The book “Post-Secular Society and Islam” from ÜÜ Publications is now on shelves

Üsküdar University Publications has brought the work titled “Post-Secular Society and Islam,” which offers a new interpretation to social and intellectual transformation discussions, to readers. Authored by Prof. Dr. Bünyamin Duran, the book addresses secularization processes in a multidimensional way, presenting an original and comprehensive assessment centered on Islamic thought in post-secular society discussions. With a broad perspective ranging from his academic works in Europe to his intellectual accumulation in Turkey, Duran contributes to the reinterpretation of the relationship between religion, citizenship, and democratic order in modern societies.

The work, which examines the phenomenon of secularization in detail, was published by Üsküdar University Publications.

Prof. Dr. Duran took an active role in studies carried out on academic and intellectual platforms regarding the post-secular society concept, representing European Muslims during his years in Europe. After returning to Turkey, he continued to examine this discussion within a broader framework, giving the book a more profound structure.

In the work, the phenomenon of secularization is first categorized and discussed in the forms of capitalistic, atheistic, agnostic, and liberal secularization. Subsequently, the views of John Rawls and Robert Audi in the context of liberal secularization, along with criticisms directed at these views, are evaluated.

The book also meticulously examines the thoughts of Jürgen Habermas, one of the most important international authorities on the concept of post-secular society. Habermas’s approach is discussed both theoretically and conceptually, offering readers a holistic assessment.

In the final section, Prof. Dr. Bünyamin Duran, also taking into account Said Nursî’s approaches, questions the possibility of a constitutional democratic order based on free and equal citizenship within the framework of the Hanefî/Maturidî school of thought. 

In this respect, the work also serves as an important reference for both modern political theory and Islamic thought.

Who is Prof. Dr. Bünyamin Duran?

Bünyamin Duran was born in 1955 in Pınarkaya village of Ereğli, Konya. He completed primary school in Pınarkaya, and middle and high school in Manisa/Akhisar. Dr. Duran graduated from Dokuz Eylül University's Faculty of Theology and Faculty of Economics, and completed his master's (1984) and doctorate (1988) at the Social Sciences Institute of the same university.

In March 1985, he was appointed as a Research Assistant to İnönü University's Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences (İİBF), and in 1988, as an Assistant Professor to the same faculty. He received the title of Associate Professor in 1991. In 1993, he founded Dumlupınar University's Bilecik İİBF. Duran, who was promoted to professor in 1997, served as the Head of the Economics Department at the same faculty.

Between 2000 and 2010, Duran served as the Head of Islamic Philosophy at Rotterdam Islamic University, and in 2010, as the Head of the Department of Economic History at Manisa Celal Bayar University's İİBF, and between 2017 and 2022, as the Head of the Economics Department. 
2023 November ayında emekli olan Duran’ın iktisat tarihi ve düşüncesi ile ilgili çok sayıda eser ve makalesi bulunmaktadır.

For the book “Post-Secular Society and Islam”: