Brown University Library News

Brown Library’s Third Born-Digital Publication Shortlisted for Nayef Al-Rodhan International Book Prize in Transdisciplinary Philosophy 

The Nayef Al-Rodhan International Book Prize in Transdisciplinary Philosophy celebrates the most original philosophical research that transcends academic disciplines.

This year the Royal Institute of Philosophy honored A New Vision for Islamic Pasts and Futures, a born-digital monograph by Professor of Islamic Humanities and History Shahzad Bashir, placing the publication on the shortlist for the Nayef Al-Rodhan International Book Prize in Transdisciplinary Philosophy. The Nayef Al-Rodhan International Book Prize in Transdisciplinary Philosophy annually celebrates the most original philosophical research that transcends academic disciplines.

“The shortlisted books exemplify excellence, showcasing remarkable originality and seamlessly integrating transdisciplinary research to provide an accessible and engaging contribution to the understanding of human thought and action,” announced Constantine Sandis, chair of the award’s judging panel. “The books significantly advance our understanding of a range of diverse subjects, making them essential reading for anyone seeking intellectual enrichment.” 

A New Vision for Islamic Pasts and Futures, which was published by the MIT Press in 2022, invites readers to imagine Islam anew. Moving beyond conventional theological, nativist, and orientalist approaches, Bashir decenters Islam from a geographical identification with the Middle East, an articulation through men’s authority alone, and the assumption that premodern expressions are more authentically Islamic than modern ones. Focusing on time as a human construct, A New Vision for Islamic Pasts and Futures interprets stories and images, paying attention to evidence and methods of interpretation. The interactive book allows for an exploration of and engagement with rich visual material and multimedia evidence not possible in a printed volume.

As its first full year of publication comes to a close, A New Vision for Islamic Pasts and Futures has been viewed by 9,800 unique users with 41,000 page views in 135 countries. It has been described as “magisterial” (Marginalia) and “dazzlingly creative and thought-provoking… [it] abandons the constraints of the conventionally linear printed book for an online, open-access format” (Foreign Affairs). Readers across the world have been engaged by how the digital publication’s custom-designed interface performs the argument it is presenting, and offers a new window into the breadth and depth of Islam across time and space. 

A New Vision for Islamic Pasts and Futures is the third multimodal monograph developed by Brown University Digital Publications, with additional support provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The previously published born-digital scholarly works developed by Brown University Digital Publications are Furnace and Fugue: A Digital Edition of Michael Maier’s Atalanta fugiens (1618) with Scholarly Commentary, awarded the 2023 Roy Rosenzweig Prize in Creativity in Digital History by the American Historical Association, and Shadow Plays: Virtual Realities in an Analog World, which was the category winner in eProduct for the 47th Annual PROSE Awards juried by the Association of American Publishers. Thirteen other publication projects are currently in development.

Questions about A New Vision for Islamic Pasts and Futures can be addressed to Allison Levy, Director of Brown University Digital Publications (allison_levy@brown.edu).

About Brown University Digital Publications

Brown University Digital Publications — a collaboration between the University Library and the Dean of the Faculty, generously launched with support from the Mellon Foundation with additional support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services — creates exciting new conditions for the production and sharing of knowledge. Brown partners with leading scholarly publishers to ensure that these groundbreaking works are validated via rigorous academic review and reach the broadest possible audience for the greatest possible impact. Widely recognized as accessible, intentional, and inclusive, Brown’s novel, university-based approach to digital content development is helping to set the standards for the future of scholarship in the digital age.