Mårtensson/Divine Covenant, 7. Institutional Shifts

In Chapter 7, I sketch the economic and institutional re-ordering that took place in the context of modern colonial rule and the post-colonial nation-state, its implications for the Islamic scholarly institution and disciplines and the study and use of the Qurʾān, and for constitutional matters. Given the increased international interactions from the colonial period onwards, the perspectives now include the European university context and discourses. I then proceed to analyse institutional practices associated with current academic discourses and contention over what constitutes the ‘most scientific’ Qurʾānic studies. The analysis includes revisiting both natural law theory (Chapter 4) and the early theological dispute over the Qurʾān’s created or un-created nature (Chapter 6).