzhi” (QHXT), the Qing source of the second half of the 18th century, namely its chapter (juan) 41 devoted to the weapons and military symbols of the Oirats of the Dzungarian state (1635–1758). The chapter in question has not been translated into Russian, neither has it been the subject of a special study so far. The aim of the present article is to introduce the evidence of this part of the Qing source on the weapons and banners of the Dzungars. Results. The compilation of the document was initiated by Emperor Qianlong after the territory of the Dzungar state was annexed to the Qing Empire. A group of Qing officials and of European specialists was sent to explore the newly acquired lands. The work in Dzungaria was largely carried out in 1756–1757, while the study of East Turkestan was completed in the spring of 1759. The work on the text itself began the same year to continue for about 23 years (1759–1782). Manchu military leaders who participated in the war in Central Asia took part, among others, in the compilation of the document. The source includes descriptions of Dzungarian weapons for distant and close combat, armor, and two types of Dzungarian banners. Each item is supplied with description and transcription of its original name. In some cases, the material used for their manufacture and typical sizes are indicated. The data of the written source under study compared with authentic samples of Dzungar weapons and pertaining visual materials has shown that the Qing officials described the features of their construction and decoration with high degree of reliability. Some of this information is unique and can be found in no other sources of the period. The data of the source is of special relevance for attributing various types of weaponry cited in Mongolian sources of the 17th–18th cc., as well as in the Mongolian and Oirat epics. The Qing authors made comparisons of the original names of the Dzungar weapons and armor with their construction features, which opens new avenues for elaborate studies of written works and epics of Central Asian populations. Conclusion. The analysis undertaken in the present article has shown that to date QHST is the most valuable and detailed Qing written source on the weapons and banners of the Dzungars of the middle of the 18th century.

Irrigation and the Rise of the State in Hunza: A Case for the Hydraulic Hypothesis

1997 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 995-1017 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Sidky
Keyword(s):  
Distribution System ◽  
Water Distribution ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
Northern Areas ◽  
Central Asian State ◽  
Princely State

The former princely state of Hunza (now part of Pakistan's Northern Areas District) commands one of the largest and most complex irrigation systems in the whole of the western Karakoram mountain range. Built during the 18th century, Hunza's hydraulic works contributed significantly to the emergence of this small Central Asian state. Few writers, however, have explored the role of irrigation in Hunza's political evolution. Müller-Stellrecht (1981:55) has made some passing observations about the economic importance of irrigation in her paper on traditional Hunzakut society, Kreutzmann (1988) has provided some historical facts concerning the building of the canals and the present-day water distribution system in Hunza, while the French geographer Charles (1985) presents a significant body of data on Hunza's hydraulic works, but entirely from a physical perspective. In this paper, which is based on ethnohistorical data gathered during field research in Hunza, in 1990 and 1991, I examine the role of irrigation in the process of state formation in Hunza.

Role of pinnae and head movements in localizing pure tones 1The authors would like to thank Mr. Remi Humbert for implementing the experiment in Turbo Pascal and for his further assistance.

1999 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 170-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara S. Muller ◽  
Pierre Bovet
Keyword(s):  
Sound Source ◽  
Head Movement ◽  
Movement Analysis ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Sound Sources ◽  
Localization Accuracy ◽  
Sound Effects ◽  
Posterior Quadrant ◽  
Localization Performance ◽  
Pure Tones

Twelve blindfolded subjects localized two different pure tones, randomly played by eight sound sources in the horizontal plane. Either subjects could get information supplied by their pinnae (external ear) and their head movements or not. We found that pinnae, as well as head movements, had a marked influence on auditory localization performance with this type of sound. Effects of pinnae and head movements seemed to be additive; the absence of one or the other factor provoked the same loss of localization accuracy and even much the same error pattern. Head movement analysis showed that subjects turn their face towards the emitting sound source, except for sources exactly in the front or exactly in the rear, which are identified by turning the head to both sides. The head movement amplitude increased smoothly as the sound source moved from the anterior to the posterior quadrant.

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