ASIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE

AJSS 35,1_Volume prelims.indd i 2/23/07 1:49:08 PM

 Asian Journal of Social Science

Aims & Scope

The Asian Journal of Social Science is a multi-disciplinary journal for the Department of Sociology,
National University of Singapore. Published continuously since it was launched in 1973, the journal
provides a forum for exploring issues in Southeast Asian societies. Contributions are from anthropology,
economics, geography, history, language and literature, political science, psychology and sociology. AJSS
covers the Asian region and has a social science focusing on theoretical issues of the social sciences in the
context of Asian empirical realities. Doing so, the journal does not restrict itself to coverage of Asian
topics. Articles written by people from the region are also accepted. AJSS publishes book reviews and
review essays of works published in the various languages of Asia as well as other languages in which there
is social scientific literature on Asian topics.

Editor
Syed Farid Alatas, Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117570,
Republic of Singapore. Tel: (65) 6516-3837; Fax: (65) 6777-9579; E-mail: socsfa@nus.edu.sg

Deputy Editor
Vineeta Sinha, Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117570, Republic
of Singapore. Tel: (65) 6516-5076; Fax: (65) 6777-9579; E-mail: socvs@nus.edu.sg

Review Editors
Jennifer Jarman, Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117570,
Republic of Singapore. Tel: (65) 6516-6409; Fax: (65) 6777-9579; E-mail: socjj@nus.edu.sg Anne Raffin,
Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117570, Republic of Singapore.
Tel: (65) 6516-6064; Fax: (65) 6777-9579; E-mail: socanner@nus.edu.sg

Associate Editors
Leonard Y. Andaya, University of Hawai’i; Zaheer Baber, University of Saskatchewan; Eyal Ben-Ari,
Hebrew University; Romain Bertrand, Centre for International Studies and Research; Eldar Braten,
University of Bergen; Chan Kwok Bun, Hong Kong Baptist University; Hans-Dieter Evers, University of
Bonn; James J. Fox, Australian National University; Ananta Kumar Giri, Madras Institute of Development
Studies; Riaz Hassan, Flinders University; Kevin Hewison, City University of Hong Kong; Michael Hsiao
Hsin-Huang, Academia Sinica; Frans Husken, Radboud University Nijmegen; Huub de Jonge, Radboud
University Nijmegen; Joel S. Kahn, La Trobe University; Rance P.L. Lee, Chinese University of Hong
Kong; Terence G. McGee, University of British Columbia; T.K. Oommen, Jawaharlal Nehru University;
Janet Salaff, University of Toronto; Alvin So, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Wong
Siu-Lun, University of Hong Kong.

Instructions for Authors

Please refer to the fourth page of the Volume prelims or visit the AJSS pages at our website at www.brill.
nl/ajss. All contributions to AJSS may be submitted to the Editor.

The Asian Journal of Social Science (print ISSN 1568-4849, online ISSN 1568-5314) is published
4 times a year by BRILL, Plantijnstraat 2, 2321 JC Leiden, The Netherlands, Tel: +31 (0)71 5353500;
Fax: +31 (0)71 5317532.

AJSS 35,1_Volume prelims.indd ii 2/23/07 1:49:08 PM

 ASIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE

Volume 35 (2007)

