Legal Studies 397LS - ST-Law, Islam and Secularlism

Different normative orders - religious as well as secular - have fascinating ways of enforcing rules. They make use of adjudicatory bodies that resolve disputes among their members as well as rely upon informal modes of regulation and rule-enforcement. These orders have historically developed and are ideologically constituted. This comparative course aims to introduce students to theories and practices of Islamic law, drawing upon scholarship produced by legal scholars, historians, and anthropologists. We will study the development of Islamic law in the context of emergence of modern nation-states in the Muslim world, in conflict/conversation with secular ideas and ideologies, e.g., nationalism.

Pre Req: LEGAL 250