The Political Economy of Arab Cultural Underdevelopment

Lawrence E. Harrison pins the blame forArab-Islamic underdevelopment on a set of cultural dysfunctions. Among those that interest me are “submissive collectivism rather than individualism” and the hostility to ‘innovation,’ ‘change,’ and ‘dissent’; “isolationism” not just toward non-Muslims but eve...

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Autor principal: Emad El-Din Aysha
Formato: article
Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: International Institute of Islamic Thought 2009
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Acceso en línea:https://doaj.org/article/750b4b970667454e9b11ef7bc45aa393
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spelling oai:doaj.org-article:750b4b970667454e9b11ef7bc45aa3932021-12-02T19:23:16ZThe Political Economy of Arab Cultural Underdevelopment10.35632/ajis.v26i2.14032690-37332690-3741https://doaj.org/article/750b4b970667454e9b11ef7bc45aa3932009-04-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.ajis.org/index.php/ajiss/article/view/1403https://doaj.org/toc/2690-3733https://doaj.org/toc/2690-3741 Lawrence E. Harrison pins the blame forArab-Islamic underdevelopment on a set of cultural dysfunctions. Among those that interest me are “submissive collectivism rather than individualism” and the hostility to ‘innovation,’ ‘change,’ and ‘dissent’; “isolationism” not just toward non-Muslims but even internally, placing an “emphasis on family, clan and ethnic cohesion rather than broader relationships”; and “clerical interpretations ... that have ... transmitted fatalistic dogma, ... permitted adoption of scientific and technological advances from outside but closed the door to the liberalizing cultural forces that made these advances possible.”1 Well, the Saudis do “believe that oil was a gift from Allah ... It was a reward for their devout belief ... Ever thankful, they see no reason to deny the teachings of theKoran.”As for importing western know-howwithout the values that come with it, the Saudis also believe that “God has given them oil wealth which is to be translated into money as a means by which they can modernize. But one should never interfere with the other”2 – as if one can buy a television set without the manual that tells you how to use it ... Emad El-Din AyshaInternational Institute of Islamic ThoughtarticleIslamBP1-253ENAmerican Journal of Islam and Society, Vol 26, Iss 2 (2009)
institution DOAJ
collection DOAJ
language EN
topic Islam
BP1-253
spellingShingle Islam
BP1-253
Emad El-Din Aysha
The Political Economy of Arab Cultural Underdevelopment
description Lawrence E. Harrison pins the blame forArab-Islamic underdevelopment on a set of cultural dysfunctions. Among those that interest me are “submissive collectivism rather than individualism” and the hostility to ‘innovation,’ ‘change,’ and ‘dissent’; “isolationism” not just toward non-Muslims but even internally, placing an “emphasis on family, clan and ethnic cohesion rather than broader relationships”; and “clerical interpretations ... that have ... transmitted fatalistic dogma, ... permitted adoption of scientific and technological advances from outside but closed the door to the liberalizing cultural forces that made these advances possible.”1 Well, the Saudis do “believe that oil was a gift from Allah ... It was a reward for their devout belief ... Ever thankful, they see no reason to deny the teachings of theKoran.”As for importing western know-howwithout the values that come with it, the Saudis also believe that “God has given them oil wealth which is to be translated into money as a means by which they can modernize. But one should never interfere with the other”2 – as if one can buy a television set without the manual that tells you how to use it ...
format article
author Emad El-Din Aysha
author_facet Emad El-Din Aysha
author_sort Emad El-Din Aysha
title The Political Economy of Arab Cultural Underdevelopment
title_short The Political Economy of Arab Cultural Underdevelopment
title_full The Political Economy of Arab Cultural Underdevelopment
title_fullStr The Political Economy of Arab Cultural Underdevelopment
title_full_unstemmed The Political Economy of Arab Cultural Underdevelopment
title_sort political economy of arab cultural underdevelopment
publisher International Institute of Islamic Thought
publishDate 2009
url https://doaj.org/article/750b4b970667454e9b11ef7bc45aa393
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