Maxime Rodinson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maxime Rodinson
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Rodinson in 1970
|
|
| Born | 26 January 1915 Paris, France
|
| Died | 23 May 2004 (aged 89) Marseille, France
|
|
Notable work
|
|
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | École pratique des hautes études |
Maxime Rodinson (born 26 January 1915 – died 23 May 2004) was a French historian and sociologist. He was also an orientalist, meaning he studied the languages, cultures, and history of the Middle East and Asia. His parents were from Russia and Poland, and they were sadly killed during the Second World War in Auschwitz concentration camp. After studying many languages from the Middle East, he became a professor at a famous French school. He wrote many books, including Muhammad, which is a biography of the Prophet of Islam.
Rodinson joined the French Communist Party in 1937 but left it in 1958 after disagreeing with some of its ideas. He became well known in France for speaking out about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. He especially disagreed with the way Israel was building new communities in certain areas. Some people say he was the first to use the term Islamic fascism in 1979, which he used to describe the Iranian revolution at that time.
Contents
About Maxime Rodinson
His Family Background
Maxime Rodinson's parents were Jewish immigrants from Russia and Poland. They came to France in the late 1800s to escape violence against Jewish people in the Russian Empire. His father was a clothing seller who started a business in a Jewish neighborhood of Paris. Their home became a meeting place for other Russian people who had left their country. These people often wanted to change the government in Russia.
In 1920, Rodinson's parents joined the French Communist Party. His family was very committed to communist ideas. They were not religious and did not support Zionism, which is the idea of a Jewish homeland in Israel.
His Early Life and Learning
Maxime Rodinson was born in Paris on 26 January 1915. His family was not rich. He started working as an errand boy at age 13 after finishing primary school. But he loved to learn and borrowed many books. Teachers helped him without asking for money. This allowed him to start studying languages from the Middle East, like Arabic, in his free time.
In 1932, even without a high school diploma, Rodinson passed a special exam. This allowed him to enter a school for Oriental Languages. He planned to become a diplomat who could translate. He studied Arabic and later learned Hebrew. In 1937, he joined a research group and became a full-time student of Islam. He also joined the French Communist Party that year.
Time in Syria and Lebanon
In 1940, when the Second World War began, Rodinson went to work at the French Institute in Damascus. Being in Lebanon and Syria helped him avoid the persecution of Jewish people in France during the war. This time also helped him learn even more about Islam. Sadly, his parents were killed in Auschwitz in 1943. Rodinson spent about seven years in Lebanon, working as a civil servant in Beirut and teaching in Sidon.
Professor and Thinker
In 1948, Rodinson became a librarian in Paris, where he was in charge of the Muslim section. In 1955, he became a director of studies at a well-known school. Four years later, he became a professor of classical Ethiopian, an ancient language. Rodinson left the French Communist Party in 1958. This was after new information came out about bad things that happened under Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union. Even though he left the party, he still believed in Marxism, a way of understanding society and history. He said he left because he wanted to think freely, not just follow party rules.
He became very famous when he published his book Muhammad in 1961. This book looked at the prophet's life from a sociological point of view, meaning it studied how society and culture influenced him. This book is still not allowed in some parts of the Arab world. Five years later, he published Islam and Capitalism. This book explored why Muslim societies faced economic challenges. He passed away on 23 May 2004 in Marseille.
His Views on the Israeli–Palestinian Conflict
Supporting Palestinian Rights
Maxime Rodinson publicly supported the idea that Palestinians should have their own country. This was during the Six-Day War in 1967. He wrote an important article called "Israel, a colonial fact." This article made him known as someone who supported the Palestinian cause. He also helped create a group to research and act for Palestine.
He noticed that at the time, the Palestinian cause was mainly supported by groups with extreme views. He encouraged Palestinians to talk to more moderate Europeans. He warned them that if the conflict became too religious, it could harm their cause. He said that some Arabs, influenced by religion, might use old prejudices against Jewish people in general.
His Ideas on the Conflict
Rodinson was against Zionism for two main reasons. First, he felt it tried to force all Jewish people worldwide to have one identity and one nationalist idea. Second, he believed it took land from Palestinians, leading to their displacement and control by others. In his 1968 book Israël and the Arabs, he stated that Palestinians had the same rights to their land as French people have in France. He said these rights were violated without cause.
He also explained that because he was so clear in criticizing the actions of the Zionist movement, he felt he had the right to criticize similar ideas among Arabs. He tried to explain to Arab audiences that while the actions of Zionists deserved criticism, they were still part of human behavior. He said that even though he regretted the creation of Israel on Arab land, a new group of people with their own culture now lived there. He believed they were not just a religious group or a collection of invaders who could easily be sent away.
His approach to the conflict included calling for peaceful talks between Israeli Jews and Palestinians. He believed Israel should not only be seen as a colonial state, but also as a place where a new nation had formed. He thought Israeli Jews had collective rights that Palestinians should respect. He said that if different groups live in the same country, they must both be represented politically. Each group should have the right to protect its interests and hopes.
He disagreed with the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) when they thought they could drive out Israelis like the French were driven out of Algeria. At the same time, he urged Israelis to stop pretending to be part of Europe. He wanted them to accept being part of the Middle East. He believed Israelis needed to learn to live with their neighbors. This meant recognizing the unfair things done to Palestinians and using words of peace and compromise.
Studying Islam from a New Viewpoint
Rodinson's work combined sociological and Marxist ideas. He said these ideas helped him understand that the Muslim world follows the same rules as the rest of humanity. For example, his first book, Muhammad (1960), studied the Prophet by looking at his social environment. This book tried to explain the economic and social reasons behind the start of Islam.
Later, in Islam and Capitalism (1966), Rodinson looked at two common ideas. One idea in Europe was that Islam stopped capitalism from growing. Another idea among Muslims was that Islam was always about equality. Rodinson focused on social factors, seeing Islam as a neutral force. In all his later works on Islam, he highlighted how the teachings of Muhammad were connected to the economic and social structures of the Muslim world.
Rodinson also created the term theologocentrism. This describes the tendency to explain everything in the Muslim world only by referring to Islam. He felt this ignored the role of history and social conditions in explaining events.
In his book Mohammed (1971), Rodinson wrote about his views on the Quran. He explained that he did not believe the Quran was the book of Allah, because if he did, he would be a Muslim. However, he studied it and shared his thoughts. He believed that Muhammad truly experienced things that became words and phrases, and he understood them as messages from a higher being. Rodinson felt that Muhammad's honesty was clear, especially when the Quran seemed to push him to do things he didn't want to do.
Books by Maxime Rodinson
This list shows the English versions of his books:
- The Arabs (1981) ISBN: 0-226-72356-9
- Marxism and the Muslim world (1982) ISBN: 0-85345-586-4
- Israel and the Arabs (1982) ISBN: 0-14-022445-9
- Marxist-Leninist Scientific Atheism and the Study of Religion and Atheism in the USSR (Religion and Reason) by James Thrower with introduction by Maxime Rodinson (1983) ISBN: 90-279-3060-0
- Cult, Ghetto, and State: The Persistence of the Jewish Question (1984) ISBN: 0-685-08870-7
- Israel: A Colonial-Settler State? (1988) ISBN: 0-913460-22-2
- Europe and the Mystique of Islam (2002) ISBN: 1-85043-106-X
- Muhammad (2002) ISBN: 1-56584-752-0
- Islam and Capitalism (1973) ISBN: 0-292-73816-1
See also
In Spanish: Maxime Rodinson para niños