LEIDEN • BOSTON

AJSS 35,1_Volume prelims.indd iii 2/23/07 1:49:08 PM

 Instructions for Authors

The Asian Journal of Social Science is a multi-disciplinary journal published four times a year in by BRILL for the
Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore.
Scholars working on Southeast Asia, East Asia and South Asia, as well as on theoretical and methodological issues
relevant to the Asian region, are invited to submit their work for consideration. Proposals for special issues are welcomed.
The journal also publishes review essays, reports on conferences, symposia and workshops, and notes on research in
progress. All manuscript submissions will be anonymously reviewed.
Manuscripts submitted for publication in the journal must comply with the following:
1. Articles should be between 6000 to 12000 words; review essays, between 3000 to 8000 words and book reviews,
between 800 to 1000 words. An abstract of 100–200 words should accompany papers, as well as up to five or
six keywords. A brief biographical note containing author’s full name, title, affiliation, research interests, recent
publications, and mailing and e-mail addresses should be typed on a separate sheet. All submissions should be
sent to the Editor in duplicate manuscript form. Articles will not be returned to authors. Manuscripts must
be typewritten, double-spaced, on one side of the paper only. Abstract, text and bibliography should be in a
single Microsoft Word document. Liberal margins must be provided. If graphics or photographs are included
in the submission, they must be black and white and of good resolution.
2. Submission of a manuscript implies that it has not previously been published, and that it is not currently on offer
to another publisher. The Editors are responsible for the selection and acceptance of articles, but responsibility
for opinions expressed in them rests with the authors.
3. References in the text: All source references are to be identified at the appropriate point in the text by the last
name of the author, year of publication and pagination where needed. Identify subsequent citations of the same
source in the same way as the first. Examples follow:
(i)If author’s name is in the text, follow it with year in parentheses, e.g., Wong (1986).
(ii)If author’s name is not in the text, insert, in parentheses, the last name and year, e.g., (Duncan, 1986).
(iii)Pagination follows year of publication after a colon, e.g., James (1979:56).
(iv) Give both last names for dual authors. Give all last names on first citation in text for more than two authors;
thereafter use “et al.” in the text. When two authors have the same last names, use identifying initials in
the text. For institutional authorship, supply minimum identification from the beginning of the complete
citation, e.g., (Malaysia, Department of Statistics, 1975).
(v) Separate series of references with semi-colons and enclose them within a single pair of parentheses, e.g.,
(Edwards, 1981; Lee et al., 1983).

References: List all items alphabetically by author and, within author, by year of publication, in an appendix,
entitled “References”. The use of “et al.” is not accepted in the appendix; list the names of all authors using full
first names.
If there is more than one reference to the same author and year, distinguish them by the letters a, b, etc.
added to the year. The first letter of each word in an article title should be capitalized. Titles of books and
journals are printed in italics.
Examples follow:
Cramer, James A., ed. (1978) Preventing Crime. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications.
Abraham, Itty (1996) “Science and Power in the Postcolonial State”, Alternatives 21(3): 321–339.
Godelier, Maurice (1970) “System, Structure and Contradiction in Das Kapital”, in Michael Lane, ed.,
Structuralism. A Reader. London: Jonathan Cape, pp. 340–58.

4. Notes: Notes should be kept to a minimum and numbered consecutively throughout the article. Notes should
be included as footnotes, and not as endnotes.
5. Charts, Maps and Illustrations: All charts, maps and illustrations must be ready for photographing and should
be on separate sheets of paper. They should be termed “Figures” and numbered consecutively; the number of
title should be placed above the figure. Initial capitals should be used.
6. Online Access and Journal Copy: Upon publication contributors will be granted access to the Asian Journal of
Social Science online. A PDF file of their published article or review will downloadable for 60 days after notification
(by e-mail). Authors of articles and review essays will also receive one free printed copy of the journal.
7. Discount on Journal Copies: Contributors get a 30% discount on the subscription price of the issue to which
they contributed. Orders (indicating contributor status) should be directed to: BRILL, c/o Turpin Distribution,
Stratton Business Park, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire SG18 8QB, United Kingdom, Tel: +44 1767 604954, Fax:
+44 1767 601640, E-mail: brill@turpin-distribution.com

All contributions to the Asian Journal of Social Science may be submitted to the Editor: Syed Farid Alatas, Department of
Sociology, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117570, Republic of Singapore. Tel: (65) 6516-3837; Fax: (65)
6777-9579; E-mail: socsfa@nus.edu.sg

