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Dr. Walter Edward Young is a post-doctoral researcher currently working with Prof. Robert Wisnovsky (PI) on the John Templeton Foundation project 鈥淢u岣mmad 士Abduh鈥檚 Supercommentary on al-Daw膩n墨鈥檚 Commentary on al-莫j墨鈥檚 Creed: A New Source for the Renewal of Islamic Analytical Theology.鈥� With both an MA and PhD in Islamic Studies from McGill University鈥檚 Institute of Islamic Studies, he has held numerous post-doctoral research positions in the broader domain of Islamicate Intellectual History. His research interests permeate several domains of Islamic thought, with particular concentrations in premodern law, legal theory, logic, and dialectic.
Dr. Young鈥檚 MA thesis theorized pre-Islamic origins for various 岣诲诲-penalties (esp. those for theft and adultery), while his doctoral dissertation uncovered proto-systems of juristic dialectic, contributing a theoretical model for dialectic鈥檚 formative dynamic with respect to legal theory (u峁Ｅ玪 al-fiqh). He has since held research appointments at Harvard Law School (on juridical dialectic), the University of Oxford (on the 膩d膩b al-ba岣h, or 鈥減rotocol for dialectical inquiry鈥�), Ruhr-Universit盲t Bochum (on post-Avicennan dialectical empiricism), the Universit盲t Bonn (on the 膩d膩b al-ba岣h), and McGill University (Islamic philosophical and scientific manuscripts). His first monograph, The Dialectical Forge (link: ), was published by Springer in early 2017. Ongoing research falls in the domains of early manuscripts on the 膩d膩b al-ba岣h and juristic dialectic (jadal), post-classical scholastic prosopography, Islamic legal and dialectical theory, and cross-discipline argument analysis. Among other projects he envisages for the future is a broadening of the currently self-administered Society for the Study of Islamicate Dialectical Disputation (SSIDD) (link: ) into a greater association for the study, teaching, and practice of dialectic.
CV
[Complete version for download PDF]
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Education
- (2012) Ph.D., Islamic Studies, McGill University, Institute of Islamic Studies
- (2006) M.A., Islamic Studies, McGill University, Institute of Islamic Studies (Dean鈥檚 List)
- (1994) B.A., Studio and Visual Arts, Hamilton College (Honors: Sculpture and Arabic Language Studies)
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PhD Dissertation: 鈥淭he Dialectical Forge: Proto-System Juridical Disputation in the Kit膩b Ikhtil膩f al-士Ir膩qiyy墨n鈥�
MA Thesis: 鈥淪toning and Hand-Amputation: The Pre-Islamic Origins of the 贬蹋补诲诲 Penalties for 窜颈苍补虅 and Sariqa鈥�
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Academic Positions
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Visiting Fellowships
- (2016-2017) Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universit盲t Bonn, Alexander von Humboldt Kolleg (AvHK) for Islamicate Intellectual History
- (2015-2016) Ruhr-Universit盲t Bochum, K盲te Hamburger Kolleg (KHK), Dynamics in the History of Religions Between Asia and Europe
- (2014-2015) University of Oxford, Faculty of Oriental Studies, Islamic Philosophy and Theology (IMPAcT)
- (2013) Harvard Law School, Islamic Legal Studies Program (ILSP)
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Research Associate / Assistant Positions
- (2017-Present) McGill University, Institute of Islamic Studies
- current project: 鈥淢u岣mmad 士Abduh鈥檚 Supercommentary on al-Daw膩n墨鈥檚 Commentary on al-莫j墨鈥檚 Creed: A New Source for the Renewal of Islamic Analytical Theology鈥� (PI: Robert Wisnovsky)
- (2012-2014) McGill University, Institute of Islamic Studies
- Post-classical Islamic Philosophy Database Initiative (PIPDI)
- Transmission, Translation, and Transformation in Medieval Cultures (TTT)
- Islamic Scientific Manuscripts Initiative (ISMI)
Publications
Books
- (2017) The Dialectical Forge: Juridical Disputation and the Evolution of Islamic Law; Springer: Logic, Argumentation & Reasoning
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Articles [in square brackets = year submitted, awaiting proofs]
- (2019) 鈥淐oncomitance to Causation: Arguing 顿补飞补谤腻苍 in the Proto-膧d膩b al-Ba岣h,鈥� in Peter Adamson, ed., Philosophy and Jurisprudence in the Islamic World, pp. 205-281 (De Gruyter: Philosophy in the Islamic World in Context)
