Since its founding by Jacques Waardenburg in 1971, Religion and Reason has been a leading forum for contributions on theories, theoretical issues and agendas related to the phenomenon and the study of religion. Topics include (among others) category formation, comparison, ethnophilosophy, hermeneutics, methodology, myth, phenomenology, philosophy of science, scientific atheism, structuralism, and theories of religion. From time to time the series publishes volumes that map the state of the art and the history of the discipline.
Jacques Waardenburg writes about relations between Muslims and adherents of other religions. After illuminating various aspects of Islam from an outside point of view in his volume "Islam" (published in 2002 by de Gruyter) his second volume changes the perspective: The author shows how Muslims perceived non-Muslims - particularly Christianity and "the West", but also Judaism and Asian religions - in many centuries of religious dialogue and tensions. The main focus is on Muslim minorities in Western countries and on religious dialogues of which he provides first-hand knowledge through his participation in several important dialogue meetings.
After 50 years of research and personal involvement, Waardenburg aims at a mutual understanding and reconciliation of Islam and other religions, particularly Christianity, both on an international level as well as on a more local level where "old" and "new", Christian and Muslim Europeans live together.
I. Three Monotheistic Religions: 1. Christians, Muslims, Jews, and their Religions · 2. Three Monotheistic Religions: Structure and Patterns of Meaning
II. Muslim Encounters with Other Religions in History: 3. The Earliest Relations of Islam with Other Religions · 4. Cases of Interreligious Dialogue under Muslim Rule
III. Muslim Perceptions of Other Religions: 5. Two Shining Lights: Medieval Islam and Christianity · 6. World Religions Seen in Islamic Light · 7. Twentieth Century Writings about Other Religions: A Classification · 8. Some Observations on Muslim Studies of Religions
IV. Muslims and the West, Muslims in the West: 9. Some Muslim Reflections on the West · 10. Europe and its Muslim Neighbors: Glimpses of Dialogue · 11. Muslims and their Islam in Europe: Initiatives and Responses · 12. Diversity and Unity of Islam in Europe: Islamic Constructs · 13. Muslims and Others in Europe: Cultural and Intercultural Contacts
V. Muslim-Christian Relations and Minority Problems: 14. Muslim Minorities: Politics and Religion in the Balkans · 15. Muslim-Christian Minority Problems in Europe and the Middle East · 16. Issues in Muslim-Christian Relations · 17. Between Baghdad and Birmingham: Opportunities of Minorities
VI. Muslims and Others in Processes of Change: 18. Muslims and Christians: Changing Identities · 19. Muslims and Westerners: Changing Attitudes
Dr. Jacques Waardenburg taught at the Universities of California and Utrecht before holding the chair of Religionswissenschaft at the University of Lausanne. He is among the internationally leading experts in the history of Islam.
"In einer Zeit, in der es auch um Verständnis des Anderen geht, ist dieser etwas andere Blick eine sehr sinnvolle Hilfe, zumal auch aufgrund der hohen inhaltlichen Qualität des Buches."
Volker S. Stahr in: Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 2004
"With his remarkable sensitivity and unfliching optimism, Waardenburg makes a convincing case for an understanding that goes beyond the ignorant tolerance and arrogant indifference of many communities today, and shows that small histories do matter."
Ibrahim Kalin in: The Muslim World Book Review 1/2004
