PROBLEMATIZING THE MODERN CITY A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE FRAMEWORKS OF JACQUES ELLUL AND SAID NURSI
My aim in this paper is to present the concept of the “city” as a problem that is not only sociological in nature, but also theological. I have approached the concept from the perspective of the French historian and sociologist Jacques Ellul who defines it as a theological construct within a particular Christian worldview. The “city” from the Ellulian view is symbolic and represents an act of rebellion against God, and an arrogant desire to be independent of God and provide one’s own security. With this in mind, I aim to examine how this problematized and particular definition of the city as a corrupting force have parallels in the writings of Islamic thinkers, such as Ibn Khaldun and, focussed on in this particular paper - that of Said Nursi. I argue that like Ellul, the Nursian city has a dialectic counterpart with a city that is heavenly, that its current earthly problems lie in its being the most complete representative of aggressive materialism and negative naturalism.