scholarly journals From Confusion to Conversion

Poetics Today ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 347-367
Author(s):  
Douglas Morrey
Keyword(s):  
Political Party ◽  
Religious Conversion ◽  
Political Islam ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Bad Faith ◽  
Intellectual Culture ◽  
National Pride ◽  
Unreliable Narrator ◽  
Role Of Religion

Submission (2015), a novel in which a Muslim political party is elected to govern France, has been widely interpreted as part of a ubiquitous discourse of “declinism” in contemporary French intellectual culture. The novel has been accused of complicity with a reactionary politics favoring a return to strong patriarchal authority and national pride, while the narrative of the triumph of political Islam is frequently interpreted as a thinly veiled act of Islamophobia. This ideological interpretation is, however, complicated by the bad faith of the novel’s unreliable narrator, and by the ironic treatment of his narrative voice. By taking the elusiveness of this narration more fully into account, it becomes possible to read Submission as a tentative — if never unambiguous — narrative of religious conversion. To this extent, the treatment of Islam in Submission can be seen as consistent with the persistent but ambivalent role of religion in Houellebecq’s wider work.

Introduction: Religion and the Novel

2019 ◽  
pp. 3-33
Author(s):  
Christina Phillips
Keyword(s):  
Postcolonial Studies ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Postcolonial Literature ◽  
The Other ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Religion And Literature ◽  
Religious Other ◽  
Role Of Religion ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter introduces the topic of religion and literature, theorises the novel as a secular genre, and develops a concept of religion as the other in the Arabic novel. It begins with a discussion of the relationship between religion and literature, identifying imagination, metaphorical language and mythos as areas of overlap, before turning to the question of religion and the Arabic novel as a modern form which eschews faith and dogma but is nevertheless packed with religious themes, images, characters, language and intertextuality. This is accounted for by the form’s secularism, which is theorised in terms of Charles Taylor’s conditions of belief. Literary secularism is not static and stable however, thus religion emerges as the other in the Egyptian novel, with all the ambivalence which alterity characteristically entails. This religious other calls into question postcolonial studies’ over-valorisation of the East/West binary insofar as it has obscured the critical role of religion in Arab postcolonial literature and identity.

scholarly journals Lingual Aspects of Mystical Narration in V. Shevchuk’s Novel “The Beginning of Horror”

2020 ◽  
pp. 109-125
Author(s):  
Florij Batsevych
Keyword(s):  
Narrative Analysis ◽  
Narrative Structure ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Unreliable Narrator ◽  
Narrative Structures ◽  
Christian View ◽  
Flow Of Time ◽  
The Individual

In recent decades, the researchers of artistic stories have paid their attention to the narrative analysis of a set of weird texts of mystical and absurd content, works of “black humour”, fantastic (khymerna) prose created by a non-anthropic narrator or by an author in a changed state of consciousness. These texts serve the field of actualizing atypical and non-usual narrative structures, the sphere of meaningful changes within the bounds of narrative categories and, which is important, of forming special communicative senses of aesthetic nature. The basic problems of the linguistic analysis of “unnatural” stories are identifying the types of changes in the narration constituents, reasons of these changes and narrative categories (first of all, events, participants, objects, chronotope characteristics, points of view, moduses, modalities, etc.). The article analyses one of the texts of mystical content aiming at the revealing of some specificities of the structure and functioning of the so-called “unnatural artistic narrations”. The object of the research is V. Shevchuk’s novel “The Beginning of Horror”. The subject of the analysis is lingual means of the narrative structure formation, the author’s objectification of the mystical artistic sense and lingual “signals” of a reader’s perception of these senses. The most important semantic means of creating mystical atmosphere of the story are predicates that ascribe the names of their referents atypical dynamic and static features connected with the Christian view of the infernal world. It helps to form narrative events that root in weird situations, which cannot take place in reality. Non-dispositional nature of these situations correlates with the reference to the mystery that goes far beyond the bounds of a usual perceptive and psycho-mental background. Among the pragmatic means of creating mystical atmosphere of the main hero’s story as well as of the novel in general, we specify the individual inimitative perception of the flow of time and modality of “real unreality” formed by the role of an unreliable narrator and a vague point of view of the described event with its perceptive, ideological and time planes of objectification. Due to the increasing interest to various expressions of the esoteric, the increase of the number of artistic works of such content and growth of their popularity, we consider it topical to proceed in further investigations of lingual-narrative aspects of “unnatural” stories, in particular, the ones with the modus of mystical in them.

scholarly journals The Building of Main Character’s Self-Actualization through Religion in Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-184
Author(s):  
Ellychristina D Hutubessy
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Humanistic Psychology ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Religious Activities ◽  
Self Actualization ◽  
Role Of Religion

The purpose of this study is to find out the role of religion in Siddhartha’s self-actualization process in Hesse’s Siddhartha. The analysis applies Rogers’ humanistic psychology focusing on self-actualization. The method used was qualitative with content analysis. The data were taken from the texts contained in the novel. Data analysis used triangulation techniques. The results showed that Buddhism and Hinduism had taught various things through religious activities conducted by Siddhartha to find out his actualization.

