The triple bind of narration: Fritz Schütze’s biographical interview in prison research and beyond

In this article we re-evaluate Fritz Schütze’s biographical interview method with its orientation towards the analysis of social problems experienced by the individual. We used Schütze’s method in a study of repeat offenders in a Polish prison, and on the basis of this experience we believe that we make two contributions – one to social science enquiry in general, and one to prison sociology. We argue that in social science research this method offers unique insights into the process of identity formation. These insights are made possible because of the ‘triple bind of narration’ inherent in Schütze’s method, that is to say the requirement to close, the requirement to condense and the requirement to provide detail. In relation to prison research we argue that Schütze’s method has rehabilitation value in making the interviewee/narrator re-evaluate their life through biography work. We also offer practical advice on how to conduct such interviews

Featuring of Islam in the writings, particularly Old Testament commentaries, of Adrianus Van Selms (1906-1984)

Abstract:Adrianus van Selms is well known for especially two studies related to Islam, They are a Muslim catechism (1951) and a publication titled Abu Bakr’s ‘Exposition of the Religion ’(1979). Both feature Afrikaans texts, dating from the second half of the 19th century, written in Arabic letters for the benefit of local population. Van Selms, furthermore, contributed to an Afrikaans publication with the title In Gesprek met Islam oor die Moslem Belydenis [In Conversation with Islam as regards the Muslim Confession of Faith] (1974), providing an elaborate discussion with respect to Islam against the background of the Old and New Testament and Church History. Van Selms, inter alia opined, “ For reasons concealed from us, it pleased God to chastise his church with Muslims ’ words and conduct.” Similar statements are found in 8th and 9th century Christian polemical texts (cf. Griffiths 2008). In his books focusing on Jerusalem and Northern Israel, Van Selms (1967) expresses his appreciation for the Muslim material culture, and customs related to those practised in Old and New Testament times. For the purpose of the present paper, however, attention will specifically be given to the contextualization of references to Islam in Van Selms ’ biblical commentaries, for example the mentioning of a tradition recounted by al-Tabari (839-923 CE) during the exposition of Gen 3:1; a comparison of Muslim and biblical rules of marital conduct (Ex 21:21) that come to the fore in Gen 30:14-6; and finally parallels drawn between the religious exclusivity evident in Ezra 10:11 and the Muslim concept, ummah

The Sound of Satan: Different Aspects of Whispering in Islamic theology

The purpose of the article is to outline Islamic discourses on sound, more particularly whispering, found in the Qur’ān, the ḥadīth literature and contemporary online fatwas, with the aim of determining whether whispering has different connotations and meanings in different contexts, literary genres and ritual contexts. Examples discussed in the article are derived from a broad range of Islamic sources, such as the Qur’ān and its exegesis and the prophetic literature, but also from a number of different fields within Muslim culture, such as the Internet, YouTube clips and notes from fieldwork among Muslim groups in Sweden. On the basis of the texts and videos selected for analysis, I discuss the belief that whispering has the potential to disturb and cause disorder, and is associated with Satan. Whispering is looked upon as an intermediate and therefore suspicious position, between silence and saying something out loud. More generally, whispering is closely associated with the negative effects of Satan’s power over mankind

The Contemporary Sufi Heritage of Shaykh Ahmad Ibn Mustafa al-‘Alawī: The Seven Spiritual Stages of the Sufi Path

This thesis is dedicated to examining and analyzing one of the Sufi works of Shaykh Ahmed b. Mustafa al-‘Alawī (1869-1934) who was born in Mustaghānim in Algeria and is considered to be one of the contemporary Sufi revivalists of the Twentieth century. The testimonies that were attested by many Western and Eastern intellectuals confirm the essentiality and the profound effect of his writings that were spread not only throughout North Africa but also found its way to Europe and took Paris and Marseille as centers for spiritual teachings. Shaykh al-‘Alawī wrote and published between 1910 and 1930 more than ten works and several of them found their way to a second edition. The publication houses varied in location between Algiers, Tunis, Cairo, Damascus and Mustaghānim. Though the relative spread of Shaykh al-‘Alawī\u27s work within the mystic circles, the Western academic spheres rarely discussed his works. Martin Lings found this issue quite abnormal as even specialists like Brockelmann did not include Shaykh al-‘Alawī in his catalogue. Lings adds further that a copy of Shaykh al-‘Alawī\u27s writings was not found in the Bibliotheque Nationale or the British Library until recently. There were passing references of Shaykh al-‘Alawī found in the writings of Dermenghem who mentioned him as one of the most celebrated mystic Shaykhs of our time. Also Massignon occasionally made reference to Shaykh al-‘Alawī but it was never more than a passing reference. The first real introduction of Shaykh al-‘Alawī to the Western intellectual world was by Martin Lings through his book A Sufi Saint of the Twentieth Century, Shaykh Ahmed al-‘Alawī : his spiritual heritage and legacy . This book was first published in 1961 and went for a second publication in 1971 and a third edition was printed in 1993 by the Islamic Texts Society in Cambridge. An exact half century has passed since the first edition of Ling\u27s introduction of Shaykh al-‘Alawī to the Western academic sphere, since then there was no sufficient treatment of the works and the teachings that were offered by Shaykh al-‘Alawī through his multiple writings. Therefore this thesis is dedicated to studying the life of Shaykh al-‘Alawī through examining closely the different spiritual stages that the wayfarer has to go through in his divine path to God. A historical background of major works dedicated to this subject will be examined and four main sources of reference will be tackled. A separate chapter will be dedicated to discuss the contribution of Shaykh al-‘Alawī on that subject in comparison to major previous works. Our main source of reference is the book of al- Mawād al- Ghaythiyya which is composed of a bundle of aphorisms written by Shaykh Shu\u27ayb Abū Madyan, who was one of the famous Sufi Gnostics in Tunisia, and the commentaries on them were written by Shaykh al-‘Alawī

