Björn Bentlage (Halle-Wittenberg)
Orient-Institut Beirut
October, 13 to October 14, 2016
In this talk, Björn Bentlage will present the gist of his dissertation thesis that is about to be published in the Klaus Schwarz Verlag (Berlin, forthcoming 2016). Dealing with the problem of legal development, it analyzes the example of a prominent paternity case of the years 2004-2006 from the perspective of discourse analysis. The case centered around customary marriage, genetical testing and the interpretation of religious norms by state institutions - a constellation that continues to be significant. Depending on the sources used to investigate the case, one may arrive at quite different notions of change and continuity, of law and religion. The journalistic accounts of the case differ starkly from the image presented in legal sources, leading to the impression that there are, in fact, two independent stories about the case, one telling of triumph and change, the other of detail and continuity. This observation can be aptly explained in the framework of Jürgen Link's theory of interdiscourse, the adaption of which leads to a discourse analytical model of legal development that allows for a more differentiated discussion of the individual case, its importance with regard to legal development, and the kind of dynamics that may be relevant here.
Björn Bentlage studied Oriental and Islamic studies and German Linguistics at Bochum. In April 2016, he was awarded a Ph.D. in Islamic Studies from the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg where he has been a faculty member since 2010. So far, his research and publications have dealt with Islamic Bioethics, the Egyptian Judges' Club, the country's health sector, as well as the entangled nature of Religious Dynamics under the Impact of Imperialism and Colonialism, (Brill, Numen Book Series 154, forthcoming 2016).
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