Religious Entrepreneurs? - A Conversation with Nile Green

This book is based on an in-depth conversation between Howard Burton and Nile Green who holds the Ibn Khaldn Endowed Chair in World History at UCLA. Nile Green is an expert on Islamic History and religion in the world. He has traveled extensively in India, Turkey, Pakistan, China, Myanmar, Iran, Egypt, Yemen, Syria, Morocco and many more countries, to get a deep sense of the reality of situations on the ground. The basis of this wide-ranging conversation is Nile Green’s book Terrains of Exchange which is not only an account of how the Christian missionary movement affected the development of Islam in the 19th and 20th centuries, but also offers a bold new paradigm for understanding the expansion of Islam in the modern world through the model of religious economy. This carefully-edited book includes an introduction, The Economic Enabler, and questions for discussion at the end of each chapter: I. Origins - How teenage travel can change your life II. Sufism - Beyond the stereotype III. The Model of Religious Economy - A use for economics, finally IV. Global History - A new way of looking at historical process V. Terrains of Exchange - Motivations and responses VI. Modern Implications - Lessons from history? VII. Ever Onwards - Much to do About Ideas Roadshow Conversations: This book is part of a series of 100 Ideas Roadshow Conversations. Presented in an accessible, conversational format, Ideas Roadshow books not only explore frontline academic research featuring world-leading researchers but also reveal the inspirations and personal journeys behind the research.