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Hadhramaut And The Hadhrami Diaspora: Problems In Theoretical History, Syed Farid Alatas Jan 1997

Hadhramaut And The Hadhrami Diaspora: Problems In Theoretical History, Syed Farid Alatas

farid alatas

If we understand history as a field constituted by a type of research and inquiry that concerns itself with human action in the past and is based on the interpretation of evidence, regardless of whether positivist or interpretive methods are used, then it can be said that historical works on Hadhramaut and its diaspora have been written. These works can be divided in broad terms into the two general categories of Arab and Western historiography. Nevertheless, in both cases, owing to certain theoret- ical problems that have beset these works, little progress has been made in the advancement of Hadhrami …


The Theme Of "Relevance" In Third World Human Sciences, Syed Farid Alatas Dec 1996

The Theme Of "Relevance" In Third World Human Sciences, Syed Farid Alatas

farid alatas

The fact that the humanities and social sciences in developing societies generally originated in the West has raised the issue of the relevance of these arts and sciences to the needs and problems of Third World societies. This questioning of relevance has led, in turn, to the call for the indigenisation of knowledge in developing societies. While there has been a great deal of discussion on indigenisation, there has been little practice of indigenised humanities and social science. As a result, there are few examples of what indigenous knowledge constitutes from theoretical, methodological and empirical points of view. This paper …


The Sacralization Of The Social Sciences: A Critique Of An Emerging Theme In Academic Discourse, Syed Farid Alatas Jan 1995

The Sacralization Of The Social Sciences: A Critique Of An Emerging Theme In Academic Discourse, Syed Farid Alatas

farid alatas

This paper critically evaluates the idea of "Islamic social science" in terms of its expression in Islamic economics and, more recently, in the Islamizatio of knowledge project. Islamic economics was conceived of in the 1930s while the beginnings of the Islamization of knowledge project can be traced to the 1970s. Islamic social science seeks to bring back religious experience and spirituality into knowledge by means of the sacralization of academic dis- course. The process of secularization in the West is seen to have rendered Muslim scholars incapable of comprehending the causes of the problems that beset Muslim society. The 1970s …


A Khaldunian Perspective On The Dynamics Of Asiatic Societies, Syed Farid Alatas Jan 1993

A Khaldunian Perspective On The Dynamics Of Asiatic Societies, Syed Farid Alatas

farid alatas

During the last twenty years or so, scholars in the Third World began to become critical of what came to be known as the captive mind. The captive mind is uncritical and imitative in its approach to ideas and concepts from the West.' Discussions on the problem of mental captivity coincided with efforts to indigenous the social sciences in the post-war period when most of the Third World gained formal independence.


Reflections On The Idea Of Islamic Social Science, Syed Farid Alatas Jan 1987

Reflections On The Idea Of Islamic Social Science, Syed Farid Alatas

farid alatas

When we refer to Islamic social science what do we mean? In what ways can the social sciences be Islamic? There are two such ways. One involves approaching specifically Muslim problems, that is, problems found in Muslim society, in a social scientific manner. An example would be the issue of the relationship between religion and the state. Concepts developed in Western social science would be modified and applied to achieve this aim. The other way in which social science can be Islamic goes beyond the former and involves the idea that social scientific theories, concepts and methodologies can be derived …


Notes On Various Theories Regarding The Islamization Of The Malay Archipelago, Syed Farid Alatas Oct 1985

Notes On Various Theories Regarding The Islamization Of The Malay Archipelago, Syed Farid Alatas

farid alatas

In the study of the history of the Islamization of the Malay Archipelago (present-day Malaysia and Indonesia) various theories and points of view have been presented and the issue of objectivity arises in this context as clearly as in any writing of history. Mannheim's thesis that "the greatest comprehensiveness and the greatest fruitfulness in dealing with empirical materials" are the criteria to be applied in the choice between various interpretations' would seem to be relevant also in this case.