Qu'est-ce que le shi'isme?

• Author: Brunner, Rainer
• Position: Book review

Qu'est-ce que le shi'isme? By MOHAMMAD-ALI AMIR-MOEZZI and CHRISTIAN JAMBET. Paris: FAYARD, 2004. Pp. 387, tables. [euro] 20 (paper).

In comparison with other currents of Islam, the independent study of Shiism is a rather new phenomenon, which began in earnest only in the last third of the twentieth century (leaving aside Dwight M. Donaldson's The Shiite Religion, which appeared in 1933). A large number of detailed studies of all phases of Shiite history have been written in the meantime, and specialists such as Heinz Halm, Moojan Momen, and Yann Richard have presented impressive overviews. Still, the picture is far from being complete or unequivocal, especially as far as the early history is concerned, and much room remains for clarifying new interpretations of the basic facts. The book under review is thus a highly welcome contribution, written by two experts in the field of Shiite history and philosophy: M. A. Amir-Moezzi, professor at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, author of several groundbreaking studies on early Twelver Shiism; and Christian Jambet, professor of philosophy, who has written extensively on Ismaili and Imamite Shiism. Their book is an outline of Shiite doctrinal development addressed to a non-specialist audience, but readers who are familiar with Shiism will also find new and stimulating insights.

The book is divided into four parts: part one (pp. 25-79), on the foundations of Shiite doctrine and the origins of Shiism, and part two (pp. 81-178), on the sources and main subjects, deal with the early history and general characterization of Shiism. Part three (pp. 179-284) is devoted to the historical development from the occultation of the twelfth Imam until modern times, and part four (pp. 287-350) provides an introduction to the intricate philosophical teachings of Shiism. Each part includes a separate bibliography, and the volume ends with a detailed time line and a thorough index.

What is Shiism?, Amir-Moezzi and Jambet ask. They could just as well have posed the question "What went wrong with Shiism?" for this is their basic concern and primary motive for writing the book. As the two authors make clear from the very beginning, they intend to show how an initially purely spiritual and esoteric form of belief could develop to such a remarkable degree into its exact contrary, thereby becoming the most negatively viewed single current of Islam today. Unlike their teacher, Henry Corbin, who in an all too...