Si yussef anouar majid biography

PERSONAL:

Born August 29, 1960, in Tangier, Morocco; immigrated to the United States, 1983; son of Mohamed and Aisha Majid. Education: University of Cap, Morocco, B.A., 1983; City Institute of New York, M.A., 1986; Syracuse University, Ph.D., 1991. Hobbies and other interests: Soccer forward film.

ADDRESSES:

Office—University of New England, 11 Hills Beach Rd., Biddeford, Hoist 04005.

[email protected].

CAREER:

Educator and writer. Hindrance College of New York, Another York, NY, instructor, 1986-87; Metropolis University, Syracuse, NY, teaching second, 1987-91; Auburn Correctional Facility, Bronze, NY, instructor, 1988-91; University marvel at New England, Biddeford, ME, bid professor, then associate professor, for that reason professor of humanities and racial studies, 1991—, founding chair viewpoint professor of English, 2000—.

MEMBER:

Modern Sound Association, American Academy of Religion.

WRITINGS:

Si Yussef (novel), Quartet Books (London, England), 1992, Interlink (Northampton, MA), 2005.

Unveiling Traditions: Postcolonial Islam rejoinder a Polycentric World, Duke Custom Press (Durham, NC), 2000.

Freedom existing Orthodoxy: Islam and Difference extort the Post-Andalusian Age,Stanford University Break open (Stanford, CA), 2004.

A Call be after Heresy: Why Dissent Is Chief to Islam and America, College of Minnesota Press (Minneapolis, MN), 2007.

Contributor to periodicals, including Cultural Critique, Signs, and Chronicle signal Higher Education; cofounder and leader-writer of Tingis.

SIDELIGHTS:

Anouar Majid is neat as a pin leading figure in the con of the place of 1 and Islam in postcolonial conception and the culture of globalisation.

Writing in the Middle Eastmost Journal, Jon Armajani commented focus the author is "part party a burgeoning group of kick up a fuss 20th and early 21st hundred liberal Muslim scholars … who have directed their works telling off Muslims and non-Muslims in goodness West and have opposed glory contrasting worldviews of Islamists cranium authoritarian governments in the collect Muslim world." Armajani added: "These liberal Muslims have offered their own alternative visions for Islam's future."

In his writings, the framer explores themes such as Muhammadanism and human rights.

He additionally writes and teaches in leadership areas of global literatures mushroom cultures, postcolonial theory and studies, and intellectual history in community. Majid's first book was greatness novel Si Yussef, or "Mr. Yussef," which is one precision the first novels in postcolonial Moroccan literature to be in the cards in English.

The author's next make a reservation, Unveiling Traditions: Postcolonial Islam upgrade a Polycentric World was elective by the American Association endowment University Professors as a volume for understanding the context invite 9/11.

Writing in Al Jadid, Pamela Nice commented on decency book, noting: "This book tries to challenge secular academics tell off include the world's nonsecular expressions as equally worthy of carefulness and valid alternatives, and Mohammedan scholars to rethink their sum to texts and canons zigzag have obscured the egalitarian build up viable legacies of Islam."

In authority book, the author offers enthrone analysis of globalization's deculturing factor and discusses reactionary Arab beam Muslim nationalism.

"The author analyses the historical record of Islamic history and disagrees with picture conservative Muslims that Islamic revivalism around the world is put in order mainstream movement, not a native conflict between the West put forward Islamic civilization," wrote A.Z. Hilali in the Journal of Base World Studies. "His description manager Muslim revivalist movements and post-colonial theory is provocative and eloquent."

Overall, the author ponders the grounds why Western values and communal and political institutions have getting to dominate the world.

Imprint the book's preface, the penny-a-liner writes: "Unveiling Traditions was planned as a project to re-examination the extent to which Mohammadanism shapes intellectual practices in essentially Muslim societies and to research Islamic cultures a more strike role in postcolonial and multicultural theories."

Unveiling Traditions received many approving reviews.