Maurice and Religion

2020 ◽  
pp. 154-174
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Fordoński
Keyword(s):  
First Century ◽  
British Society ◽  
Religious Institutions ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Ancient Greek ◽  
The World ◽  
Twenty First Century ◽  
Role Of Religion ◽  
Changing Role

This chapter explores the role and representation of religion in the text of Maurice and in critical readings of the novel. Concentrating primarily on the text itself, the chapter offers close readings of those parts of the novel where religion/religions play a part, stressing their importance in the structure of the novel. This analysis retraces the influence of religion (predominantly Christianity but also ancient Greek and pagan religious thought) on the main characters’ psychological development and behaviour, especially on the way they try to deal with irreconcilable demands of religion and their own psyche. The chapter thus reflects on Forster’s attitude towards religious institutions and the changing role religion played in early twentieth-century British society and among Edwardian writers. The chapter also considers the role of religion in the reception of the novel, both in scholarship and among twenty-first-century readers. The chapter concludes by considering questions of reception and the relevance of Maurice to twenty-first-century (queer) readers as concepts of homosexuality have undergone considerable changes in parts of the world.

The Search for Reconciliation in E. L. Doctorow's City of God

2006 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 391-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence Wilde
Keyword(s):  
Modern Society ◽  
The Novel ◽  
City Of God ◽  
Ethical Thought ◽  
Personal Story ◽  
The Holocaust ◽  
Crisis Of Faith ◽  
Role Of Religion

AbstractE. L. Doctorow's novel City of God is constructed around a crisis of faith experienced by an Episcopalian minister who eventually converts to Judaism. Within and around this personal story unfolds a fascinating array of moral and spiritual dilemmas which raise provocative questions about the role of religion in modern society and its relationship to secular ethical thought. It is argued here that the novel can be understood as an appeal for reconciliation in a number of different but related ways. The 'religious' characters strive to preserve the relevance of religion by emphasizing the pre-eminence of ethical commitments to love and justice and to the open interpretation of scriptural messages rather than to rigorous adherence to doctrine. The novel tests the possibilities of reconciliation to the limit by revisiting the Holocaust and touching on other horrors, but implicitly it conveys a faith in the oneness of humanity which may yet prevail through a renewal of ethical dialog.

scholarly journals The growth of Protestantism in Brazil and its impact on male earnings, 1970-2000

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph E Potter ◽  
Ernesto F. L. Amaral ◽  
Robert D. Woodberry
Keyword(s):  
Racial Inequality ◽  
Religious Conversion ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
The United States ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
White Population ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Role Of Religion

Protestantism has expanded rapidly in Brazil in recent decades. The question we tackle in this paper is whether Protestantism has had a positive influence on male earnings in this setting, either through its influence on health and productivity, by way of social networks or employer favor and reduced discrimination, or through other mechanisms. We tackle the problem of the selectivity of religious conversion and affiliation using microdata from the Brazilian censuses of 1970, 1980, 1991, and 2000, and analyzing the association between Protestantism and earnings at the group rather than the individual level. Our results show a strong association between the proportion of Protestants in a region, and the earnings of men in one educational group: those with less than five years of education. Upon introducing race into our models, we found that the association between religion and the earnings of less educated men is concentrated in regions in which there is a substantial non-white population. The relationships we have uncovered contribute to the literature on racial inequality and discrimination in Brazil, which to date has given little space to the role of religion in moderating the pernicious effect of race on economic outcomes in Brazil. The substantial association we found between religion and earnings contrasts with much of the research that has been carried out on the influence of religion on earnings in the United States.

scholarly journals ARTISTIC INTERPRETATION OF THE ROLE OF ISLAM IN THE NOVEL “A TEMPEST-TESTED FATE” BY FIYUZA GATAULLINA

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 880-885
Author(s):  
G.M. Nabiullina
Keyword(s):  
Religious Education ◽  
Life Experience ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Main Concept ◽  
Important Place ◽  
The People ◽  
Islamic Religion ◽  
Artistic Interpretation ◽  
Role Of Religion

In regard to the growing interest of the people in religion, the Bashkir literature is changing. Modern writers are passionate about finding new methods and ways to display the values of the Islamic religion. Among them is Fiyuza Gataullina, whose spiritual investigations are determined by ideological and aesthetic content of the works and are inextricably linked to the religious atmosphere of the last century. Life experience and knowledge of Islamic culture traditions helped the author to create an artwork from everyday scenes of people's life. The specificity of her style is expressed in epithets that reveal the spiritual state of the heroes of the story. In her opinion, people even with a traditional family structure can be deeply religious and give their children a religious education based on love. The writer considers religion as a part of the overall spiritual integrity, which becomes the main concept of her creative method. The skill of the author is revealed in the professional interpretation of the precepts of Islam. Her ability to express complex experiences and feelings of the characters through the elements of nature makes a strong impression. She helps the reader to realize the psychological and philosophical role of religion, awakening in man the hope for the future, testing him for morality. The tension and drama of the events are solved in an original way, with an attempt to focus the reader's attention on one of the pillars of Islam - the prayer, through which the character of the Muslim woman is revealed. Thus, the analysis of the novel By F. Gataullina helps to understand that dua, which has firmly entered the life of Muslims, has incredible powers and takes an important place in the religious system of people's views.

