No description available.

This thesis is an attempt to analyze Sayyid Qutb's approach to Qur'an exegesis in his Fi Zilal al-Qur'an. It compares the earlier with the later revised editions of the exegesis as it studies change in his thought and Weltanschauung. Qutb believed that the sacred text was a book of guidance and inspiration with immediate relevance to contemporary issues and challenges, giving direction to practical affairs as though it had been revealed specifically for today's problems. It is suggested that social, political, economic, and psychological factors contributed to his interpretation and revision. The thesis explores the degree of the revision made as well as its significance, with special reference to the case of zakat (alms) and riba (usury)-related verses in particular. Although the fundamental stance is basically consistent, i.e. that Islam is a distinct, divinely-ordained system for all aspects of life, it shows that Qutb tended to draw sharp distinctions between those who strove for the establishment of God's law in the world, and those who opposed them. Thus, in his exegetical endeavour, he became inevitably influenced by his socio-political background, and his exegesis was different from other contemporary ones, because it expressed the views of an activist advocate of social, political and religious reform, even though his thought was at times vague and idealistic.

This thesis examines modern interpretation of historical narrative in the Qur'an, taking as an example Sayyid Qut&dotbelow;b's exegesis of the stories of 'Ad and Thamud in his tafsir, Fi Z&dotbelow;ilal al-Qur'an. This is accomplished by surveying of 'Ad and Thamud prior to Qut&dotbelow;b to show how great the shift of interpretation is between classical and modern exegetes. Furthermore, close reading of Fi Z&dotbelow;ilal al-Qur'an is made in order to trace the significance of the two tales for Qut&dotbelow;b, as Qut&dotbelow;b's interpretation is not only a response to his predecessors but also to his contemporary milieu; which featured political, ideological and religious conflict. His experiences with the latter are reflected in his interpretation which follows the pattern of jahiliyah versus Islam, 'Ad versus Hud, and Thamud versus S&dotbelow;alih&dotbelow;. Hud and S&dotbelow;alih&dotbelow;, as prophets and callers to the truth, represent Qut&dotbelow;b himself, whereas 'Ad and Thamud, as challengers and evildoers, stand for his enemies; the West, its materialistic tendencies and the Egyptian government. In commenting on the Z&dotbelow;ilal's hermeneutic, we will examine its systematization of the surahs and verses which contain these two tales as well as analyze Qut&dotbelow;b's argumentation, historical consciousness, hermeneutic, and personal judgement.

This thesis investigates the role played by the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), a traditionalist Islamic organization established by K. H. Hasjim Asj'ari in 1926, in the development of Indonesian nationalism, elaborating in particular on its activities under the New Order (1980s and 1990s) after it implemented the Pancasila as the sole foundation for all political parties, social and mass organizations. As the largest Muslim traditionalist organization in Indonesia, the NU was originally founded to protect and promote the interests of Muslim traditionalists, who loyally followed the school of Ahlu al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah. The doctrines of the latter school are shown here to have largely influenced the organization's dealings both culturally, religiously and politically. / In order to fully understand the NUs view of Indonesian nationalism, this thesis examines the three phases of Indonesian nationalism, beginning with the rise of this organization, its involvement in the formation of the Indonesian state and its ideology, and the period after the country stipulated the sole foundation of Pancasila. It is from these three phases of Indonesian nationalism that this thesis shows the significance role played by the NU during the 1980s and 1990s. The NUs example in accepting the Pancasila as its sole basis served as an inspiration to other social and mass organizations in the country and represented one of its major contributions to the nation's welfare.

Siegfried Kracauer is mostly known for the work on film theory he wrote during his post-war exile to North America. This thesis proposes to examine a lesser known and far more complex portion of his oeuvre, namely the vast body of essays and monographs he produced throughout the 20s and 30s as editor of the Frankfurter Zeitung, which offer not only a cultural diary of the Weimar republic but also a critique of modernity and the many upheavals it engendered. Using both a detailed analysis of his own work as well as an examination of the various critical responses it elicited, this study aims at exposing the paradoxical complexity of Kracauer's stance towards modernity and its various mass cultural manifestations, a complexity which has unfortunately often been misjudged and reduced to a mere middling position. Indeed, because of his refusal to opt for a definite position, to either fully embrace or reject modernity, Kracauer has often been miscast as a mere seeker of compromise, a thinker who tried to make edges rounder and ease tensions. This thesis is an attempt to prove that far from trying to annihilate the tensions of the modern era, Kracauer in fact sought to cultivate them. He may have refused to opt for a definite stance---be it a "yes" or a "no"---towards modernity, yet his position is not to be reduced to a tepid "maybe", but ought to be seen, rather, as a truly Janusian simultaneous "yes" and "no" towards it. In our age of extreme relativism, where tension is to be avoided at all costs, there is some valuable insight to be gained from Kracauer's obstinate fight against comfortable compromises of any kind.