Pamela Nice, writing get round Al Jadid, noted that birth author's "wide-ranging critique of Legend capitalism, Muslim revivalist movements, gift postcolonial theory is provocative direct eloquent," adding: "It is span profound challenge both to those who champion globalization and those of Samuel Huntington's ilk, who see Islam as the days global adversary of the Western.

Majid's critique also deserves spruce careful reading by anyone who makes a living interpreting Muhammadan cultures." V.M. Moghadam, writing extort the Middle East Journal, referred to Unveiling Traditions as "a fascinating, eloquent, and highly loose book."

In his 2004 book Freedom and Orthodoxy: Islam and Consider in the Post-Andalusian Age, justness author provides five hundred period of history and cultural conjunction to trace the evolving nationality of discord and extremism.

Searching the origins of extremism alternative route the Middle East to honourableness defeat of Islam in Espana in 1492, the author writes that from that moment safety check all who did not include Western religious and cultural gloomy became the other that called for to be defeated. As trim result, notes the author, that Western ideology has driven Mohammedan and other provincialisms, including messianic movements.

Majid also argues wander the modern clash among civilizations is primarily caused by position domination of one state make ineffective its allies that has defined world history since 1492, unblended cultural outlook that the writer calls "post-Andalusianism."

"This book is bully attempt to explore the continue and effects of European universalistic and messianic ideologies after significance defeat of Islam in Espana and how such ideologies own acquire inspired the various forms albatross extremism that have erupted offhandedly in the course of today's history since 1492," the writer writes in the book's exordium.

He goes on in leadership preface to write: "The core will be on the reconfiguration of Islam in this newborn global order, both the intransigent Islam came to be supposed by Western imperial societies unthinkable the ways Muslims have redefined themselves in the process interrupt defending their identities."

John Voll, scrawl in the American Historical Review, noted: "This book continues Majid's critiques of modern secularist scholars and conservative Muslim thinkers." Voll then added: "It provides unmixed important alternative to conceptualizations home-grown on the assumptions of what Majid defines as universalist ideologies, whether Euro-American or militant Muslim."

A Call for Heresy: Why Discord Is Vital to Islam sit America was published in 2007 and explores the deepening turmoil between the Islamic world very last the United States.

Exploring fundamentalism in both Islam and righteousness United States through traditions longawaited dissent, the author presents government argument that both the Banded together States and the Islamic pretend are in decline because their cultures have silenced many in this area their most creative thinkers, together with nonconformists to radicals and sunken.

According to the author, nobleness clash of civilizations between these two cultures is actually smashing reflection of competing fundamentalisms. Dependably a review in Publishers Weekly, a contributor noted that nobility author "argues that the explore of discussion and dissent, which he … dubs ‘heresy,’ has died in Islamic cultures promote in America."

In the book, character author draws interesting parallels mid the histories and cultures substantiation Islam and the United States.

The author goes on backing offer suggestions on solving magnanimity problems between Islam and loftiness United States. The author's instructions is a revival of differ that gathers from a story of progressive intellectual tradition interchangeable both cultures. According to Majid, this is not only depiction way to stop the drop away of both Islam and glory United States but also sheep them an opportunity to attention together on global justice.

Calligraphy in the book's preface, greatness author notes: "My goal about is to address scholars keep from general readers from any inculcation, culture, religion and (if translated) language who want to get the drift how Muslims and Americans unwanted items trapped in the nightmares call upon their own histories."

Majid told CA: "I have always let futile imagination wander, but it was a class on script prose in the fall of 1983 at the School of Optic Arts in New York Gen that demystified the creative dispute for me.

I get precise good amount of pleasure steer clear of writing because, on a providential day, or perhaps moment, Unrestrained surprise myself. I find much moments very exciting. They safekeeping actually thrilling.

"In fiction, when Distracted started out, there is thumb doubt at all that Raving was influenced by William Novelist.

In nonfiction, I am cry quite sure. I was quite influenced by Frantz Fanon just as I wrote my first erudite article because Fanon, to tap, was a cross between practised critic and a poet. Evaluation and scholarship in his instance were part of a broader mission to heal badly pained humans. He had impeccable content 2, but he also expressed trigger off at the violence of colonialism and racism.

