Description
Book SynopsisIn Formation of a Religious Landscape: Shi‘i Higher Learning in Safavid Iran, Maryam Moazzen offers the first systematic examination of Shi‘i educational institution and practices by exploring the ways in which religious knowledge was produced, authenticated, and transmitted in the second half of Safavid rule (1588-1722). By analyzing the deeds of endowment of the Madrasa-yi Sulṭānī and other mosque-madrasas built by the Safavid elite, this study sheds light on the organizing mechanisms and structures utilized by such educational foundations. Based on the large number of ijazās and other primary sources including waqfiyyas, biographical dictionaries and autobiographies, this study also reconstructs the Safavid madrasas’ curriculum and describes the pedagogical methods used to transmit religious knowledge as well as issues that faced Shi‘i higher learning in early modern times.
Trade Review"This is a work of considerable scholarship. It is based on many primary sources, for instance, "biographical dictionaries, autobiographies, ijāzas, deeds of endowment (waqfiyyas), chronicles and historical sources, European travelers’ accounts, anthologies and polemics written by Safavid ʿulamā, administrative accounts and chancery literature, and works written by Safavid ʿulamaʾ” (p. 24). All are supported by a notable command of the secondary literature in the field. The outcome is a book that, for the first time, tells us how Safavid madrasas worked, and what and how they taught. It is a considerable achievement." - Francis Robinson, Royal Holloway, University of London, in: Journal of the American Oriental Society 139/3 (2019)
Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgements Note on Transliteration and Style Introduction Imperializing Twelver Shiʿism and Its Impact on Shiʿi Higher Learning The Reaction of the Sunni ʿUlamāʾ Madrasas and the Consolidation of Shiʿism in Persia The Permissibility of Collaborating with Temporal Power Shiʿi Higher Learning in Safavid Iran 1 Mosque-Madrasas of Safavid Isfahan Pre-Safavid Mosque-Madrasas Safavid Mosques and Madrasas After ʿAbbās the Great The Largest Shiʿi Madrasa Conclusion 2 The Madrasa-yi Sulṭānī: Waqfs, Administrative Structure, and Academic Life Shāh Sulṭān Ḥusayn’s Objectives in Establishing the Madrasa-yi Sulṭānī The Deeds of Endowment of the Madrasa-yi Sulṭānī Analysis of the Endowed Properties The Administrative Structure of the Madrasa-yi Sulṭānī Conclusion 3 Reshaping Shiʿa Cultural Memory: Commemorative Rituals and Constructing Identity Contextualizing Cultural Memory Safavid Madrasas and Commemorating Cultural Memory The Instructional Values of Commemorative Rituals Madrasas and Social Coherence Reconfiguring Cultural Memory Conclusion 4 The Safavid Curriculum: Conflicting Visions, Contested Triumphs Safavid Scholars and the Concept of Knowledge (ʿilm) Towards Reconstructing the Curriculum of the Safavid Madrasas The Uṣūlīs and the Curriculum The Curriculum of the Madrasas of Safavid Isfahan Akhbarism and Its Impact on the Safavid Curriculum The Curriculum of Safavid Madrasas during the Reign of Shāh Sulṭān Ḥusayn Conclusion 5 Engagement with Religious Knowledge: Dialogical and Hermeneutical Modes of Transmission Safavid Pedagogy: Legal Rationalization or Authentic Knowledge Teaching and Learning Methods The Place of Texts in Learning and Etiquette Pertinent to Writing and Shelving Books Teachers and Learning The Language of Instruction Travel in Pursuit of Knowledge Studying and Marriage Graduation Conclusion 6 Safavid Pedagogical Approaches: Theories, Application, and Practices Mullā Ṣadrā and the Problem of Conventional (rasmī) Learning Muḥsin Fayḍ Kāshānī and Epistemic Certitude Muḥaqqiq Sabzawārī’s Review of Safavid Higher Learning Muḥammad Zamān Tabrīzī’s Observations Conclusion Conclusion Appendix Bibliography Index of Places Index of Subjects and Terms Index of Persons
