Conversations with History - Talal Asad

"Thinking About Religion, Secularism and Politics"

Talal Asad, Professor of Anthropology, Graduate Center of
the City University of New York

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Professor Talal
Asad who reflects on his life and work as an anthropologist
focusing on religion, modernity, and the complex
relationships between Islam and the West.

Recorded October 2, 2008

http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/iis/...
http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/conv...

• Category

  Education

[ferdowsi88]

Tala Asad you really are a wonderful person and i really appreciate your work to the humanity. We humans neglect a lot of aspects that define our attitudes, moral belief and values, but tend to bite on other parties with out a thorough examination. You have emphasized on couple of crucial points that is worth re-examining ourselves with logical approach in order to come with conclusions then conclude, yet still ambiguous in some respect.

God bless you. Peace.

[bigtavm]

Brilliant and enlightening ^_^

Asad has gained a great understanding of people and history. We should all work hard to gain understanding of each other and this is time best spent gaining as much knowledge as possible. That said, we still need to be fully aware of the -possibility- that some knowledge is, even "unconsciously", loaded. Knowing that we can see how the world and the people living in it have been, are and will continue to be shaped by truth and lies, structure and spontaneity.

[monjiaitaly]

Yesss, i am reading the "Road to Mecca", it is wonderful.

[Kamran bostan]

His father was an influential  Muslim writer

[twinsflamuri]

his fathers son leopold weiss aka muhamad asad the best islamic convert the west ever gave the islamic word...his translation of Quran is still baned in Saudi Arabia and as such remain one of the best and by all means unique...also his book "road to mecca"is a facinating book...

[Munir El Kadi]

I am surprised at the British queen which knights someone like Salman Rushdie, who had no good contribution through his "novel" writing, while not even promoting someone like Talal Asad

[Mehreen Kasana]

This is interesting. I just saw these comments after months, literally. One's excessively butt-hurt about my fondness for the man on academic terms and the other's mistaken my respect for the man as something passing for nationality-centric support. Both being wrong. I'm just glad he was very much in touch with Pakistani culture(s) and language(s) and didn't become an Orientalist joke. Have a lovely day, though.

[Laurence Chiniquy]

Pakistani by nationality. His father was a Jew and his mother an Arab from Saudi.

[fa8ality666]

these vidsare great but they need to bloodychange the rubbish slightly creepy intro muzak lol

[Mehreen Kasana]

He's Pakistani Arab. I'm proud of him.

[Mehreen Kasana]

He's Pakistani Arab. I'm proud of him.