ILEM Istanbul Talks series continues with a talk by Samir Mahmoud on "Introduction to Islamic Aesthetics: A Few Methodological & Theoretical Issues" with moderation by Emin Lelic on İLEM TV.
This talk will start by interrogating the term 'aesthetics' and its application to the Islamic context illustrating the issues involved. Then it will move on to a consideration of a few pivotal ideas and examples from Islamic Civilization to answer foundational questions, such as: What is ‘Islamic Aesthetics’? And what is particularly ‘Islamic’ about it?
The talk will also address some methodological issues concerning the scholarly investigation into Islamic aesthetics by bearing in mind that classical Islamic thought invested beauty with diverse meanings, coached in several discourses, which led to the development of various aesthetic sensibilities. It will look at how classical Islamic intellectual tradition not only managed to reconcile the aesthetic enjoyment of beauty with the distrust of sensuous attraction, but ultimately also found a significant place for its pursuit in spiritual life.
Speaker
Samir Mahmoud
Samir Mahmoud serves as the Academic Director at Usul Academy and is currently a Lecturer at the Cambridge Muslim College on the BA in Islamic Studies and the Diploma in Islamic Psychology. Recently he was Assistant Professor at the Lebanese American University. He has a BA (Hons) in Anthropology & Politics with a focus on multicultural theory and comparative religion, and an MA in Architectural History, Theory & Urban Design with a focus on the traditional townscape from the University of New South Wales, Sydney Australia. He also holds an MPhil in Theology & Religious Studies with a focus on comparative philosophy and aesthetics. He completed a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Cambridge.
Moderator
Emin Lelić
Emin Lelić is Assistant Professor in the History Department at Salisbury University. He completed his education in Zagreb, Köln, and Chicago. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, where he defended his dissertation on “Ottoman Physiognomy (‘ilm-i firāset): A Window into the Soul of an Empire” in 2017. He is currently working on his monograph on Ottoman physiognomy. His secondary project is on the Ottoman-Habsburg-Venetian border region in the northwestern Balkans. His interests include the history of science, ethics, socio-political thought, imperial border regions, Ottoman Balkans, and Ottoman calligraphy.
Contact: For questions about the program, send an email to ileminternational@ilem.gov.tr
*This event will be held online in English and livestreamed on İLEM TV.
