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The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) |
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The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) is not regarded as
a part of Aga Khan Development Network, and indeed has had
purposes other than the promotion of development. This institution,
founded in 1977 in London, has evident relevance to AKU as a
Muslim university. It was given close attention in the Harvard
study, which recommended that an AKU Centre of Research on the
Muslim world be built up in close relationship with the Institute.
Our Commission invited Dr. Aziz Esmail, the present Dean of
the Institute, to its London meeting. It has had the benefit
of his paper, "The Institute of Ismaili Studies -a vision for
the 1990s" [The Canadian Ismaili, July 1990] and his
draft plans for the future of the Institute. Mr. Sutton has
also visited the Institute for further conversations. |
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The Institute has been devoted to needs of the Ismailis as
a religious community, but also to wider concerns with the study
and understanding of Islam. It has since 1980 conducted a postgraduate
programme of studies on Islamic subjects and education, with
the aim of providing the Ismaili community with trained talent
to guide religious education. About 50 individuals were trained
in the original programme, which was conducted in co-operation
with the Institute of Education of the University of London
and McGill University. The Institute has also undertaken the
production of materials for religious education of Ismaili children
throughout the world. It has built up a library, specialising
in Ismaili materials but embracing a wider Islamic collection.
It has fostered research, publications, conferences, and public
lectures, in keeping with His Highness' original hope that the
Institute would grow into an "internationally recognised academic
centre". |
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Dr. Esmail has been in the course of reshaping the programmes
of the Institute in a very broad-spirited approach to Muslim
cultures and societies. As he has described the future of the
Institute, it will continue its service of the Ismaili community
through training religious educators, providing educational
materials and giving specific attention to Ismaili history,
principles and culture. He sees the Institute having a |
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"... dual mandate, to foster normative as well as non-normative
thought and research. For the Jamats, normative considerations
are, in an essential sense, primary..." |
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The other part of the dual mandate is to foster |
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"... non-normative thinking or writing, which is not intended
to further the point of view Of any one given denomination or
school of thought within Islam ... the purpose of this activity
would be inquiry and analysis, not the delivery of ready-made
solutions. It is not the intention of this branch of [the Institute's]
work to provide prescriptive discourse about specifically Ismaili
doctrines or practices." |
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These new programmes will have a still wider perspective,
"not confined to the theological and religious heritage of Islam,
but [seeking] to explore the relationship of religious ideas
to broader dimensions of society and culture". A new graduate
studies programme has been devised on these principles, in conjunction
with Cambridge University. |
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The Commission has found the principles and the specifies
of this emerging programme of the Institute very attractive.
Much of the programme the Institute is now developing is in
keeping with the approaches we think appropriate for AKU in
dealing with Islam, its culture and civilisations. As in the
case of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, AKU finds itself close
to resources and experience which may be of great help in its
development. There will also be need to work out co-operative
and complementary relationsWe do not pursue these questions
here but return to them in Section VII C.3 where we set forth
recommendations on the study of Islamic civilisations in AKU. |
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