Middle East And Islamic Studies Lecture Series

Date: February 22, 2021, 6 pm 

Current Trends in Qur’anic Interpretation: Nation States, Media, and New Subjectivities 

Guest speaker: Professor Johanna Pink 

Abstract: This talk discusses current trends in Muslim qur’anic interpretation as well as the context that shapes them. Demonstrating how the same qur’anic verse is subject to vastly divergent interpretations, I look at the exegetical genealogies and hermeneutical principles that contemporary readings of the Qur’an draw on. Moreover, I discuss the structural factors that influence exegetical endeavors today, such as new media, migration, and the agendas of nation states.  

Bio:Johanna Pink is Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Freiburg, Germany, and Principal Investigator of the ERC-funded project „GloQur – The Global Qur’an“. She is a specialist in the history of qur’anic exegesis and Qur’an translations with a focus on transregional dynamics in the modern period. Her publications include Muslim Qur’anic Interpretation Today: Media, Genealogies and Interpretive Communities (Sheffield: Equinox 2019).  

Students wishing to obtain a video recording of the lecture for educational purposes can contact Mulki Al-Sharmani at mulki.al-sharmani@helsinki.fi