© 2007 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands

Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints BRILL, Hotei Publishing, IDC Publishers,
Martinus Nijhoff Publishers and VSP.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publishers.
Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by the publisher provided
that the appropriate fees are paid directly to Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive,
Suite 910, Danvers MA 01923, U.S.A. Fees are subject to change.
Printed in the Netherlands (on acid-free paper)

AJSS 35,1_Volume prelims.indd iv 2/23/07 1:49:09 PM

 Asian Journal of Social Science 35 (2007) 1–3 www.brill.nl/ajss

Introduction to Special Focus

Ataullah Bogdan Kopanski and Mesut Idriz

Dept. of History & Civilization, IIUM, Kuala Lumpur

Abstract
During the 20th century, there have been numerous scholarly attempts in studying, analyzing and
even to some extent, criticizing the issues pertaining to the contacts, impacts and relations between
the Muslim world and the West. However, when dealing with these issues, the geography should
not be limited to the Muslim world and the West, Europe in particular, but it should cover both
Europe and Asia taken together where the earliest civilizations took place and by the 7th century,
Islamic civilization flourished in the center of domain civilizations. With a wider and more positive
look, the four articles by the academicians, (namely Danial M. Yosuf, Ali Çaksu, Anke Iman
Bouzenita and Mesut Idriz), selected to be featured in this edition will contribute not only to this
field of study but also avoid or remove the barriers and concentrate on the bridges between the
Islamic world and the Eurasia. All the articles are original works and published for the first time in
this volume. The focus of this special edition is on the paradoxes between the Islamic and Eurasian
worlds.

Keywords
Islamic-Eurasia, political theory, causality in history, Islamic law, ijāzah, education.

Paul Valéry in Reflections on the World Today states: “History is the most danger-
ous product ever concocted by the chemistry of the intellect. It causes dreams,
inebriates nations, saddles them with false memories. . . . keeps their old sores
running, torments them when they are not at rest, and induces in them megalo-
mania and the mania of persecution”. During the 20th century, there have been
numerous scholarly attempts in studying, analyzing and even to some extent,
criticizing the issues pertaining to the contacts, impacts and relations between
the Muslim world and the West. However, when dealing with these issues, the
geography should not be limited to the Muslim world and the West, Europe
in particular, but it should cover both Europe and Asia taken together where
the earliest civilizations took place and by the 7th century, Islamic civilization
flourished in the center of domain civilizations.
With a wider and more positive look, it is hoped that the four articles by the
academicians selected to be featured in this edition can contribute not only to

© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2007 DOI: 10.1163/156853107X170123

