scholarly journals Waqf in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 20th and 21st Century

ICR Journal ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 342-367
Author(s):  
Jasmin Omercic

This paper investigates the socio-economic role of waqf in Bosnia and Herzegovina from the 20th century to date. Bosnia and Herzegovina waqf endured through various political fortunes and improved the social and economic circumstances of Muslims. A contemporary challenge is to reconstruct this waqf. A new development is the emergence of Islamic Economics. Since 1995, the Waqf Directorate of the Islamic Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina (WD-ICBIH), the main authority over waqf, initiated reforms to revive the socio-economic role of waqf and integrate it into Bosnia and Herzegovina development. The study identifies the challenges facing the Waqf Directorate and the development of Islamic Economics in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The emergence of Islamic Economics and Islamic Banking and Finance, in cooperation with the Bosnia Bank International, presents opportunities to the Waqf Directorate to achieve its vision and mission. Some avenues for waqf integration into Bosnia and Herzegovina development qualify as commendable efforts of reform, indicate a feasible future for the Waqf Directorate, and gradually address various challenges. The paper concludes with actionable policy recommendations.

Author(s):  
B. M. Shustov

During the second half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, space hazards multiplied, the most urgent of which is space debris. Professionals working in space are exposed to this hazard daily and are aware of it as a problem. Furthermore, increasing attention is being paid to the unpredictable behavior of the Sun, which produces the so-called space weather. The asteroid-comet hazard is considered as potentially having the most catastrophic consequences. No manifestations of biological hazard have yet been observed, although as space activities develop, it is becoming increasingly important. The appropriate time scale for astrophysical hazards is many millions of years, so from a practical perspective, they have no importance. This article briefly describes the main types of space hazards. The author analyzes the results of research and practical work in the field, both worldwide and specifically in Russia. Comparative analysis leads to the clear conclusion that a national program must be developed for the study of space hazards and to respond to space threats. This article is based on a report made by the author at the meeting of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) on January 15, 2019.


2020 ◽  
pp. 6-17
Author(s):  
Beatriz Colomina ◽  
Mark Wigley

The human is an unstable idea; simultaneously an all-powerful creature – capable of transforming the whole ecology of the planet – yet extremely fragile, a murky ghost. Contemporary research into our microbiome portrays the human itself as a mobile ecology constructed by the endless flux of interactions between thousands of different species of bacteria – some of which are millions of years old and others joined us just a few months ago. This challenges conventional understandings of architecture. What does it mean to house the human when we no longer think that the human organism is securely contained within its skin? What is the role of architecture when the humans occupying it are understood to be suspended in clouds of bacteria shared, generated and mobilized by other macro-organisms (pets, plants, insects…) and the building itself; when the human is not a clearly defined organism or in any sense independent; when the architectural client is a massive set of ever-changing trans-species alliances that make the apparent complexity of even the largest of cities seem quaintly uncomplicated. What kind of care do architects offer if we think of ourselves as alliances between bacteria within the apparent limits of the body and throughout the spaces we occupy? What faces 21st century architects in comparison to 20th century architects?


Author(s):  
Hasan Shahpari ◽  
Tahereh Alavi Hojjat

This chapter is an introduction to the history of the formation of guilds and how they connect them to the religious and social structures that molded them. The craft-guilds are one of the most interesting and characteristic phenomena of medieval Muslim civilization. The guild in Muslim life was built essentially on the idea of the market and based on the needs of the guildsmen. Many different countries officially claim their commitment to Islam and Islamic economics. However, Islam and Islamic economic systems differ significantly from one country to another. Analysis of the Islamic economic system is impossible without a clear understanding of the legal parameters that shaped such a system. The legal foundation of the Islamic society, known as Shari'a, is considered eternally valid and applicable to all times and places. Islamic laws not only provide society with collections of laws and prescriptions which indicate the Islamic path, they also focus on specific human activities and classify them according to their degree of desirability from God's perspective. Different viewpoints on the relationship between religion, culture, and economic performance are investigated here. Finally, the role of the central bank and Islamic banking and finance will be discussed in detail. While Islamic banks play roles similar to conventional banks, fundamental differences exist between the two models. The main difference between Islamic and conventional banks is that the former operate in accordance with the rules of Shari'a, the legal code of Islam. The central concept in Islamic banking and finance is justice, which is achieved mainly through the sharing of risk. Stakeholders are supposed to share profits and losses, and charging interest is prohibited.


Author(s):  
Elvan Ozkavruk Adanir ◽  
Berna Ileri

Orientalism is a Western and Western-centric broad field of research that studies the social structures, cultures, languages, histories, religions, and geographies of countries to the east of Europe. The term took on a secondary, detrimental association in the 20th century which looks down on the East. However, this chapter will not dwell on the definition of Orientalism that is debated the most; instead, it will discuss the positive contribution of Orientalism to Western culture. Even though the West otherizes the East in daily life, when it comes to desire, vanity, luxury, and flamboyance without hesitating a moment it adopts these very elements from the Eastern culture. It could be said that this adaptation brings these societies closer in one way or another. The highly admired fashion of Orientalism in the West starting from the 17th century until the 21st century will be the focus of this study.


