Decolonizing the study of English literature in a Muslim-Malaysian context: an argument for a spiritual-based comparative paradigm

The study of English literature was first introduced to the British colonies and protectorates, including Malaysia, in order to consolidate the cultural superiority of the English people amongst the colonized natives. Its continuation in the post-colonial period of the twenty-first century, either a...

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Main Author:	Mohd Ramli, Aimillia
Format:	Article
Language:	English
Published:	Versita, Warsaw 2013
Subjects:	B Philosophy (General) BL Religion BP Islam. Bahaism. Theosophy, etc PI Oriental languages and literatures PN Literature (General) PR English literature
Online Access:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/36992/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/36992/1/Cultura_1_2013_article6.pdf

id	iium-36992
recordtype	eprints
spelling	iium-369922014-06-19T02:49:39Z http://irep.iium.edu.my/36992/ Decolonizing the study of English literature in a Muslim-Malaysian context: an argument for a spiritual-based comparative paradigm Mohd Ramli, Aimillia B Philosophy (General) BL Religion BP Islam. Bahaism. Theosophy, etc PI Oriental languages and literatures PN Literature (General) PR English literature The study of English literature was first introduced to the British colonies and protectorates, including Malaysia, in order to consolidate the cultural superiority of the English people amongst the colonized natives. Its continuation in the post-colonial period of the twenty-first century, either as a component of the English language subject at Malaysian secondary schools or as a degree program at Malaysian universities, has mainly been justified by the liberal-humanistic belief that canonical works in English literature display universal values that should be cultivated in the minds of readers regardless of their nationality or religion. In the past few decades, confusion surrounding the exact nature of these values has resulted in the advent of materialistic philosophies of literary theory. In many Muslim countries, such as Ma-laysia, these theories have only served to increase reliance on Eurocentric readings of literature, ignoring resistance coming from Muslim readers who have their own Tawhidic spiritual outlook and values. This paper suggests the use of a paradigm that places a concern for spiritual matters at the core of comparative studies of Eng-lish and Islamic literature, especially at Islamic educational institutions. This can benefit Muslims worldwide in the sense that it will present for them a more com-prehensive role than literature alone can play in contributing to their spiritual devel-opment as well as generating appreciation for the universality of Islamic teachings. Keywords: English literature, comparative, Tawhid, Islam, Malaysia Versita, Warsaw 2013-01-01 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://irep.iium.edu.my/36992/1/Cultura_1_2013_article6.pdf Mohd Ramli, Aimillia (2013) Decolonizing the study of English literature in a Muslim-Malaysian context: an argument for a spiritual-based comparative paradigm. Cultura. International Journal of Philosophy of Culture and Axiology, 10 (1). pp. 99-118. ISSN 2065-5002 (O), 1584-1057 (P)
repository_type	Digital Repository
institution_category	Local University
institution	International Islamic University Malaysia
building	IIUM Repository
collection	Online Access
language	English
topic	B Philosophy (General) BL Religion BP Islam. Bahaism. Theosophy, etc PI Oriental languages and literatures PN Literature (General) PR English literature
spellingShingle	B Philosophy (General) BL Religion BP Islam. Bahaism. Theosophy, etc PI Oriental languages and literatures PN Literature (General) PR English literature Mohd Ramli, Aimillia Decolonizing the study of English literature in a Muslim-Malaysian context: an argument for a spiritual-based comparative paradigm
description	The study of English literature was first introduced to the British colonies and protectorates, including Malaysia, in order to consolidate the cultural superiority of the English people amongst the colonized natives. Its continuation in the post-colonial period of the twenty-first century, either as a component of the English language subject at Malaysian secondary schools or as a degree program at Malaysian universities, has mainly been justified by the liberal-humanistic belief that canonical works in English literature display universal values that should be cultivated in the minds of readers regardless of their nationality or religion. In the past few decades, confusion surrounding the exact nature of these values has resulted in the advent of materialistic philosophies of literary theory. In many Muslim countries, such as Ma-laysia, these theories have only served to increase reliance on Eurocentric readings of literature, ignoring resistance coming from Muslim readers who have their own Tawhidic spiritual outlook and values. This paper suggests the use of a paradigm that places a concern for spiritual matters at the core of comparative studies of Eng-lish and Islamic literature, especially at Islamic educational institutions. This can benefit Muslims worldwide in the sense that it will present for them a more com-prehensive role than literature alone can play in contributing to their spiritual devel-opment as well as generating appreciation for the universality of Islamic teachings. Keywords: English literature, comparative, Tawhid, Islam, Malaysia
format	Article
author	Mohd Ramli, Aimillia
author_facet	Mohd Ramli, Aimillia
author_sort	Mohd Ramli, Aimillia
title	Decolonizing the study of English literature in a Muslim-Malaysian context: an argument for a spiritual-based comparative paradigm
title_short	Decolonizing the study of English literature in a Muslim-Malaysian context: an argument for a spiritual-based comparative paradigm
title_full	Decolonizing the study of English literature in a Muslim-Malaysian context: an argument for a spiritual-based comparative paradigm
title_fullStr	Decolonizing the study of English literature in a Muslim-Malaysian context: an argument for a spiritual-based comparative paradigm
title_full_unstemmed	Decolonizing the study of English literature in a Muslim-Malaysian context: an argument for a spiritual-based comparative paradigm
title_sort	decolonizing the study of english literature in a muslim-malaysian context: an argument for a spiritual-based comparative paradigm
publisher	Versita, Warsaw
publishDate	2013
url	http://irep.iium.edu.my/36992/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/36992/1/Cultura_1_2013_article6.pdf
first_indexed	2023-09-18T20:53:03Z
last_indexed	2023-09-18T20:53:03Z
_version_	1777410122544316416

Decolonizing the study of English literature in a Muslim-Malaysian context: an argument for a spiritual-based comparative paradigm

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