Abstract
Research on approaches to the study of Islam provides insights into the worldviews fostered by them along with their strengths and limitations. Through an exploratory qualitative analysis and a case study of ‘Ashura, this research situates the approach taken by the Institute of Ismaili Studies’ (IIS) Secondary curriculum (SC) within the wider approaches to the study of Islam and its traditions. The case study attempts to understand the extent to which the approaches adopted by the IIS’ SC come alive in the curriculum in comparison to the approaches available in academia, to discern how the curriculum can draw upon them to live up to its educational aims. Thus, the research highlights the shortcomings of IIS’ SC approach and recommends suggestions to explore the multiplicity of interpretations of Islam and its culturally diverse lived traditions in an Ismaili Religious Education (RE) setting effectively. The findings indicate that although the IIS’ SC aims to foster the civilizational, humanistic, and normative perspectives through a historically complex and comparative account of faith and practice in Islam, it fails to address the dynamism, internal diversity, and evolution of the practices of Islam given the socio-political realities and the nature of the lived traditions within Muslim cultures and societies in the student reader of Faith and Practice in Islamic Traditions, Vol. 2 of IIS’ SC. The implications of this research calls for efforts, while some being suggested, to be taken to ensure that students develop rigorous and sophisticated habits of thinking about Islam, religion, and practice.
Presenters
Altaf SomaniSecondary Teacher Education, Ismaili Tariqah and Religious Education Board, Maharashtra, India
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2023 Special Focus—Religion in the Public Sphere: From the Ancient Years to the Post-Modern Era
KEYWORDS
Religious Education, Lived Traditions, Culture, Islam, Approaches
