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This essay focuses on various issues around the development of Brazilian art and architecture during the twentieth century and, especially, on their relationship with various trends of European Modernism. The notion of ‘purity’, which appears to be inherent in European Modernism, will be central to the discussion. Contrary to what many people think, it will be argued throughout this essay that the transcultural operations that arose from the mediation between perceptions of local traditions and notions of purity were always present within European Modernism and did not pertain to the peripheries alone. In fact, this essay will attempt to demonstrate that the antagonism between centres and peripheries was taken as an advantage by non-European Modernists in order to develop syncretic identity: being entirely Modern while developing specifically national aesthetic languages.

In: Transculturation
Author:

Abstract

This essay focuses on various issues around the development of Brazilian art and architecture during the twentieth century and, especially, on their relationship with various trends of European Modernism. The notion of ‘purity’, which appears to be inherent in European Modernism, will be central to the discussion. Contrary to what many people think, it will be argued throughout this essay that the transcultural operations that arose from the mediation between perceptions of local traditions and notions of purity were always present within European Modernism and did not pertain to the peripheries alone. In fact, this essay will attempt to demonstrate that the antagonism between centres and peripheries was taken as an advantage by non-European Modernists in order to develop syncretic identity: being entirely Modern while developing specifically national aesthetic languages.

In: Transculturation
In: Art/Histories in Transcultural Dynamics
In: Mawlana Rumi Review

Abstract

Of the numerous Sufi lineages that have expanded their presence into the West beginning in the twentieth century, that of the Indian shaykh Azad Rasool (d. 2006) has until now largely eluded scholarly attention. One major channel by which his teachings continue today is through his US-based khalifa, Ahmed Abdur Rashid (b. 1942). By way of an analysis of the latter’s writings and lectures combined with participant observation and in-depth interviews, this chapter seeks to demonstrate how this American shaykh has strived to achieve a balance, preserving tradition while also making it applicable to the contemporary globalized context. It shows how his spiritual search as well as social activism resonated with and culminated in his fully embracing Sufism and Islam, resulting in the emergence of a distinctive reading and application of mystical Islam. This renewal of tradition is pluralistic and sees Islam as compatible with democracy and science, it seeks to make full use of advances in technology, and it emphasizes social responsibility and engagement. Through studying Abdur Rashid’s “Applied Sufism,” which holds that the transformation of individuals can lead to the transformation of the world, the chapter presents an example of the evolution of Islamic mysticism in the modern age.

In: Dynamics of Islam in the Modern World
Dynamics of Islam in the Modern World scrutinizes and analyzes Islam in context. It posits Muslims not as independent and autonomous, but as relational and interactive agents of change and continuity who interplay with Islamic(ate) sources of self and society as well as with resources from other traditions. Representing multiple disciplinary approaches, the contributors to this volume discuss a broad range of issues, such as secularization, colonialism, globalization, radicalism, human rights, migration, hermeneutics, mysticism, religious normativity and pluralism, while paying special attention to three geographical settings of South Asia, the Middle East and Euro-America.
In: Dynamics of Islam in the Modern World
In: Dynamics of Islam in the Modern World
Narratives, Concepts, and Practices at work, 20th and 21st Centuries
Based on the papers presented at an international conference at the Freie Universität Berlin in 2013, the publication focuses on problems and challenges of art history’s epistemic frameworks. Following four guiding themes – narrations, venues, concepts and practice – the contributions address the aspect of mobility of aesthetic objects and their contextualisation from different analytical perspectives.
The essays examine complex processes of transcultural negotiations that are set in motion by »travelling« objects, artists, ideas and institutions in order to trace and analyse historical conditions that generated specific frameworks with their respective art historical narratives and artistic production.