An Islamic Reformation?

Western social scientists, only one a scholar of religion, explore the analogy of the Christian Reformation used by Muslim authors and Western observers of Islamic reform movements since the 19th century. They consider what they see as the most significant transformations and developments in the contemporary Middle East, whether various reformist individuals and movements constitute a reformation of Islamic society, the extent to which changes or prospects in Muslim societies are similar to the Christian Reformation, and how useful such a comparison might be. Annotation c2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Michaelle Browers is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Wake Forest University. Charles Kurzman is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.