Honourable mention 2021
Pieter Coppens’ “A Silent uṣūl Revolution? Al-Qāsimī, iğtihād, and the Fundamentals of tafsīr,” MIDÉO no. 36 (2021): 21-61.
The article is a deeply researched investigation into a furious late nineteenth century debate among Damascene religious scholars. The article is both a well-written and gripping account of late Ottoman intellectual life, and a learned exploration of a now-forgotten scholarly debates. Coppens manages an article that is exciting to read, impressive in its research, and charmingly understated in its presentation. It is a deeply rooted yet innovative masterpiece of intellectual history.