Oxford encyclopedias on Islam are ideal companion volumes

Source: OUP website.

Two sets of encyclopedias on Islam were published by the Oxford University Press (OUP) within months of each other last year. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Politics (ISBN: 9780199739356) provides in-depth coverage and discussion of the political dimensions of Islam and the Muslim world. 

Developments in Muslim societies in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries have highlighted the need for a major reference work focusing primarily on these dimensions, says the OUP. The encyclopedia covers major turning points in contemporary Muslim history, including:

• The realisation of internal decay and relentless quest for reform
• The collapse of the Islamic caliphate
• The fall of most parts of the Muslim world under western colonialism
• The emergence of nation-states
• The dominance of secular ideologies
• The rise of Islamic revivalist movements and faith-based political, economic, and social alternatives
• The confrontation between Islamic movements and secular inspired regimes

Based on the 2009 The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Politics brings together over 400 new and updated entries to create a single, specialised reference source on this important topic. The two-volume set runs to 1,452 pages and costs US$395.

Source: OUP website. 

The Oxford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Science, and Technology in Islam, first edition, was published May 2014 (ISBN: 9780199812578). This US$395. two-volume set runs to a total of 1,152 pages, and provides an overview as well as a comprehensive and detailed survey of the main features of philosophy, science, medicine and technology in the Muslim world. 

The more than 250 A-Z entries cover of Islamic philosophy, sciences, and technologies from the classical through contemporary periods. The tone is scholarly, based on primary and secondary sources, and aimed at advanced students of Islamic philosophy and science. The selection of entries as well as their content reflect the most recent research in the field, providing scholars and advanced students with an authoritative reference work.