Fellows 2023

Burhanettin Tatar

Professor of Theology, Ondokuz Mayıs University (Turkey)

Resident at the Forschungskolleg Humanwissenschaften:

July 2023

Research topic at the Forschungskolleg Humanwissenschaften:

»Hermeneutical Dialogue Between the Dynamics of Sacred Texts and Historical Reality«

Project outline:

The problem of the relationship between the Qur'an as a sacred text and history is roughly handled at three different levels. 1) Explaining and interpreting the formation of the text on the basis of history. 2) Making sense of the historical process in terms of the text. 3) Focusing on the interplay between history and text. The first approach is generally represented by historicist perspectives. Here the scripture is either a historical product or a historical source. The second approach is represented by groups such as the Zahiri (Literalist) and the Khariji groups in the history of Islam. Today, revivalist or fundamentalist approaches see the Qur'an as the text that should shape history. It can be said that the third approach is roughly represented by Ahl al-Sunnah. However, when it is considered that the Ahl al-Sunnah see the Qur'an as a universal religious source, it becomes clear that their perspective is closely related to the second approach. (Burhanettin Tatar)

Research partner:

Burhanettin Tatar follows the invitation of Ömer Özsoy, Professor of Qur’an Exegesis at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main and Goethe Fellow at the Forschungskolleg Humanwissenschaften. His stay is supported by the »Linked Open Tafsīr« program of the Academy for Islam in Research and Society (AIWG) of Frankfurt University and the Goethe Fellow program of Goethe University Frankfurt am Main.

Scholarly profile of Burhanettin Tatar

Burhanettin Tatar received his Ph.D. degree at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. in 1997. His dissertation was entitled »Interpretation and the Problem of Authorial Intention. H.-G. Gadamer vs E. D. Hirsh«. Since 2008 he is full professor of Islam at Ondokuz Mayıs University.

Main areas of research:

Islamic philosophy, philosophical hermeneutics, philosophy of Islamic art, Qur’anic hermeneutics, Theory of Turkish Classical and Traditional Music, Interreligious Dialogue

Selected publications:

»Time and Historicity of Man in the Context of His Divine Destiny: Reflection on Qur’anic Anthropology and Alterity in the Perspective of Modern Hermeneutics«, in: New Approaches to Human Dignity in the Context of Qur’anic Anthropology The Quest for Humanity, eds. Rüdiger Braun and Hüseyin Çiçek, Cambridge Scholar Publishing, 2017.
»Die Relevanz der Koranhermeneutik für das Heutige Muslimische Leben«, in: Nahe ist dir das Wort. Schriftauslegung in Christentum und Islam, eds. Hansjörg Schmid, Andreas Renz and Bülent Ucar, Regensburg: Verlag Friedrich Pustet, 2010.
»Qur’anic Hermeneutics and Overcoming the Split Consciousness of Muslims«, in: Islam, Cultural Transformation, and the Re-Emergence of Falsafah: Studies Honoring Prof. G.F. McLean On His Eightieth Birthday, ed. Karim D. Crow, Iranian Institute of Philosophy, Tehran, 2009.
»On The Problem of The Temporality of Moral Truth«, in: Truth and Morality: The Role of Truth In Public Life, ed. Danca Wilhelm, The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy, 2008.
»Freiheit, Solidarität und Gerechtigkeit. Die Sozialethik des Islam und des Christentums«, in: Der Islam und das Christentum. Ein Vergleich der Grundwerte als Basis für einen interreligiösen Dialog, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, 2007.
»Das Problem Der Koranauslegung«, in: Alter Text – neuer Kontext. Koranhermeneutik in der Türkei heute, ed. Felix Körner, Freiburg: Herder, 2006, p. 104-129.
»The Problem of Textual Authority in The Context of Intercultural Dialogue«, in: Islamic And Christian Cultures. Conflict or Dialogue, ed. Plamen Makariev, The Council For Research In Values And Philosophy, 1999.
Interpretation And Problem of The Intention of The Author: H.-G. Gadamer vs E. D. Hirsh, Council For Research In Values And Philosophy, Washington D.C., 1998.

Burhanettin Tatar

Scholarly profile of Burhanettin Tatar

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