Context: Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies

Islamic Inheritance Law in the European Context

2025-06-30T14:16:07+00:00

This article explores how the European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR) approaches the complex issue of integrating Islamic norms of succession into the European context, considering the legal and sociocultural challenges it faces along the way. The subject of the analysis are the interpretations of Islamic norms on inheritance that are presented in resolutions (qararat), expert legal opinions (fatawa) and recommendations (tawsiyyat) of the ECFR. It is argued that the ECFR views the integration of Islamic norms on inheritance mainly through the prism of legal accommodation, not showing sufficient sensitivity to the sociocultural factors involved in the integration process, which may result in the absence of adequate contextualization of fiqh in the social reality (al-waqiʻ) of European Muslim communities.

Kada teorije pričaju priču

2025-06-30T15:06:24+00:00

Preserving a Lost Legacy

2025-06-30T14:24:49+00:00

This study examines the historical, architectural, and cultural legacy of Ottoman rule in Elbasan, Albania, and highlights the city’s transformation from fortified town to thriving trade hub during this period. With a focus on the partnership between the Ottoman Empire and Albania, the study explores Elbasan’s Ottoman urban design, architectural features, economic activity, and social life, and what remains of it today. Analysing primary and secondary sources, the study underscores the importance of conserving Ottoman heritage, and offers insights into the challenges that face historical landmarks as a result of neglect, destruction, and modern urbanisation. It then provides recommendations for documenting, preserving, and restoring these structures to maintain their cultural identity and heritage. This interdisciplinary study deepens our understanding of the Ottoman influence on Elbasan, and its enduring impact on the city’s cultural environment, while advocating for enhanced heritage awareness and collaborative conservation efforts for future generations.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in the Works of Early Muslim Scholars

2025-06-30T14:31:59+00:00

“Psychology has a short history, but a long past” in which people have sought to solve the enigma of human nature and establish and preserve psycho-physical health. A significant psychotherapeutic heritage has accumulated with the ideological blueprint of its cultural milieu; a prevailing anthropology and epistemology that differs significantly from that of the new science of the Renaissance and Enlightenment. Following the global trend of culturally reinterpreting Western-dominated psychotherapeutic forms, Muslim psychologists who promote the idea of indigenous Islamic psychology seek a general methodology for integrating contemporary psychotherapy into the Islamic worldview. Some find the axioms of this integrative synthesis in the intellectual legacy of early Muslim scholars, during whose time a uniquely expressed scientific spirit prevailed. This study explores the most prominent of these scholars regarding the fundamental principles of contemporary cognitive behavioural therapy, and identifies general principles with which to outline and apply a new indigenous iteration.

Family Values among Youth in Bosnia and Herzegovina

2025-06-30T14:43:40+00:00

This paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of how young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina perceive and value family-related norms, with a focus on the relationship between traditional collectivist and modern individualist attitudes. The research was conducted using a quantitative method, applying the “Family Values Scale” questionnaire on a convenience sample of 305 young individuals from various regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The findings indicate that young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina are increasingly embracing modern values, particularly in the context of individualism and freedom of choice, while simultaneously maintaining traditional views, especially regarding the distribution of power within the family. Although modernization shapes the value orientations of young people, deeply rooted traditions still exert a significant influence on their attitudes and behaviors, suggesting the coexistence of traditional and modern values within the generational discourse.

Zašto narodi propadaju:

2025-06-30T15:13:30+00:00

Daron Acemoglu i James A. Robinson, Zašto narodi propadaju: porijeklo moći, prosperiteta i siromaštva, preveo Resul Mehmedović, Tuzla: Dialogos, 2024., 475 str., ISBN 978-9926-890-8.

Rađanje novih epistemologija

2025-06-30T15:21:55+00:00

Ziauddin Sardar (ur.), Rađanje novih epistemologija: promijenjena struktura znanja u postnormalnim vremenima, Sarajevo: Centar za napredne studije, 2024, 223 str., ISBN 978-9926-555-01-6.

Cultural Life versus a Culture of Urbicide in Besieged Sarajevo (1992–1996)

2025-06-30T14:49:30+00:00

As the uncertainties of the 21st-century risk society intensify, difficult questions arise, with few solutions. Concepts like the art of living, adaptation to change, the role of culture, and stress relief are important global themes. Because the residents of Sarajevo experienced and examined such issues three decades ago, this article bridges anxiety and hope, and illustrates how urban spirit can arise from uncertainty, and even death.
The article presents aspects of Sarajevo’s authentic urban cultural (artistic) character during the siege (1992-1996), which was the longest in the history of modern warfare. Based on cultural events during this period, it examines how Sarajevo created a historic urban story and urban identity, while living 1,425 days without basic supplies, and under constant fire from the surrounding hills. The article offers new ways to observe and understand urbicide in a contemporary context, and accentuates the role of art and culture in society.