The Second Usul Forum on Rooted Revival in Education
Usul Academy organized the Second Scholarly Forum on Rooted Revival in Education in partnership with the Center for Excellence in Education (EDEP) in Istanbul on August 12, 2023.
An Annual Gathering of Scholars in Istanbul
The forum hosted prominent scholars such as Shaykh Muhammad Awwama, Recep Şentürk, Amjad Rashid, Ahmad Snobar, Murteza Bedir, Hamzeh al-Bakri, Alparslan Açıkgenç, Tuba Erkoç Baydar, Jonathan Brown, Michael Dann, and others.
In Usul Forum 2022, last year, we explored the approach of ‘rooted revival’ (tajdid mu’assal) in depth identifying its core ideas, definitions, and major figures. We concluded that field-specific explorations of ‘rooted revival’ were urgently required in subsequent fora.
In Usul Forum 2023, this year, we intend to take the conversation on ‘rooted revival’ from the conceptual to the more practical by exploring the meaning of ‘rooted revival’ in the important field of education, particularly the design and teaching of Islamic Studies curricula and their relationship to the humanities and social sciences.
This year’s forum is framed by the following core question:
What does ‘rooted revival’ look like, and what are its main challenges in the following broad areas: rational sciences, transmitted sciences, social sciences, and tazkiya?
Accordingly, the forum is organized around four main sessions:
The first session focuses on ‘rooted revival’ in the Transmitted Sciences (‘Ulum Naqliyyah) such as tafsir, hadith, and fiqh.
The second session is on the Rational Sciences (‘Ulum ‘Aqliyyah) such as falsafa, kalam, mantiq, and usul al-fiqh.
The third session is on the Humanities and Social Sciences, such as history, politics, sociology, etc.
The fourth session is on Tazkiya, Futuwwah, and, Akhlaq.
