Talal Asad
Saudi-British anthropologist who analyzed secularism, pain, and power in modern formations.
Most quoted
"The secular is not the opposite of the religious, but rather a particular configuration of power and knowledge that shapes how religion is understood and practiced."
— from Formations of the Secular: Christianity, Islam, Modernity, 2003
"The study of religion should not begin with a pre-given definition, but with an investigation into how 'religion' itself is constituted as an object of knowledge."
— from Genealogies of Religion: Discipline and Reasons of Power in Christianity and Islam, 1993
"To understand the meaning of a religious text, one must attend to its historical context, its forms of transmission, and its practices of interpretation."
— from Genealogies of Religion: Discipline and Reasons of Power in Christianity and Islam, 1993
All quotes by Talal Asad (102)
Reflecting on fieldwork, I realize knowledge is always partial.
Secularism's triumph is its own undoing.
Contemporaries of Talal Asad
Other Anthropologys born within 50 years of Talal Asad (1936).