RELI 281 - Beauty, Aesthetics, and Representation in Islamic Culture

Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)

This course explores both contemporary controversies over representation in the Islamic world (such as the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas or the Danish Cartoon Controversy) as well as foundational texts from the medieval Islamic world. We look at how beauty is understood in relation to faith and devotion and how images are defined and regulated through theological and philosophical interventions. Our reading of texts in translation is accompanied by in-depth analysis of visual and material objects which highlight or contradict those texts. Readings include poetry, philosophy and historical accounts, as well as secondary scholarship and contemporary debates. Ms. Muravchick.

Two 75-minute periods.