Islamic Attitudes to Disasters in the Middle Ages: A Comparison of Earthquakes and Plagues

Akasoy, Anna

doi:10.1177/097194580701000214

Cited by 21 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…This allegedly leads to inappropriate or helpless behaviors in the face of natural hazards. Such a discourse on fatalism has long been applied to traditional and pre-industrial societies in Middle-Age Europe and to the contemporary so-called developing countries (see, for example, Akasoy, 2007;Burton et al, 1993;Kates et al, 1973;Schneider, 1957). This approach has also been considered in the context of major religions, such as Christianity during the 1951 awakening of Mt Lamington in Papua New Guinea (Belshaw, 1951;Keesing, 1952), or Buddhism and Islam in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka and Indonesia (Kraus, 2007;Levy et al, 2009).…”

Section: Religions In the Disaster Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Religions, natural hazards, and disasters: An introduction

Gaillard¹,

Texier²

2010

Religion

167

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a b s t r a c tThis editorial serves as an introduction to the special issue of Religion on Religions, Natural Hazards, and Disasters. It sets out some conceptual background and briefly reviews the existing literature on religion, natural hazards, and disasters. It also provides a brief assessment of the role of religious and groups in reducing the risk of disasters.Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Disasters associated with natural hazards are on the rise worldwide. Disasters basically result from the spatial and temporal conjunction between the occurrence of a harmful natural hazard and a vulnerable human society. Available databases show that the number of disastrous events increased sharply between the first and second half of the 20th century (Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters, 2008; Corporació n OSSO and La Red de Estudios Sociales en Prevenció n de Desastres en Amé rica Latina, 2008). The first decade of the 21st century has since brought about further damage. Guha-Sapir et al. (2004) reported that, between 1974 and 2003, more than 2 million individuals were killed and 182 million rendered homeless, with about 5.1 billion people cumulatively affected. Over the same period, estimated reported damages reached US$ 1.38 trillion. Overall, there is sufficient evidence to support the widely acknowledged assertion that the occurrence of disasters is increasing. This serves as a rationale for the present special issue.In a time of disasters, religion easily stirs the attention of the media, who are keen to cover alleged ''acts of god'' or the religion-related fatalistic attitudes of victims. Furthermore, disaster stories are omnipresent in the tradition of the three major monotheist religions, Islam, Judaism and Christianity (Dynes, 1998). Surprisingly, however, the set of scientific studies on the topic is limited. All major recent treaties on hazards and disasters -as well as older ones -have overlooked or totally omitted religion in their assessment of the works issues in the field (see, for example, Burton et al.so far dedicated a special issue to the interplay of religion and disasters. Only Dynes and Yutzey (1965) provided an initial theoretical overview. The religious studies and theology fields have been similarly silent on issues pertaining to natural hazards and disasters (Chester, 1998).This special edition of Religion is an attempt to fill this gap. It compiles three Southeast Asian case studies which were prepared for a panel of the 5th European Association for South East Asian Studies (EuroSEAS) conference held in Naples, Italy, between 12 and 15 September 2007 (Lindberg-Falk; Merli; Schlehe). These initial articles were complemented by three additional contributions (Chester and Duncan; Dove; Wisner). In this editorial, we set out some conceptual background and briefly review the existing literature on religion, natural hazards, and disasters. This should enable the reader to critically assess the contribution of the present volume. Natural hazards and disasters: some theoretic...

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Section: Religions In the Disaster Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Religions, natural hazards, and disasters: An introduction

Gaillard¹,

Texier²

2010

Religion

167

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“…In his Kasf al-Salsala and wasf al-Zalzala earthquakes are explained by the Mount Kaf (or Qaf) metaphor. In this explanation, there is the Mountain Qaf which surrounds the earth and makes places shake by moving the corresponding root (Akasoy, 2006). He also explains earthquakes as a punishment for nonbelievers.…”

Section: F Ozcep: Physical Earth and Its Sciences In Istanbulmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physical earth and its sciences in Istanbul: a journey from pre-modern (Islamic) to modern times

Özçep

2020

Hist. Geo Space. Sci.

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Abstract. Researching, compiling and analysing geophysical ideas and measurements in historical periods will contribute to the historical development of earth science. Also, this is important for geophysicists working on time-dependent (historical) data and revealing the physical properties of the earth. This paper is focused on the earth and its sciences (with concepts, ideas and measurements) in classical Islamic science in the Ottoman Empire and the evolution of these thoughts and concepts in the context of the transition to modern science. The pre-modern period of science in Islamic geographies is represented by Aristotelian science and some original contributions. In the geophysical sciences of the Ottoman Empire, earthquakes and weather events are explained by his views and ideas. Modern concepts and scientific measurements of geophysical events such as magnetic, seismologic and meteorologic events were systematically begun by observatories. Before this, there are some individual measurements.

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“…The tsunami was a key factor in the rejuvenation of Islamic public religiosity which, over the ensuing years, melded with humanitarian and reconstruction discourses about the need to "build back better" (Feener 2013). 12 In her studies of the interpretations of earthquakes in Islamic texts, Anna Akasoy (2007; points to the fact that such interpretive diversity has deep historical roots. She argues that a range of different sources came to add new dimensions into Medieval Muslim religious thought and so stimulated considerable discussion among scholars at the time.…”

Section: Contesting Disastersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Salvage and Salvation: Guest Editors’ Introduction

Fountain¹,

McLaughlin²

2016

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W hat does it mean to offer salvation in the midst of disaster? This is the question that animates the articles in this special issue, all of which probe the complex dynamics at play in the intersections of religion and disaster relief in contemporary Asia. Here, we seek to advance inquiry into the conceptual categories of "religion," "disaster," "relief," and "Asia" by drawing on recent theoretical advances across a variety of disciplines.The recent history of Asia is replete with frequent, massive, and high profile "natural" disasters as well as innumerable smaller-scale events that nevertheless devastate local communities. Though the casualties, economic losses, and graphic images of material damage caused by Asian disasters often receive primetime-albeit shortlived-attention in the global media, disaster impacts are far more wide-ranging than such reporting tends to reveal. Disasters affect all aspects of social life in ways that continue long after a precipitating event, and they frequently operate as decisive points at which new spaces are opened for political, social, and religious change. 1 The cultural dynamism of disasters also emerges from the social processes that arise in response to it, including efforts to "salvage" damaged assets and through actions aimed at delivering "salvation"-a process that is simultaneously material and social. Additionally, in the wake of major disasters in contemporary Asia, relief and reconstruction activities, as well as various forms of gifting and charity, frequently inspire complex global entanglements across spatial and cultural gaps.We argue that religious mobilizations in the wake of Asian disasters provide compelling opportunities to scrutinize pivotal theoretical concerns within the contemporary social sciences. This special issue is particularly concerned with what analysis of the religion-disaster-relief nexus can do for our understanding of the first of these three key terms: religion. Among the increasingly diverse set of actors that engage in disaster relief today are an array of organizations, movements, congregations,

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Islamic Attitudes to Disasters in the Middle Ages: A Comparison of Earthquakes and Plagues

Cited by 21 publications

References 20 publications

Religions, natural hazards, and disasters: An introduction

Religions, natural hazards, and disasters: An introduction

Physical earth and its sciences in Istanbul: a journey from pre-modern (Islamic) to modern times

Salvage and Salvation: Guest Editors’ Introduction

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