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An increasing number of people have questions about Islam and Muslims. But how can we approach and study Islam after September 11th? Which is the best methodology to understand an Islam that is changing in a globalized world? The Anthropology of Islam argues that Islam today needs to be studied as a living religion through the observation of everyday Muslim life. Drawing on extensive original fieldwork, Marranci provides provocative analyses of Islam and its relation to issues such as identities, politics, culture, power and gender. The Anthropology of Islam is unprecedented in its innovative and challenging discussion about fieldwork among Muslims, and its ethnographically based interpretations of contemporary aspects of Islam in a post-September 11th society. The book will appeal to those in anthropology and beyond who see and are interested in investigating the unsettled place of Islam in our multicultural society.
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The Anthropology of Islam
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The Anthropology of Islam GABRIELE MARRANCI
Oxford • New York
First published in 2008 by Berg Editorial offices: 1st Floor, Angel Court, 81 St Clements Street, Oxford, OX4 1AW, UK 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010, USA © Gabriele Marranci 2008 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the written permission of Berg. Berg is the imprint of Oxford International Publishers Ltd.
Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Marranci, Gabriele. The anthropology of Islam / Gabriele Marranci. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-1-84520-284-2 (cloth) ISBN-10: 1-84520-284-8 (cloth) ISBN-13: 978-1-84520-285-9 (pbk.) ISBN-10: 1-84520-285-6 (pbk.) 1. Islam—Study and teaching. 2. Anthropology of religion—Islamic countries. 3. Islamic sociology. 4. Anthropology—Methodology. I. Title. BP42.M37 2008 306.6'97—dc22 2007049376
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 978 1 84520 284 2 (Cloth) ISBN 978 1 84520 285 9 (Paper) Typeset by JS Typesetting, Porthcawl, Mid Glamorgan Printed in the United Kingdom by Biddles Ltd, King’s Lynn
www.bergpublishers.com
Dedicated to the memory of Gregory Bateson
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Contents
Acknowledgements
ix
1 Introduction
1
2 Islam: Beliefs, History and Rituals
13
3 From Studying Islam to Studying Muslims
31
4 Studying Muslims in the West: Before and After September 11
53
5 From the Exotic to the Familiar: Anamneses of Fieldwork among Muslims
71
6 Beyond the Stereotype: Challenges in Understanding Muslim Identities
89
7 The Ummah Paradox
103
8 The Dynamics of Gender in Islam
117
9 Conclusion
139
Glossary
147
References
151
Index
173
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Acknowledgements
This book is the result of my discussions and debates with students and colleagues about what the anthropology of Islam may be. I have benefited from advice, suggestions and criticism during the many years of reflection on the topic and the two years of writing, rewriting, scrapping and rethinking to rewrite again. The words of this book would never have reached your eyes without the time that students and colleagues spent in sharing their thoughts and ideas. Although intended for teaching, this book is a product of learning. I have learnt from my students, both undergraduate and postgraduate, from their questions and from their challenges and curiosity about the anthropology of Islam. Among my friends an