Theme 1 - Islamic Studies

Contributors: Hazem Al-Rahmany, Farid Bouchiba, Flavio Canuzzi, Eric Chaumont †, Ayoub Filali, Denis Gril, Myriam Laakili, et Nadjet Zouggar
Associate Researchers: Ahmed Bouyerdene, Mohamed Amine Hamidoune

The research in Islamic studies looks at the doctrines and practices of Islam, from the Classical to the Contemporary era. In particular, this includes participation in ANR Prophet, a French National Research Agency project (The Presence of the Prophet: Muhammad in the mirror of his community in early modern and modern Islam), critical thought and a comparative approach to anti-philosophical trends in the three monotheisms, and the corpus of the prophetic tradition (hadīth). This work is also tied to research on the sociology of the religious field, and specifically of Islamic practices in France and in Europe.

Research themes, programs and seminars

1. Hadith

Contributors: Hazem Al-Rahmany, Eric Chaumont †, Ayoub Filali, Denis Gril, Myriam Laakili, Ahmed Oulddali, Nadjet Zouggar

Between 2017 and 2019, researchers of Islamic studies at IREMAM explored the theme of the hadīth (corpus, practices and debates), particularly during the Masters seminar. This research theme focuses on the Prophetic tradition (hadīth), both as a set of texts with a complex history, but also as a science and a fundamental source, which all other branches of Islamic knowledge draw from (exegesis, law, theology, Sufism, etc.). Specific attention is granted to the debates around the hadith, as much by Muslim authors as by Orientalists.

Seminar: to see the 2017-2018 program for the Islamic studies seminar on the hadīth

2. Hanbalism

Contributors: Ahmed Oulddali et Nadjet Zouggar

Research on hanbalism in this group is structured around the research program HANBANET, funded for one year by the Central Bureau of Worship (Ministry of the Interior) through the funding program “Islam, Religion, Society”, which concentrates on references to Hanbali texts on francophone websites. The program aims to study how texts (books, fatwas, sermons, etc.) are chosen, translated into French, and shared online. A second objective is to understand the contents of the corpus, and how they are used, both by those who share them and those who read them. Led by a multidisciplinary research team made up of two Islamic studies researchers, a linguist specialised in the digital corpora, and a sociologist, the project makes use of lexicometric tools to analyse the contents of the websites under study.

Seminar: to see the program for the Islamic studies seminar on Hanbalism (2019-2020)

3. The Presence of the Prophet

Contributors: Eric Chaumont †, Denis Gril, et Nadjet Zouggar

This research theme was created through the participation of members of the Islamic studies team belonging to the Franco-German ANR PROPHET, and aims to study the diverse forms of attachment to the Prophet, a key factor of Muslim identity, cultural and political history since the beginning of the early modern era – a period in which the Muslim world expanded and lost its centre, as is still the case today.

Program: ANR PROPHET (The Presence of the Prophet: Muhammad in the mirror of his community in early modern and modern Islam), Director Rachida Chih Faulks (CETOBAC - UMR 8032) and Prof. Dr. Stefan Reichmuth (Ruhr-universität Bochum), April 2017-April 2020.