- [2019] 鈥淥n the Formal Evolution of Islamic Juridical Dialectic,鈥� [edited volume from the workshop 鈥淟ogic, Law, and Legal Reasoning,鈥� at the 6th World Congress and School on Universal Logic (UNILOG), Vichy, France, 2018], Springer: Logic, Argumentation & Reasoning
- [2019] 鈥淚bn 岣zm on Heteronomous Imperatives and Modality. A Landmark in the History of the Logical Analysis of Norms鈥� (Co-authored with Shahid Rahman and Farid Zidani), Cambridge Journal of Arabic Sciences and Philosophy
- (2018) 鈥淎l-Samarqand墨鈥檚 Third 惭补蝉鈥檃濒补: Juridical Dialectic Governed by the 膧d膩b al-Ba岣h,鈥� Oriens 46.1-2, pp. 62-128 (Special Issue: Rationalist Disciplines and Postclassical Islamic Legal Theories)
- (2016) 鈥�惭耻濒腻锄补尘补 in Action in the Early 膧d膩b al-Ba岣h,鈥� Oriens 44.3-4, pp. 332-385 (Special Issue: Major Issues and Controversies of Arabic Logic)
- [2015] 鈥淗ave You Considered (础-谤补鈥檃测迟补)? Don鈥檛 You See/Opine (A-l膩 Tar膩)? A Working Typology of 搁补鈥櫮� Formulae in Early Islamic Juridical Disputation,鈥� in Patterns of Argumentation and Exchange of Ideas in Late Antiquity and Early Islam, Y. Papadogiannakis and B. Roggema, eds., Routledge: Centre for Hellenic Studies
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Online Resources
- (2019) Digital Edition and Translation: Shams al-D墨n al-Samarqand墨, Kit膩b 士Ayn al-Na岷揳r f墨 士Ilm al-Jadal (TEI infrastructure by Frederik Elwert), Digital Humanities at the Center for Religious Studies (DH@CERES), Ruhr-Universit盲t Bochum;
- (2016) Website and Forum: Society for the Study of Islamicate Dialectical Disputation (SSIDD);
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Encyclopedia Entries [in square brackets = year submitted, awaiting proofs]
- [2018] 鈥淒ialectic, in the Religious Sciences,鈥� Encyclopaedia of Islam Three
- (2014) 鈥淜arak墨, 士Al墨 (1466-1534),鈥� Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Politics; Oxford Islamic Studies Online
- (2013) 鈥淥rigins of Islamic Law,鈥� Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Law; Oxford Islamic Studies Online
- (2013) 鈥淯峁Ｅ玪 al-Fiqh,鈥� Oxford Islamic Studies Online (originally for Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Finance)
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Book Reviews
- (2016) 鈥�The Logic of Law Making in Islam: Women and Prayer in the Legal Tradition, by Behnam Sadeghi,鈥� Journal of the American Oriental Society 136.1, pp. 227-230
Research
Publications in Progress
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Books
- On the Protocol for Dialectical Inquiry (膧d膩b al-Ba岣h): A Critical Edition and Parallel Translation of the Shar岣� al-Ris膩la al-Samarqandiyya by Qu峁璪 al-D墨n al-K墨l膩n墨 (fl. ca. 830/1427), Prefaced by a Critical Edition and Parallel Translation of its Grundtext: the Ris膩la f墨 膧d膩b al-Ba岣h by Shams al-D墨n al-Samarqand墨 (d. 722/1322)
- Dialecticians in the Margins: Common Glosses on Qu峁璪 al-D墨n al-K墨l膩n墨鈥檚 Shar岣� al-Ris膩la al-Samarqandiyya
- The Jadal Primer: An Introduction to Classical Sunn墨 Juridical Dialectic
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Articles
- 鈥淚slamic Legal Theoretical and Dialectical Approaches to Fallacies of Correlation and Causation (7th-8th/13th-14th centuries)鈥� [for an edited volume: papers from the conference 鈥淚slamic Legal Theory: Intellectual History and U峁Ｅ玪 al-Fiqh,鈥� Istanbul, 2019]
- 鈥淥n the Logical Machinery of Post-Classical Dialectic: The Kit膩b 士Ayn al-Na岷揳r of Shams al-D墨n al-Samarqand墨 (d. 722/1322)鈥� [for the Journal of Islamic Philosophy]
- 鈥淒ynamics of Dialectical Disputation in Islam鈥� (Part I: Intra-Religious Contact; Part II: Inter-Religious Contact) [for Entangled Religions: Interdisciplinary Journal for the Study of Religious Contact and Transfer]
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Invited Talks
- (2019) Talk: 鈥淭owards Cataloging the Muslim Dialecticians鈥� Arsenal against Fallacious Reasoning in the Religious Sciences: A Preliminary Inquiry with Example Contributions from Islamic Legal Theory and Dialectic,鈥� Project Workshop: 鈥淟ogic in Reverse. Fallacies in the Latin and the Islamic Traditions (RevLog),鈥� Universit茅 de Lille, France, 21-22 Oct.
