Mala’, Manufacture of Consent, and True Freedom
Mala’, the ruling clique of a particular social order, throughout history have always been at the forefront to…
Culture & Society
108 articles
Helping Hands
With half the world living on less than $2.50 per day and with 46.2 million people in the United…
Responses to Conflict in Individualistic and Collectivistic Societies
Cultural differences have a potential to trigger conflicts at all levels, and the response each society gives to…
The Hajj: Reflections from Mina
This article does not encompass the entire Hajj ritual, most notably leaving out umrah and visiting the Ka’ba.…
Will You Hold My Hand Please?
Anne-Mette Harder is a Danish Nurse. There is one important thing which makes her different from her other…
The Optimizing Man
In 1881, F. Edgeworth defines the first principle of economics such that every agent is motivated only by…
Same World, Different Lenses: A Brief Overview of Cultural Differences
According to the British writer Raymond Williams, culture is one of the two or three most complicated…
The Cultural Perspective and Societal Change
Society is built on institutions; this is an inescapable fact. According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, an institution is “a…
Beware the Messenger! Misinformation in the Age of Globalization
Chowdury Osman, a taxi driver in New York City, made himself a hero in February 2007 when he…
Bringing the Soul Back In: A Spiritual Conception of Human Nature for the Social Sciences
The development of the modern social sciences has been intimately bound up with the Enlightenment belief that scientific…
Paths Ahead: Reflections on Bosnian Muslim Presence in the United States
This commentary offers a few reflections on the impact of the American experience on the formation of a…
A Legacy of Hope
Time and again we have all heard our elders talk of a bygone Golden Age. Amidst the epochs…
Music of the Spheres
Music is a moral law. It gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to…
The Influence of Islamic Art on M.C. Escher
Although most of us do not remember or have not ever heard the name M.C. Escher, we are…
Spiritual Capital for Social Change
When talking about capital most people think of money, gold, homes, and land. But there is a new…