Encyclopedia of Islam

Scholarly reference entry · Published (2017)

Complete citation

Emin Poljarević. “Encyclopedia of Islam.” In Insikt & Handling, no. 25, Tema: Lexikon över lexikon, edited by Bo Hanson. Göteborg: Hans Larsson Samfundet, 2017.

Publication status and type

Published (2017); scholarly reference entry.

Overview

This scholarly reference entry examines the scholarly history, organisation, and significance of encyclopedic reference works devoted to Islam. It situates its subject within relevant historical, social, and intellectual contexts while connecting the particular case to wider questions of interpretation, institutional life, and collective action. The publication considers how concepts, actors, traditions, or political conditions acquire significance within changing social settings. Its scholarly contribution lies in placing a clearly defined research problem in a broader interdisciplinary conversation. Read alongside related publications, it also illuminates enduring questions about religion, political inquiry, ethical reasoning, social transformation, and the circumstances under which knowledge, belonging, and collective agency take shape in public life.

Research question or central concern

How can the scholarly history, organisation, and significance of encyclopedic reference works devoted to Islam be understood in context?

Main argument, approach, and contribution

A context-sensitive scholarly examination of the scholarly history, organisation, and significance of encyclopedic reference works devoted to Islam.

Keywords

Encyclopedia of Islam; reference works; Islamic studies; scholarly knowledge; historiography.