This chapter is an introduction to the history of the formation of guilds and how they connect them to the religious and social structures that molded them. The craft-guilds are one of the most interesting and characteristic phenomena of medieval Muslim civilization. The guild in Muslim life was built essentially on the idea of the market and based on the needs of the guildsmen. Many different countries officially claim their commitment to Islam and Islamic economics. However, Islam and Islamic economic systems differ significantly from one country to another. Analysis of the Islamic economic system is impossible without a clear understanding of the legal parameters that shaped such a system. The legal foundation of the Islamic society, known as Shari'a, is considered eternally valid and applicable to all times and places. Islamic laws not only provide society with collections of laws and prescriptions which indicate the Islamic path, they also focus on specific human activities and classify them according to their degree of desirability from God's perspective. Different viewpoints on the relationship between religion, culture, and economic performance are investigated here. Finally, the role of the central bank and Islamic banking and finance will be discussed in detail. While Islamic banks play roles similar to conventional banks, fundamental differences exist between the two models. The main difference between Islamic and conventional banks is that the former operate in accordance with the rules of Shari'a, the legal code of Islam. The central concept in Islamic banking and finance is justice, which is achieved mainly through the sharing of risk. Stakeholders are supposed to share profits and losses, and charging interest is prohibited.


2007 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 11-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Terry

With a detailed but not site-specific building program, the librarians at Rhode Island School of Design made the case for a new library three times the size of the existing facility. The site became specific with the donation of an early 20th-century grand banking hall. This paper addresses the role of the librarian in the design and construction process and includes an analysis of the way the new library meets the program objectives. In the early 1990’s after several early attempts to resolve the library’s space constraint at Rhode Island School of Design, the librarian was given a useful bit of advice: Stop trying to find the space. You must focus first on the program. What is it that you really need?


Author(s):  
Rohit Mehta ◽  
Edwin Creely ◽  
Danah Henriksen

In this chapter, the authors take a multifaceted critical approach to understanding and deconstructing the term 21st century skills, especially in regard to technology and the role of corporations in the discourses about education. They also consider a range of cultural and political influences in our exploration of the social and academic meanings of the term, including its history and politics. The application of the term in present-day educational contexts is considered as well as possible futures implied through the term. The goal in this chapter is to counter ideas that might diminish a humanized educational practice. Specifically, the authors offer a critique of neoliberal discourses in education, particularly the neoliberal and corporate narrative around 21st century teaching and learning. They raise concerns about what an undue emphasis on industry-oriented educational systems can mean for the core purposes of education.


Africa ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 625-651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirjam de Bruijn

AbstractIn pastoral Fulbe society in central Mali women had and in some degree still have an important social and economic role, concentrated on a milk economy organised through a special female-headed, women-centred unit called by the Fulbe fayannde, or ‘hearthhold’. In a society of semi-nomadic pastoralists who live most of the year in small social units, social relations and networks are very important, perhaps even crucial to the success of their main survival strategy, which is transhumant cattle-keeping. In the literature on the Fulbe this social unit has received relatively little attention. An analysis from the perspective of the ‘hearthhold’ sheds new light on property and gender relations in Fulbe society in general.Drought has had an enormous impact on the situation of the Jallube studied in this article. Economic change—a switch to agriculture and production for the market—has brought about a shift of focus for the men. Economically, milk is no longer essential for them, and hence the fayannde loses its importance; socially, too, the role of the fayannde, as symbolised by milk, is changing. For women the erosion of the fayannde is serious: an analysis of marriage gifts shows how important the fayannde is not only to the social organisation of the Jallube but also to their economic viability. In times of stress this importance may be greater for women than for men. The decline of the fayannde may lead to a transformation of gender relations, the marriage ceremony and women's social security—changes that the return of the rains or the re-establishment of herds may not reverse.


Author(s):  
Herbert S. Klein

This chapter examines the comparative differences and similarities between slave regimes in the Americas and how those differences influenced the post-manumission integration of Africans. In particular, it considers some of the methods and questions that animated the comparative slavery school as well as the implications of junking the comparative model. The chapter first highlights the social, economic, and political consequences of differences among slave regimes in the Americas for African Americans before proposing a research agenda for fourth-wave scholars that expands the scope of analysis of Afro-Latin America beyond the frame of slavery to include fuller explications of free black life. Several areas worth investigating are discussed, including the economic role of slaves and the human capital they accumulated under slavery; the rate and importance of manumission as well as the legal and effective support given to it by the slave-owning elite; the role of the free colored class well before final slave emancipation; and the attitude of elite toward slavery, slaves, and free blacks.


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