Lecture Series: “Re-reading the Works of Mojtahed Shabestari” by Soroush Dabbagh

Soroush Dabbagh’s explanation regarding the sessions on re-reading the works of Mojtahed Shabestari: Re-reading the intellectual heritage of contemporary Iranian intellectuals has been one of my serious preoccupations over the past decade. In this regard, over the past two years, I have held courses on “The Intellectual Heritage of Shariati and Iranian Intellectualism,” “The Intellectual Heritage of Abdolkarim Soroush,” “Shayegan Studies,” and “Motahhari Studies” in the city of Toronto. In the upcoming sessions, which will be held at the “Suhrawardi Foundation,” I intend to devote myself to re-reading the intellectual-political record of Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari. Without a doubt, Mojtahed Shabestari is one of the most important Iranian religious thinkers after the 1979 revolution. In this fourteen-session course, with regard to his theological, religious-studies, and mystical works from the years before the February 1979 revolution up to the solar year 1393 [2014-2015], I will discuss the intellectual record of this contemporary religious reformist. The works he has published so far—Hermeneutics, the Book and Tradition, Faith and Freedom, A Critique of the Official Reading of Religion, and Reflections on a Humanistic Reading of Religion—are the main sources for this course. In addition, the official website of Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari, which provides researchers with access to articles, interviews, and audio files from recent years, is another source for this course. I will also draw upon the essays I have published in recent years concerning his views.

Week 1, March 10, 2015: An Overview of the Intellectual Life of Mojtahed Shabestari. Guest Speaker: Abdolkarim Soroush

Week 2: An Introduction to the Works and Socio-Political Life of Mojtahed Shabestari

Week 3: The Process of Understanding Religious Texts (1): Pre-understandings, Interests, and Expectations

Week 4: The Process of Understanding Religious Texts (2): Pre-understandings, Interests, and Expectations

Week 5: Reform and Reconstruction of Religious Thought

Week 6: Faith and Freedom 3 Week 7: The Crisis of the Official Reading of Religion

Week 8: New Political Concepts and the Islamic Tradition

Week 9: Jurisprudence and Human Rights (1)

Week 10: Jurisprudence and Human Rights (2)

Week 11: A Humanistic Reading of Religion (1)

Week 12: A Humanistic Reading of Religion (2)

Week 13: A Prophetic Reading of the World (1)

Week 14: A Prophetic Reading of the World (2)

Week 15: God as the Meaning of Existence

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Download the syllabus for the lecture course “Re-reading the Works of Mojtahed Shabestari” from here.

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Audio of the Lecture Course “Re-reading the Works of Mojtahed Shabestari”

Re-reading the Works of Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari (Session Sixteen)

Re-reading the Works of Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari (Session Fifteen)

Re-reading the Works of Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari (Session Fourteen)

Re-reading the Works of Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari (Session Thirteen)

Re-reading the Works of Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari (Session Twelve)

Re-reading the Works of Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari (Session Eleven)

Re-reading the Works of Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari (Session Ten)

Re-reading the Works of Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari (Session Nine)

Re-reading the Works of Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari (Session Eight)

Re-reading the Works of Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari (Session Seven)

Re-reading the Works of Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari (Session Six)

Re-reading the Works of Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari (Session Five)

Re-reading the Works of Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari (Session Four)

Re-reading the Works of Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari (Session Three)

Re-reading the Works of Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari (Session Two)

Re-reading the Works of Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari (Session One)

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