The Natural Sciences in Early Modern Morocco | Justin Stearns

E535 | When you think of the history of science, what people and places come to mind? Scientific knowledge production flourished in early modern Morocco, and not in the places you might expect. This episode transports us into the intellectual and social worlds of Sufi lodges (zawāya) in seventeenth-century Morocco. Our guest, Justin Stearns, guides us through scholarly and educational landscapes far removed from the imperial urban centers of Fez and Marrakech. We discuss his new book, Revealed Sciences, which examines the development of the natural sciences through close study of works produced by rural Sufi scholars. Challenging the idea that the early modern period was one of intellectual decline, Stearns reveals the vibrant multi-ethnic, intellectual networks of the early modern Maghreb and the implications of their story for the history of science and the writing of history. We speak about paper mâché astrolabes, Borgesian fantasies, resisting the lure of triumphant narratives, and the importance of failure for creativity and innovation. More at https://www.ottomanhistorypodcast.com/2022/12/stearns.html Justin Stearns is Professor of Arab Crossroads Studies at New York University Abu Dhabi where he teaches classes on the pre-modern Islamicate world and the relationship between science and religion. His research focuses on the premodern intellectual history of the Islamic West (Maghrib). Shireen Hamza is a doctoral candidate in the History of Science department at Harvard University. Her research focuses on the history of medical exchange in the medieval Indian Ocean world. Taylor M. Moore is an Assistant Professor of History at the University of California, Santa Barbara. CREDITS Episode No. 535 Release Date: 14 December 2022 Sound production by Shireen Hamza Music: "Touicha & Jabir," Moroccan Folk Music, Lyrichord Bibliography and images courtesy of Justin Stearns at https://www.ottomanhistorypodcast.com/2022/12/stearns.html