ABSTRACT
This chapter examines another paradox: although written to serve the colonial regime, the textbook attests to Goldziher’s indifference toward colonial politics. The textbook likewise lacks any reference to modern western scholars’ research on the history of Islam and Arabic literature. A short glimpse of career, including contribution to Hungary’s eastern politics, further illustrates that from the beginning of career, at the core of cooperation with the government lies desire for positive acknowledgment as a Hungarian scholar. This policy aimed to integrate Bosnian Muslims – as well as the Orthodox Serbs and Catholic Croats – into the multiethnic and multireligious Monarchy, and, through the construction of a Bosnian political consciousness, counter the forces of political fragmentation along ethno–religious divides. The core of Goldziher’s discusses of the history of Arabic literature stands a positive approach to the universal values created by the usage of Arabic among Muslims.
