Islam and Science Fiction | Jörg Matthias Determann

Ottoman History Podcast

E521 | Islam and science fiction have more history together than you might expect. In this episode, we speak with Jörg Matthias Determann about the many ways science has fueled the imagination of people in Muslim-majority contexts over the last few hundred years. In his latest book, he shows how artists and missionaries participated in "cultures of astrobiology," or the study of life on other planets. Exploring the ways that a variety of authors, artists, and governments have imagined a future with and for Muslims, Matthias shows that there are many overlapping and competing visions of Muslim Futurism. More at https://www.ottomanhistorypodcast.com/2022/02/scifi.html Jörg Matthias Determann is an associate professor of history at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar. He also serves as an associate editor of the Review of Middle East Studies. Shireen Hamza is a doctoral candidate in the History of Science department at Harvard University. Her research focuses on the history of medical exchange in the medieval Indian Ocean world. CREDITS Episode No. 521 Release Date: 13 February 2022 Recording Location: Doha, Qatar / Chicago, IL Sound production by Shireen Hamza Additional thanks to Sam Dolbee Music/Sound Elements: ʿAbd al-Wahhāb, Ḥamādah. Riḥlah ilá al-Qamar. Behna Films, 1959. https://archive.org/details/ATripToTheMoonEnglishSubs/A+Trip+to+the+Moon+(1959).mkv Bibliography and images courtesy of Jörg Matthias Determann available at https://www.ottomanhistorypodcast.com/2022/02/scifi.html