A Cultural Studies Approach to Understanding Islam Essay -- Interpret

In today’s world, given the turmoil that sometimes seems to be caused by religious differences, it is easy to see each religion as a monolithic entity existing separate from other religions, and thus representing starkly polar worldviews. Often, such notions arise as a result of not utilizing a cultural studies approach towards studying religion, which is arguably the best approach for understanding the role of religion in one’s daily life. The cultural studies approach, which examines the particular context in which one interprets his or her religion, is particularly important when it comes to understanding religions like Islam, whose adherents come from vastly different backgrounds. Through the cultural studies approach, which is arguably much more interdisciplinary than the textual approach, we see that one’s interpretation of religion is strongly influenced by factors including social, political, educational, and economic aspects of life, as well as one’s particular historical backdrop; this then makes the arts and literature a unique window by which we can observe a particular culture’s comprehension of the religion (Infidel of Love 10). These creative responses thus are my own response to my understanding of Islam, and intertwined in these works, then, are not only lessons from the classroom, but my own personal experiences, which have themselves been shaped by the economic, social and cultural backdrop in which I have grown up. Asides from the different cultural backdrops in which one can interpret Islam, it is also crucial to understand the fundamental divisions that have persisted in Islam, from Sufism, Shi’a, to Sunni groups. Understanding these different communities of interpretation is thus cruci... ...m Understandings of Islam. Harvard University Press, 2013. Asani, Ali. â€Å"In Praise of Muhammad: Sindhi and Urdu Poems.† Religions of India in Practice. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1995. Asani, Ali. Lecture: Gender and Islam. Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding 54. Asani, Ali. Lecture: Pillars of Islam. Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding 54. Asani, Ali. Lecture: Reform Revival Iran. Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding 54. Chelkowski, Peter. Ta’ziyeh: Ritual and Drama in Iran. New York University Press, 1979. Handout Week 4: The Qur’an on the Attributes of Muhammad and the Names of God. Hussain, Rokeya Shakhawat. Sultana’s Dream and Selections from The Secluded Ones. New York: Feminist Press, 1998. Iqbal, Mohammad. â€Å"Complaint and Answer.† Trans. By A.J. Arberry. Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis. New York: Pantheon, 2003. A Cultural Studies Approach to Understanding Islam Essay -- Interpret In today’s world, given the turmoil that sometimes seems to be caused by religious differences, it is easy to see each religion as a monolithic entity existing separate from other religions, and thus representing starkly polar worldviews. Often, such notions arise as a result of not utilizing a cultural studies approach towards studying religion, which is arguably the best approach for understanding the role of religion in one’s daily life. The cultural studies approach, which examines the particular context in which one interprets his or her religion, is particularly important when it comes to understanding religions like Islam, whose adherents come from vastly different backgrounds. Through the cultural studies approach, which is arguably much more interdisciplinary than the textual approach, we see that one’s interpretation of religion is strongly influenced by factors including social, political, educational, and economic aspects of life, as well as one’s particular historical backdrop; this then makes the arts and literature a unique window by which we can observe a particular culture’s comprehension of the religion (Infidel of Love 10). These creative responses thus are my own response to my understanding of Islam, and intertwined in these works, then, are not only lessons from the classroom, but my own personal experiences, which have themselves been shaped by the economic, social and cultural backdrop in which I have grown up. Asides from the different cultural backdrops in which one can interpret Islam, it is also crucial to understand the fundamental divisions that have persisted in Islam, from Sufism, Shi’a, to Sunni groups. Understanding these different communities of interpretation is thus cruci... ...m Understandings of Islam. Harvard University Press, 2013. Asani, Ali. â€Å"In Praise of Muhammad: Sindhi and Urdu Poems.† Religions of India in Practice. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1995. Asani, Ali. Lecture: Gender and Islam. Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding 54. Asani, Ali. Lecture: Pillars of Islam. Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding 54. Asani, Ali. Lecture: Reform Revival Iran. Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding 54. Chelkowski, Peter. Ta’ziyeh: Ritual and Drama in Iran. New York University Press, 1979. Handout Week 4: The Qur’an on the Attributes of Muhammad and the Names of God. Hussain, Rokeya Shakhawat. Sultana’s Dream and Selections from The Secluded Ones. New York: Feminist Press, 1998. Iqbal, Mohammad. â€Å"Complaint and Answer.† Trans. By A.J. Arberry. Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis. New York: Pantheon, 2003.