D2.1 Report on the existing literature and presentation of the corpus studied

Introduction

In this report the ESR’s try to situate their research so far within the framework of the present state of the arts which is close to their selected individual case studies. They all show how important the Islamic cultures of translation are, both in the field of religious texts, political ideologies, media and TV series and cultural traditions and in the transmission of knowledge about these fields.

Two studies reflect on the role of language and bilingualism/multilingualism in contemporary Muslim societies with a special reference to the vernacular languages in Morocco and TV-series in Turkey. The third case highlights how globalizing networks of Arabic and European scholars of Islam and its culture represent a unique example of cultural and academic encounters. In the colonial age, the translation and printing of books and periodicals were textual practices and processes central to the globalisation of Muslim societies.