Woman is an ever-present image in the prose poems Nadja, L'amour fou and Arcane 17 by Andre Breton. While the image incorporates several autobiographical references, this is not the revelation. With textual recurrence forming a thematic, topical thread, the image is seen in its poetic, symbolic and mythical dimensions. Woman offers a surrealist poet a rhetorical gift. In these works the image of woman acquires symbolic value. It is identified with Nature in its cosmic, telluric reality, rooted in the unconscious in its oneiric reality. It is epiphanic in that it gives access to the Other's vision. To the poet it represents, to use Carl Jung's hermeneutic, the archetypal figure of the Anima. In its mythical dimensions, finally, the image calls forth the great visions of femininity: Muse, Sprite, Fairy, Elf, Virgin...

This thesis proposes a general overview of the three principal critical approaches to images of female madness in the work of Andre Breton, more specifically in his narrative Nadja. Grounded, respectively, in a Freudian, a feminist and a mythocritical perspective, these approaches tend to present a negative vision of Nadja's madness. After examining the arguments made by proponents of each approach, this study seeks to lay the foundations for positive analyses which will allow for the rehabilitation of female madness and the foregrounding of the link between insanity and female identity. Breton at once desired and fostered this feminine condition, which he deemed to be essential to creation and the discovery of the secret meaning of life: the marvelous. While it may convey disconcerting qualities, female madness is portrayed as noble and exceptional in this unique book whose title is the Russian word for hope.

Zugl.: Erlangen, Nürnberg, Univ., Diss., 2006

Zugl. geringfügig bearb. Fassung von: Greifswald, Univ., Diss.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / The problem of this dissertation is to contribute to the drafting of a more precise definition of the term "neoliberalism." It centers in the thought of Walter Marshall Horton, who is an outstanding contributor to the development of such a theology. The following method is employed: (1) Horton's theological biography is presented. (2) A working criterion of neo-liberalism is established on the basis of the thought of John C. Bennett and L. Harold DeWolf whom Horton cites as examples of neo-liberals. (3) A criterion of liberalism is established on the basis of the thought of the important American liberal theologians of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. (4) An intensive study of Horton's thought (1919 to 1958) is made and all liberal, non-liberal, and post-liberal elements are identified. (5) His thought is related to the liberal and neo-liberal criteria in order to determine its relation to the old and new liberalism. (6) Horton's thought is summarized with regard to the liberal and non-liberal elements and evaluated as to originality. The dissertation concludes with a definition of neo-liberalism. The chronological analysis of Horton's thought shows how his mature thought combines liberal, non-liberal, and postliberal elements. His method combines the use of reason with an emphasis upon the importance of Biblical revelation. His doctrine of God recognizes both the personal love and the holy wrath of God. In his doctrine of man he balances "titanism" and "nihilism." His Christology is liberal with regard to the Incarnation but tends toward nee-orthodoxy in ita emphasis upon the objective factor in the Atonement and the doctrine of the Parousia. His doctrine of the Church draws heavily on data from the ecumenical movement and reveals a high regard for Catholic concepts. His doctrine of the Kingdom of God includes both liberal activism and orthodox eternalism. The manner in which Horton has drawn these various elements into one comprehensive theology closely parallels the efform of Bennett and DeWolf. The conclusion is that Horton's thought is predominantly liberal but merits the prefix "neo" for two reasons. (1) The incorporation of many of the elements of the older liberalism into his mature thought witnesses to the fact that liberalism is making a "new" appearance, i.e., appearing again. In this sense, Horton's thought is not original but "new" to much contemporary thought. (2) The outstanding characteristic of Horton's mature thought is the balancing of liberal, neeorthodox, and Catholic concepts. This re-stating and modifying of liberal ideas within an ecumenical framework witnesses to the fact that liberalism is appearing in a new guise. The fact that Horton's thought, though basically liberal, has been greatly enriched by ideas from non-liberal sources, justifies his appropriation of the term neo-liberal. The similarity of his thought to that of Bennett and DeWolf suggests that the term can serve as a common label for their systems. Neo-liberalism is a theological system which retains the characteristic features of the older liberalism, e.g., respect for human reason and concern that men respond actively to the ideal of the Kingdom, but has been enriched by emphases derived from neo-orthodox thought, e.g., regard for the seriousness of human sin and recognition of the eternal dimensions of the Kingdom that transcends history, and Catholic theology, e.g., recognition of the importance of the Church and insistence upon its essential unity, and is especially marked by an ecumenical quality, e.g., appreciation for the contributions which all the branches of the Church can make to the continuing world-wide conversation between the churches.