The Contradiction of Crimmigation

This essay argues that we should find Crimmigration, which is the collapsing of immigration law with criminal law, morally problematic for three reasons. First, it denies those who are facing criminal penalties important constitutional protections. Second, it doubly punishes those who have already served their criminal sentence with an added punishment that should be considered cruel and unusual (i.e., indefinite imprisonment or exile). Third, when the tactics aimed at protecting and serving local communities get usurped by the federal government for immigration enforcement purposes, they often undermine these original aims or get used in ways that conflict with the U.S. Constitution. These concerns should prompt us therefore either to reject the government’s plenary power over immigration or require the federal government to be more consistent about maintaining the separation between criminal law and immigration law

Lees and Moonshine: Remembering Richard III, 1485-1635

Published version of article deposited in accordance with Sherpa Romeo guidelines. © University of Chicago Press, 2010publication-status: AcceptedNot long after Shakespeare’s birth (1564) the last witnesses to the reign of Richard III (1483-85) would have reached the end of their lives. Richard III (c. 1592) occupies a distinctive historical moment in relation to its subject – a period after the extinction of living memory, but still within the horizon of communicative memory, the period in which stories and recollections may be transmitted across multiple generations. This essay explores how memories and “postmemories” of Richard’s reign were preserved, transmitted and transformed over the course of the sixteenth century and into the seventeenth. Whilst reflecting the powerful influence of emerging contexts including the Reformation and, ultimately, Shakespeare’s play, these memories remained distinct from and sometimes at odds with textual history. They survived because they offered their bearers a resource for interpreting and resisting the predicaments of the present, from the problem of tyranny to the legacies of the Reformation

Discounting Nordhaus

This paper evaluates Nordhaus’s neoclassical complaints about the Stern Review from the vantage point of classical growth theory. Nordhaus argues that the Stern Review exaggerates the effects of global warming because it uses a discount rate that is well below the market rate of return on capital. From the perspective of classical growth theory, Nordhaus’s belief in choosing preference parameters for the social planner based on observed market rates of return filtered through the Ramsey equation is equivalent to assigning the preferences of the capitalist agents to the social planner. This equivalence is an implication of the Cambridge Theorem, which interprets the Ramsey equation as the saving function of the capitalist agents. The classical theory of growth interprets the market return to capital as a reflection of the property relations of capitalist society that does not offer the social planner any information that would be useful in resolving the problem of global warming. Contrary to the viewpoint of neoclassical economic theory, the market return to capital offers no information about preferences for the social welfare function or about the putative “marginal product” of conventional capital.Global warming, Stern Review, Discounting, Ramsey equation, Cambridge equation, Cambridge Theorem

“Dreamers” and Others: Immigration Protests, Enforcement, and Civil Disobedience

In this short paper I hope to use some ideas drawn from the theory and practice of civil disobedience to address one of the most difficult questions in immigration theory, one rarely addressed by philosophers or other theorists working on the topic: How should we respond to people who violate immigration law? I will start with what I take to be the easiest case for my approach—that of so-called “Dreamers”—unauthorized immigrants in the US who were brought to this country while still children (often as infants) and who have spent the majority of their lives in the US. Members of this group have engaged in wide-scale protests, making the civil disobedience paradigm all the more plausible. I will then move on to the case of unauthorized immigrants who have engaged in protests, but who do not fall into the “Dreamer” category. Finally, I will consider whether thinking about immigration law violations from the perspective of civil disobedience—and the proper response to that—can help us think about immigration enforcement more generally

Educational Policies Committee Agenda, January 10, 2019

Curriculum Subcommittee Academic Standards Subcommittee General Education Subcommittee Cross-Listed Courses Discussio