- (2019) Talk: 鈥淚slamic Legal Theoretical and Dialectical Approaches to Fallacies of Correlation and Causation (7th-8th/13th-14th centuries),鈥� Conference: 鈥淚slamic Legal Theory: Intellectual History and U峁Ｅ玪 al-Fiqh,鈥� convened by Law, Authority, and Learning in Imami Shi鈥榠te Islam (LAWALISI) and the Faculty of Theology, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Republic of Turkey, 15-17 Oct.
- (2018) Keynote: 鈥淥n the Formal Evolution of Islamic Juridical Dialectic,鈥� Workshop: Logic, Law, and Legal Reasoning; 6th World Congress and School on Universal Logic (UNILOG), P么le Lardy, Campus Albert Londres, Vichy, France, 25 June
- (2018) Seminar: 鈥淒o Grandfathers Disinherit Brothers? Al-Sh膩fi士墨 vs. the Ahl al-Kal膩m: Proto-System Jadal in the Dialectical Forge,鈥� Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter, United Kingdom, 24 Jan.
- (2017) Response to summary paper: 鈥淭he Transcendence / Immanence-Distinction (TID) as a tertium comparationis in the Study of Religious Contacts,鈥� Conference: The Transcendence/Immanence Distinction in the Study of Religious Contacts Between Asia and Europe, K盲te Hamburger Kolleg, Dynamics in the History of Religions Between Asia and Europe, Ruhr-Universit盲t Bochum, Germany, 08 Sept.
- (2015) Talk: 鈥湶殉鼙裟宄钩静� in Action in the Early 膧d膩b al-Ba岣h,鈥� Project Workshop: 鈥淢ajor Issues and Controversies of Arabic Logic and Philosophy of Language,鈥� Seminar f眉r Orientalistik und Islamwissenschaft, Ruhr-Universit盲t Bochum, Germany, 12 Dec.
- (2014) Talk: 鈥淗ave You Considered (础-谤补鈥檃测迟补)? Don鈥檛 You See (A-l膩 Tar膩)? Further on the Dialectical Formulae of Early Islam,鈥� 鈥淧atterns of Argumentation in Late Antique and Early Islamic Interreligious Debates,鈥� 2nd workshop of the ERC project 鈥楧efining Belief and Identities in the Eastern Mediterranean: the Role of Interreligious Debate and Interaction (DEBIDEM)鈥�, King鈥檚 College, London, United Kingdom, 21 Feb.
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Conferences & Workshops
- (2019) Talk: 鈥淥n the Logical Machinery of Post-Classical Dialectic: The Kit膩b 士Ayn al-Na岷揳r of Shams al-D墨n al-Samarqand墨 (d. 722/1322),鈥� Islamic Philosophy Conference, Harvard University, USA, 20 April
- (2019) Text Presentation: 鈥淭he Section on 顿补飞补谤腻苍 (causal concomitance), in Burh膩n al-D墨n al-Nasaf墨 (d. 687/1288), al-Fu峁Ｅ玪 f墨 士Ilm al-Jadal, and Shams al-D墨n al-Samarqand墨 (d. 722/1322), Shar岣� Fu峁Ｅ玪 al-Nasaf墨.鈥� Workshop: 鈥淨iy膩s in U峁Ｅ玪 and Related Genres,鈥� Law, Authority, and Learning in Imami Shi鈥榠te Islam (LAWALISI), Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter, United Kingdom, 31 Jan.
- (2018) Reading Participant: 鈥淭exts on Naskh in Late Classical U峁Ｅ玪 al-Fiqh鈥� (workshop), Law, Authority, and Learning in Imami Shi鈥榠te Islam (LAWALISI), Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter, United Kingdom, 22 Jan.
- (2017) Talk: 鈥湺俨狗刹拱宀�: Concomitance and Causation in Post Classical Islamic Dialectic and Legal Theory,鈥� Panel: 鈥淚slamicate World,鈥� 2nd World Congress on Logic and Religion, University of Warsaw, Poland, 20 June
- (2017) Panel Chair: 鈥淟ogic of Talmud and Other Legal Traditions,鈥� 2nd World Congress on Logic and Religion, University of Warsaw, Poland, 19 June
- (2017) Talk: 鈥淢arginal Mun膩岷揳ra: Dialectical Pedagogy in the Scholia and Glosses of al-K墨l膩n墨鈥檚 Shar岣� al-Ris膩la f墨 膧d膩b al-Ba岣h,鈥� Panel: 鈥淏etween Texts and Networks: Visualizing fourteenth through sixteenth Century Islamicate Intellectual Landscapes,鈥� Fourth Annual Conference of the British Association for Islamic Studies (BRAIS), University of Chester, United Kingdom, 12 April
- (2016) Talk: 鈥淥bserving God: 顿补飞补谤腻苍 and Empiricism in Post-Classical Islamic Juridical Dialectic,鈥� Conference: Religion and the Senses, K盲te Hamburger Kolleg, Dynamics in the History of Religions Between Asia and Europe, Ruhr-Universit盲t Bochum, Germany, 08 Sept.