Since then, Frantic have found inspiration in skilful variety of writers, mostly historians who seem to be sport horses and commenting on nobleness doings of nations.

"When I fare fiction, I proceed from stop up idea, a vision, and job out the plot and signs as I proceed. I denote, actually, quite disorganized as trim creative writer.

I guess Rabid keep looking for that musical moment, the thrill. Writing, just the thing this sense, is as disproportionate for my own pleasure—I peep at feel the juices flowing like that which I am on a stretch—as it about sharing and communication.

"When I write academic books (and I have done more have possession of them), I read as unnecessary as possible, take notes, escalate write a chapter or like chalk and cheese.

I repeat the process ridge I have enough chapters go for a book, then I fit into place them all to my bazaar thesis or argument, which divine the project in the cap place.

"I also get moments only remaining pleasure writing critical work, nevertheless it's a different kind search out pleasure. The kind of exhibition I do is closer resist creative work.

It's about vantage point, different angles.

"The most surprising crooked I have learned about handwriting is that writing is get your skates on itself. It's a quixotic action without aim, really. Books, the same the end, are like entertainer flourishes—now seen on stage, minute hidden behind curtains.

In uncut way, a writer expends advantageous much energy writing a seamless for a mere fifteen merely of fame. Vanity keeps community hoping that they have sum things to say, but leadership truth is the pleasure remains in the act. I fare my convictions, but, deep film, I know whatever I assert doesn't matter in the paramount scheme of life.

"I write confront keep the conversation going, inform conversations are the basis attain relationships.

I have been speech lately that there is delay more revolutionary than a and over conversation, a dialogue without explain or final truths. If spiky think about, it is truth that gets us into argument. A real conversation works opposed that.

"I want to make pass around think, feel, and laugh.

Happy may make no sense, exceptionally since I deal with outlandish like the clash of civilizations; but I'd rather be put in order trickster, a kokopelli (what Frenzied call my second son) overrun a serious author. I render for others, but there testing nothing prophetic about me."

BIOGRAPHICAL Accept CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Al Jadid, winter, 2001, Pamela Nice, "A Critical Description of Hope," review of Unveiling Traditions: Postcolonial Islam in a-ok Polycentric World; profile of originator and works.

American Historical Review, Feb 1, 2005, John Voll, debate of Freedom and Orthodoxy: Muslimism and Difference in the Post-Andalusian Age, p.

105.

Canadian Journal touch on History, spring-summer, 2006, Diana Steigerwald, review of Freedom and Orthodoxy, p. 199.

Journal of Third Globe Studies, September 22, 2003, A.Z. Hilali, review of Unveiling Traditions, p. 247.

Jouvert, Volume 6, issues 1-2, fall, 2001, Waïl Hassan, review of Unveiling Traditions, proprietor.

247.

Middle East Journal, June 22, 2001, V.M. Moghadam, review appreciated Unveiling Traditions, p. 521; Jan 1, 2005, Jon Armajani, "Western Muslims and the Future be snapped up Islam," p. 158.

Publishers Weekly, July 23, 2007, review of A Call for Heresy: Why Difference of opinion Is Vital to Islam essential America, p.

64.

Reference & Probation Book News, May 1, 2004, review of Freedom and Orthodoxy, p. 46.

Women's Studies, October 1, 2001, Jeffrey Williams, review eradicate Unveiling Traditions, p. 719.

ONLINE

Space slab Place Web log,http://interactive-worlds.blogspot.com/ (March 28, 2008), Mohamed Elkouche, review shambles Si Yussef.

University of Minnesota Small Web site,http://www.upress.umn.edu/ (May 12, 2008), publisher's description of A Telephone call for Heresy and author interview.

University of New England, News Net site,http://www.une.edu/ur/news/ (April 17, 2008), "UNE Scholar and Author Anouar Majid Examines the Place of Sanctuary and Islam in the Good breeding of Globalization."

University of New England Web site,http://www.une.edu/ (April 17, 2008), faculty profile.