Between Modernity and Post-Modernity

Kazuo Shimogaki 's working paper, number fourteen in the IMESseries, is a critical essay of The Islamic Left, a so-far one-time-onlyprivately produced journal. Three of its five articles are written by HasanHanafi, a professor at Cairo University, and a summary/translation ofHanafi's first and most important article. The essay itself abounds ingrammatical and typographical errors, while the swnmary/translation isdone very well. There is enough evidence that Shimogaki has a sharpmind, and I anticipate eagerly future works.Unfortunately, Shimogaki 's subject matter is not very enlightening,even though many reasons are given for the study of The Islamic Left.Hanafi is located firmly in a reformist tradition with al Afghani and• Abduh. He has all the prejudices of an Egyptian Arab, 1 indulges in endlessanalyses of the "reality" of the Muslim world (with the smug convictionthat his gaze is universal), revels in a knee-jerk hatred of Sufism,2and makes his case for technological boosterism. He also takes forgranted the "backwardness" of the Muslim world, as if the prime accomplishmentof western civilization (which is the creation of nuclearweaponry-what else has engaged the wealth and brain power of theUnited States as much?) was bungled by Islamic civilization.Shimogaki attempts to reform Hanafi in light of postmodernity, buthis own understanding of postmodernity is sketchy (in other words, verypostmodern). Seeing postmodemity teleologically, Shimogaki writes thatHanafi "has not yet reached the newest thought movement in the West, ...