scholarly journals The Influence of Religion on the Political Situation in Egypt in 2011–2013: "Political Islam" and "Islamic Fundamentalism"

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-68
Author(s):  
Antonіі Palamar
Keyword(s):  
Muslim Brotherhood ◽  
Political Islam ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Political Regime ◽  
Islamic Fundamentalism ◽  
Religious Factor ◽  
The Government ◽  
Democratic Elections ◽  
Role Of Religion

The influence of religion on politics is inherent not only to the Islamic world, however, none of political theorist should ignore the role of Islam in Muslims’ public life, its impact on the policies of Muslim nations and the global geopolitical situation. Due to its historical uniqueness Modern Islam is not only a religion but also a way of life for the vast majority of Muslims and the basis of their civilizational and even national self-identification. Therefore, the role of religion in the Muslim world is different to that of countries, mostly populated by Christians, as Christianity is legally separated from the system of public administration in European countries. Islam, on the other hand, regulates not only the sociocultural sphere of society, including human relations, but also significantly affects the socio-political life of many Muslim countries, where Islamist movements have now become the major part this sphere.In Egypt, where authoritarian secular regime of Hosni Mubarak was overthrown during the revolution, Islamists took the lead in the protest movement, won the first democratic elections and used the opportunity to lead the country after nearly 60 years of underground activity. This paper examines the influence of the religious factor on the change of Egypt’s political regime in 2011-2013 by conceptualizing the terms of “political Islam” and “Islamic fundamentalism.” The author concludes that the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and its Freedom and Justice Party should not be defined as “fundamentalists” because: 1. they don’t try to return to a “righteous caliphate,” Sharia, and a literal perception of the sacred texts; 2. the Brothers could not be viewed as the most conservative force among Islamists, while Salafists are properly rightly considered to be; 3. the association is considered as a part of moderate Islamism, an ideology that does not mandate any the use of armed methods of struggle. At the same time, the author argues that owing to the fact that Egyptian “Muslim Brotherhood” adhered to moderate Islamism as an ideological party basis, it became a decisive reason that provided them a venue at the top tier of the government in 2011-2013.

scholarly journals Postsecular Plurality in the Middle East: Expanding the Postsecular Approach to a Power Politics of Becoming

Religions ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariano Barbato
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Political Change ◽  
Political Islam ◽  
Abu Dhabi ◽  
Power Politics ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Arab Spring ◽  
Role Of Religion

Embedded in a critically adapted version of Jürgen Habermas’ postsecular approach, this article analyzes empirically and evaluates normatively the role of religion in the Middle East. Integrating and adapting William Connolly’s understanding of political change as power politics of becoming, the argument is that an authoritarian pluralism is evolving that, in contrast to secular nationalism and Political Islam, can be called postsecular insofar as it attempts to integrate more strata of the population into the public discourse, regardless of their religious creed but based on interreligious plurality. The Document on Human Fraternity, signed 2019 in Abu Dhabi, is a prime example of that postsecular trend embedded in power politics. The article concludes that the turmoil of the Arab Spring did not pave the way for democracy but for authoritarian and partisan versions of a postsecular public that try to accommodate the plurality of the Middle East.

scholarly journals The Costumbrismo of Conflict in El ideal de un calavera

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-106
Author(s):  
Cody C. Hanson
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
National Culture ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Folk Medicine ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Regional Inequalities ◽  
Economic Behaviour ◽  
Role Of Religion

Abstract Alberto Blest Gana’s 1863 novel El ideal de un calavera contains frequent and highly detailed cuadros de costumbres depictions of Chile’s unique national culture. In the novel, the parlour and rodeo scenes explore imbalances of power which result from Chile’s economic and social inequalities. These inequalities further exacerbate the rural versus urban divide to reveal a national identity that is hegemonic and contradictory. Power, money, and class coalesce in the aristocratic parlour. The parlour conversation between Abelardo Manríquez and don Calixto Arboleda reveals unscrupulous economic behaviour and questions the feasibility of a united and homogeneous society. In the rodeo, Manríquez and Juan Miguel Sendero compete against each other in a metaphorical contest between the rural versus urban and underprivileged versus elite segments of society. The contradictory nature of urban and rural cultures receives further attention through a depiction of folk medicine. The novel presents the role of religion in creating a shared national culture through the Christmas nativity tradition. These scenes contextualise Chile’s unique and contradictory national identity to reveal what it means to be Chilean. Chile is a heterogeneous nation that is trying to reconcile its social, economic, and regional inequalities.

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