Authority without territory [Texte imprimé] : the Aga Khan Development Network and the Ismaili imamate / Daryoush Mohammad Poor

"The Ismaili imamate's in the 21st century is particularly characterized by a shift in authority and its style of leadership. This shift is specifically embodied in the institutionalization of the office of imamate, most visibly reflected in the activities of the Aga Khan Development Network, a bifocal leadership of the Imam, which focuses on both the faith and the world without abandoning or downplaying one for the sake of the other. The Ismaili imamate and Community have been decoupled from territorial nation-state and they are not defined or directed by nationalistic or narrow identity-centered ideologies. While retaining elements from traditional, charismatic and legal-bureaucratic ideal-types, the Ismaili imamate surpasses the barriers and restrictions of the Weberian ideal-types and represents a novel image of a Shia Muslim community which has successfully adapted to modernity without losing its essential values or ethical commitments. The intellectual and rational dimensions of Ismailism inherited from their history have critically shaped the existing conditions of Ismailism, under the leadership of Aga Khan IV"-- Provided by publisher

Bibliogr. p. 247-253

Machine generated contents note: -- Introduction -- 1. Max Weber, Authority and Leadership -- 2. Imamate and the Question of Authority in Muslim and Shi?i Contexts -- 3. The Aga Khan: A Visionary Leader -- 4. The AKDN: An overview of the Ismaili imamate's Institutional Endeavors -- 5. Hybrid Leadership and the Case of the Ismaili Imamate -- Conclusion