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Power discourse and heresy in al-Andalus : the case of Ibn Masarra

This thesis is a study of zandaqa, or heresy, in the early medieval period of al-Andalus. The goal of this work is to uncover subtexts between caliphal power and legal authority through an analysis of the historiography of the Andalusian Muhammad ibn `Abd Allah Ibn Masarra al-Jabali (d. 319/931). This is accomplished by applying the Foucauldian theories of limit and transgression on the scholarly reconstructions of his life. The formation of the madhahib in al-Andalus, the construction of Orthodoxy and Heresy in Islam, and the historical-legal development of zandaqa colours how scholars have approached the subject, and leads to questions concerning the relationship that marginal or subversive intellectual developments had with authoritative bodies. The resulting play of divergent and authoritative discourses that emerge from a Post-Modernist analysis of the Masarrian context have the capacity to illustrate intellectual developments within early Andalusian society and provide an alternate explanatory narrative for historical reconstruction.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.99584
Date January 2006
CreatorsDane, Kirstin Sabrina.
PublisherMcGill University
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
Formatapplication/pdf
CoverageMaster of Arts (Institute of Islamic Studies.)
Rights© Kirstin Sabrina Dane, 2006
Relationalephsysno: 002614321, proquestno: AAIMR32512, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest.

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