Abdurresid Ibrahim and Meiji Japan: A Muslim Intellectual’s Encounter with Non-Western Modernization
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31436/alitqan.v10i2.346Keywords:
Abdurreshid Ibrahim, Japan, Meiji-Era, Non-Western Modernization, Muslim Intellectual History.Abstract
This study examines the concept of modernization through the perspective of Abdurreshid Ibrahim (1857–1944), a Tatar-Ottoman intellectual, as presented in his travelogue Alem-i Islam (The World of Islam) following his 1909 journey to Meiji Japan. The goal of this paper is to elucidate how Ibrahim framed Japan’s experience as a model of non-Western modernity that successfully synthesized technological advancement with the preservation of its cultural and moral identity. This research is very important because it provides a crucial non-Western viewpoint in the discourse on modernization theory, challenging the long-held Eurocentric narrative and demonstrating the historical existence of viable alternative paths to progress. The study focuses on analyzing Ibrahim’s portrayal of Japan's selective adaptation of Western techniques, exploring his use of Japan as a mirror to critique the stagnation within contemporary Muslim societies, and situating his ideas within the broader intellectual debates on multiple modernities. The methods used in this paper are a close textual analysis of Ibrahim’s primary work, Alem-i Islam, combined with a historical-contextual approach that links his reflections to wider theoretical discussions on modernization. Finally, the findings of this research demonstrate that Ibrahim perceived Meiji Japan as a powerful counter-argument to the idea that Westernization is synonymous with modernization. His writings reveal a vision of modernity based on strategic synthesis rather than wholesale imitation, thereby contributing significantly to both Islamic intellectual history and the global discourse on pluralistic modernities.
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