Project description

The AIWG project group ‘Falsafa in schools’ (ar. falsafa; en. philosophy) is meant to stimulate interdisciplinary exchange between the disciplines of philosophy, ethics and Islamic theology, on the one hand, and use current research to prepare exemplary materials for teacher training and school lessons in these subjects, on the other.

The project members make use of current research to address these desiderata in teaching and educational media. Given that Islamicate philosophy is largely absent from discussions of ‘philosophy’ within the context of schools and undergraduate education in the fields of philosophy, ethics, religion, history and politics, the philosophic reflections and ideas of thinkers who have had a profound impact on the development of intellectual history have been left out. This also applies to the significant achievements made during the 9th-12th centuries by Islamicate philosophy in the transition from ancient to modern thought. Islamicate philosophy played a crucial role in the development of philosophy in Europe as well as in Islamic, Jewish and Christian theologies by contributing new methods and insights. The incomplete presentation in schools and universities creates a distorted picture of Islamic and European intellectual histories – histories that, contrary to the general presentation in educational media, have in fact been closely intertwined for centuries. Today, public debates, school lessons and undergraduate courses primarily focus on radical Islamic political and theological positions often concerning conflictual topics. Pluralistic historical and contemporary philosophical positions stemming from Islamicate cultures on values such as reason, scientificity, democracy and gender equality are not entertained. Instead, an apparent dichotomy between Islam and reason, Islam and gender equality, Islam and Europe, etc. is implied, which supports, on the one hand, extremist readings of Islam and, on the other, colonialist and anti-Islamic narratives of so-called ‘Western philosophy’ or ‘Western values’.

Using impulses from Islamicate philosophy, the project group shows how a more differentiated image of Islam, as well as Muslims and Europe, can be brought into the classroom.

 

 

Outcomes

  1. Introductory reader to Islamicate philosophy for teacher training in the subjects of religion, ethics and philosophy
  2. Exemplary teaching units on Islamicate philosophy for the subjects of philosophy, religion and ethics available at: www.zwischentoene.info
  3. Webtalk series for educational media publishers as well as offer to review textbook manuscripts

 

Project leaders

Laura Beusmann, Leibniz Institute for Educational Media | Georg-Eckert-Institut (GEI), Scientific coordination and operational project management

Müfit Daknili, Institute for Islamic Theology, University Hamburg

Prof Dr Mira Jasmin Sievers,  Institute for Islamic Theology, University Hamburg, Professor for Islamic Foundations of Belief, Philosophy and Ethics

Prof Dr Riem Spielhaus, Head of the Department at the Leibniz Institute for Educational Media | Georg-Eckert-Institut (GEI), Professor of Islamic Studies with a focus on Education and Knowledge Cultures at the University of Göttingen