The Lighthouse and the Observatory

Islam, Science, and Empire in Late Ottoman Egypt

Inbunden, Engelska, 2018

AvDaniel A. Stolz,Madison) Stolz, Daniel A. (University of Wisconsin

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An observatory and a lighthouse form the nexus of this major new investigation of science, religion, and the state in late Ottoman Egypt. Astronomy, imperial bureaucrats, traditionally educated Muslim scholars, and reformist Islamic publications, such as The Lighthouse, are linked to examine the making of knowledge, the performance of piety, and the operation of political power through scientific practice. Contrary to ideas of Islamic scientific decline, Muslim scholars in the nineteenth century used a dynamic tradition of knowledge to measure time, compute calendars, and predict planetary positions. The rise of a 'new astronomy' is revealed to owe much to projects of political and religious reform: from the strengthening of the multiple empires that exercised power over the Nile Valley; to the 'modernization' of Islamic centers of learning; to the dream of a global Islamic community that would rely on scientific institutions to coordinate the timing of major religious duties.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2018-01-11
Mått157 x 235 x 20 mm
Vikt680 g
FormatInbunden
SpråkEngelska
SerieScience in History
Antal sidor330
FörlagCambridge University Press
ISBN9781107196339

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List of figures and tables; Acknowledgements; Note on chronology and transliteration; List of abbreviations; Introduction; Part I. Geographies of Knowledge: 1. The deaf Shaykh: scholarly astronomy in late Ottoman-Egyptian society; 2. Astronomers and pashas: viceregal imperialism and the making of state astronomy; Part II. Objects of Translation: 3. Positioning the watch hand: ʿUlamaʾ and the making of mechanical timekeeping in Cairo; 4. Positioning the planets: translating French planetary tables as Ottoman-Islamic knowledge; Part III. Islam, Science, and Authority: 5. The orbits of print: astronomy and the ordering of science and religion in the Arabic press; 6. The measure of piety: making prayer times uniform; 7. Different standards: the Ramadan debates and the establishment of lunar crescent observation; Conclusion; Appendix. Introduction to Muhammad al-Khudari's Sharh al-Lumʿa fi Hall al-Kawakib al-Sabʿa; Bibliography.

'Daniel A. Stolz's study on the history of astronomy in nineteenth-century Egypt is a piece of superb scholarship. It sheds new light on the questions of science and religion, history of science in a non-European context, and of how science changed during a period that saw the rise of new forms of scientific training, politics, techniques and readership.' Khaled Fahmy, Sultan Qaboos Chair of Modern Arabic Studies, University of Cambridge