AJSS 35,1_f2_1-3 1 2/23/07 1:50:21 PM

 2 A. B. Kopanski, M. Idriz / Asian Journal of Social Science 35 (2007) 1–3

this field of study but also avoid or remove the barriers and concentrate on the
bridges between the Islamic world and the Eurasia. All the articles are original
works and published for the first time in this volume. The focus of this special
edition is on the paradoxes between the Islamic and Eurasian worlds.
Danial Mohd Yusof ’s article, “Davutoğlu’s Paradigm, Winkel’s Epistemé and
Political Science in Malaysia”, explores the philosophical link between normative
political theory, Islam and a universal social science in the course of producing criti-
cal and constructive literature of Islam as socio-political fact. The ideas of Davutoğlu
and Winkel are construed as supporting the ontological basis of the Islamic ‘state of
nature’ and a normative counterbalance to the realist political analysis of modern
Muslim states by political science. In conclusion, it hopes to permeate a debate on
the link between normative, rational-choice and empirical political theory in the
study of Islam as socio-political fact.
Ali Çaksu’s paper, “Ibn Khaldun and Hegel on Causality in History: Aristo-
telian Legacy Reconsidered”, discusses how two great philosophers from two
different civilizations, namely Ibn Khaldun and Hegel, see the principle of causa-
tion in history, how they approach it, and what kind of solutions they suggest to
the problems involved. He studies the concept of causation, Aristotle’s “four
causes” and their alleged application in Khaldunian and Hegelian histories.
Çaksu concludes that Ibn Khaldun’s and Hegel’s approaches to causality cannot
be reduced to a mechanical application of Aristotelian doctrine, which in fact
itself is problematical. He shows that it is possible to generate a variety of seem-
ingly conflicting mappings of correspondences between Aristotle’s causes and
their alleged Khaldunian and Hegelian equivalents. He believes that the theo-
logical commitments of these philosophers and their application of causes to the
flux of history led them to develop a kind of flexible, dynamic, context-related
notion. Çaksu ends his study with the lesson learned: one should avoid imposing
pre-conceived schemes and appreciate Ibn Khaldun’s and Hegel’s works for their
own originality.
Anke Iman Bouzenita’s article, “The Siyar — an Islamic Law of Nations?”,
traces the concept of siyar within Islamic law, its definition and development. It
highlights the provenience and development of the modern law of nations which
is generally used as a reference framework to describe siyar. Her article analyses
the evaluation of siyar in Western literature, identifies recurring paradigms of
evaluation and questions their methodological approach and results. The author
discusses Kruse’s (1979) approach to differentiate between an “Islamic” and a
“Muslim” law of nations. As case studies of argumentative weaknesses and loop-
holes, the author scrutinizes the attempts to attribute siyar to a particular type of
law of nations and to render it as a legal order of either personal or territorial
validity. Her article focuses on methodological aspects involved in presenting

AJSS 35,1_f2_1-3 2 2/23/07 1:50:21 PM

 A. B. Kopanski, M. Idriz / Asian Journal of Social Science 35 (2007) 1–3 3

two independent legal systems as commensurable. The author concludes that a

terminological transfer, be it with the intention of explaining Islamic legal con-
cepts to a non-specialized reader, be it with the intention to reconcile between
both systems, cannot do justice to either one of the legal systems.
Mesut Idriz’s article, “A 19th century ijàzah issued in the Balkans: Annotated
English translation of Idrīs Fahmī b. Sālih’s ijàzah”, analyzes an issue that has
been very much neglected by the scholars, particularly Muslims. It deals primar-
ily with two significant issues: 1) Institution and practice of learning in Islam
and Muslim history with special reference to the Muslim educational tradition
of ijàzah, and 2) the educational history of a Balkan intellectual in the second
half of the 19th century by studying and translating into English the ijàzah
granted to Idrīs Fahmī. After a short introduction on the conceptual meaning of
education in Islam, the article proceeds with, as he claims, the unique educa-
tional tradition of ijàzah, where this tradition is analyzed in details. According
to the author, the ijàzah tradition is recognized as having a long history in Mus-
lim educational life, where this term in Islamic pedagogy generally signifies a
‘licence to teach’, and more specifically refers to a certificate issued by a professor
in an institution of higher learning to a student who has attended a course of
lectures to the professor’s satisfaction, and who has been deemed henceforth as
qualified to transmit the same subject to his own students. This study shows that
the ijàzah tradition developed in Muslim education life at least as early as the
4th century A.H. (10th century A.D.) and became a universally applied educa-
tional procedure in all Muslim lands. Originally it was a tradition developed by
Muslims under the influence of Islamic sciences, such as Hadìth and Tafsìr. Some
two centuries later, in the second half of the 12th century, ijàzah made its appear-
ance in the Latin West or Christian Europe. It was a licence to teach, a so-called
‘licentia docendi’, which is the same in the meaning but not in the practice as
ijàzah. Licentia docendi was the earliest form of certificate in the West. But
throughout history, the term ‘licentia docendi’ has been altered, according to the
university system, into certificate, diploma, degree, etc. Whereas the term ijàzah
has remained almost the same since the time it was developed, from the early
years of Islam up until today, with a few exceptions in some areas. The various
ijàzahs in Islamic sciences and in other fields demonstrate the religious, cultural
and educational unity of Muslims in the past, despite their geographical
differences.

AJSS 35,1_f2_1-3 3 2/23/07 1:50:22 PM