Gellnerova islamika

Ernest Gellner took a great interest in the functioning of Muslim society, which he liked to put in contrast to Western values and social patterns. The article deals with his approach to five topical areas. The first one is his well-known theory of two forms of Islam whose age-long oscillation was stopped in modern times by the triumph of the higher, more individualist version. The ensuing growth of Islamic fundamentalism is further explained within Gellner’s interpretation of this concept in a general philosophical meaning. Other topics comprise nationalism in Muslim societies, discussion on the controversial issue of acceptability of civil society in the world of Islam and, finally, Gellner’s attempt to explain the astonishing collapse of Marxism in 1990s in contrast with the success of the unsecularized modernity of Islam. The paper provides room for critical approaches to Gellner’s views, their week point being mainly ahistorical generalizations neglecting broader patterns of Muslim societies and their trends. Nonetheless his analyses, though partial, are a valuable tool for an endeavour to understand.