Second Response Paper Guidelines

Democracies, Modernities, and Islam(s)

    John O. Voll is professor of Islamic history and director of the Center for 
Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University. He taught Middle 
Eastern, Islamic, and world history at the University of New Hampshire for 
thirty years before moving to Georgetown in 1995. He graduated from 
Dartmouth College and received his Ph.D. degree from Harvard University. He 
has lived in Cairo, Beirut, and Sudan and has traveled widely in the Muslim 
world. The second edition of his book Islam: Continuity and Change in the 
Modern World appeared in 1994. He is co-author, with John L. Esposito, of 
Islam and Democracy and Makers of Contemporary Islam and is editor, author, 
or co-author of six additional books. Professor Voll is a past president of 
the Middle East Studies Association and also of the New England Historical 
Association. He has served on the Boards of Directors of the American 
Council of Learned Societies, the New Hampshire Humanities Council, the New 
Hampshire Council on World Affairs, and the Sudan Studies Association. He 
was the chair of the program committee for the 1999 annual meeting of the 
American Historical Association. A widely acclaimed scholar, in 1991 he 
received a Presidential Medal in recognition for scholarship on Islam from 
President Husni Mubarak of Egypt. He has published numerous articles and 
book chapters on modern Islamic and Sudanese history.   Since September 11, 
Professor Voll has been a prolific commentator on current events on 
university campuses and in the media.


    In this talk, Professor Voll will point to the contested nature of the 
terms "democracy" and "modernity" in relation to various Islamic societies 
and discuss how this affects our understanding of contemporary 
events.  Rather than promote a monolithic understanding of these terms or 
of the Islamic tradition as is often the case, Professor Voll wishes to 
stress their multiple interpretations and inflections in different parts of 
the Muslim world.  This allows for a more nuanced and realistic exploration 
of the nexus between these three terms to emerge and allows for a more 
thoroughgoing investigation of their implications in the current 
period.  As the US continues to seek to "win the hearts and minds" of 
Muslims and as Christians and Muslims continue to reach out to one another 
in the post 9/11 world, Professor Voll's analytical perspectives will 
provide much needed insight into topics that are center stage today.


    In no more than two pages, write a summary of the main points raised by 
Professor Voll in his talk, paying particular attention to how he 
interrogates common assumptions about modernity and democracy and the 
monolithic nature of Islam.  Explain how some of the issues he raises ties 
in with our own discussions in class regarding these topics.  Include a 
short paragraph at the end which records your impressions of the talk and 
whether you felt convinced by some of the arguments he offered.