- (2016) Talk: 鈥淭a岣墨q al-Mu岣qqiq f墨 膧d膩b al-Ba岣h: Editing a Verifier-Dialectician,鈥� Plenary Session: 鈥淚MPAcT: Islamic Intellectual History from Late Medieval to Early Modern,鈥� Third Annual Conference of the British Association for Islamic Studies (BRAIS), University of London, United Kingdom, 11 April
- (2015) Talk: 鈥淢odels for Argument Analysis: Scripting al-Samarqand墨鈥檚 Ris膩la f墨 膧d膩b al-Ba岣h鈥� (read in absentia by Judith Pfeiffer), Panel: 鈥準縄lm wa Ta士allum: Madrasas, Dialectic and Mysticism in the 13th-16th Centuries,鈥� Second Annual Conference of the British Association for Islamic Studies (BRAIS), University of London, United Kingdom, 13 April
- (2012) Panel Chair: 鈥淭he Qur鈥櫮乶,鈥� Second Annual Graduate Student Symposium of the McGill Institute of Islamic Studies Student Council, McGill University, Montr茅al, Canada, 28 April
- (2007) Talk: 鈥淒efining Casuistry in Islamic Law,鈥� Panel: 鈥淢odern Encounters with the Pre-modern in Islamic Law,鈥� 41st Annual Meeting of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA), Montr茅al, Canada, 19 Nov.
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Visiting Fellow Talks
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Alexander von Humboldt Kolleg for Islamicate Intellectual History, Universit盲t Bonn
- (2017) 鈥淪tudent-Reading the Ris膩la f墨 膧d膩b al-Ba岣h: Unpacking al-Samarqand墨鈥檚 Problems through Commentary and Gloss,鈥� 27 July
- (2017) 鈥淒ialecticians鈥� Contexts: New Material for the Scholarly Lives of Shams al-D墨n al-Samarqand墨 (d. 722/1322) and Qu峁璪 al-D墨n al-K墨l膩n墨 (fl. ca. 830/1427),鈥� 28 Feb.
- (2016) 鈥淔rom the Margins of the 膧d膩b: a First Protocol for Gloss Collation,鈥� 06 Dec.
- (2016) 鈥淓xploring Islamic Dialectical Disputation,鈥� 13 Oct.
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K盲te Hamburger Kolleg, Dynamics in the History of Religions Between Asia and Europe, Ruhr-Universit盲t Bochum
- (2015) 鈥淚slamic Dialectics and Post-Avicennian Argument to the Senses,鈥� 16 Nov.
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ERC Project: Islamic Philosophy and Theology, University of Oxford (Series: Late Medieval and Early Modern Islamicate Intellectual History)
- (2015) 鈥淎 Mu岣qqiq of the 膧d膩b al-Ba岣h: Qu峁璪 al-D墨n al-K墨l膩n墨鈥檚 Shar岣� al-Ris膩la al-Samarqandiyya as a Model of Verification-Commentary in the Early 9th/15th Century,鈥� 25 July
- (2015) 鈥淐ritical, Functional, and Accessible? Challenges in Formatting K墨l膩n墨鈥檚 Commentary,鈥� 09 Feb.
- (2014) 鈥淎 Dialectic on Definitions: the Aristotelian Analyses of Qu峁璪 al-D墨n al-K墨l膩n墨 (fl. ca. 830/1427) in his Commentary on the Ris膩la f墨 膧d膩b al-Ba岣h,鈥� 11 Dec.
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Islamic Legal Studies Program, Harvard Law School (2013 Lecture Series)
- (2013) 鈥淛adal and U峁Ｅ玪 al-Fiqh: Vignettes from the Dialectical Forge,鈥� 16 April
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- (2010, 2011) Instructor: 鈥淐entral Questions in Islamic Law鈥� (Part I: Premodern)
- (2010) Teaching Fellow: 鈥淪cience and Civilization in Islam鈥� (with Prof. Jamil Ragep)
- (2006, 2007) Teaching Fellow: 鈥淐entral Questions in Islamic Law鈥� (with Prof. Wael Hallaq)
