Saudi Primary Education and the Formation of Modern Wahhabism

The development of modern primary education in Saudi Arabia transformed Wah­habism in subtle yet significant ways. The art of instructing six- and seven-year-old children in the finer points of Wahhābī theology and law, as occurred in the new Saudi primary schools from 1929, may appear as the authen...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Die Welt des Islams
Main Author: Samin, Nadav 1976- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Brill [2018]
In: Die Welt des Islams
Further subjects:B Saudi Arabia
B Wahhabism
B Theology
B Nationalism
B Education
B state formation
B Colonialism
B lamāʾ
Online Access: Volltext (Resolving-System)
Volltext (doi)
Description
Summary:The development of modern primary education in Saudi Arabia transformed Wah­habism in subtle yet significant ways. The art of instructing six- and seven-year-old children in the finer points of Wahhābī theology and law, as occurred in the new Saudi primary schools from 1929, may appear as the authentic continuation of a tradition within a modern institutional framework. Yet in point of fact, this foregrounding of theology constituted a departure from traditional Wahhābī pedagogy, and from precolonial Muslim learning conventions more generally. In response to the encroachment of non-Wahhābī personnel and systems of knowledge into their traditional domain, this paper argues, the Najdī ʿulamāʾ reframed modern education as a theological challenge, one similar to the challenge presented by bedouin and other non-Wahhābī Muslims.
ISSN:1570-0607
Contains:Enthalten in: Die Welt des Islams
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/15700607-00584P02