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Sociology and Anthropology (Islamic Studies)

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  1. Introduction
  2. Anthropology, as a formal discipline, began in the late 19th century with an emphasis on the cultures of indigenous peoples, especially in Africa, the Americas, and Asia. Before then, there were numerous travel accounts that contained ethnographic information on Muslims, most notably the continually published work of Edward Lane on his observations in Egypt and Richard Burton's surreptitious visit to Mecca. The hallmark of modern anthropology since the 1920s has been the methodology of participant observation in fieldwork, using the language of the people studied. Most of the early ethnographic studies in the Middle East focused on tribalism rather than Islam, including the influential work of E. E. Evans-Pritchard on the Sanusi order of Cyrenaica, Libya. Although ethnographic studies of Muslim peoples began to appear in the 1960s, most provided little information on the role of Islam. The majority of ethnographic studies on Muslims have been in the Middle East, North Africa, and Indonesia, but interest has increasingly focused on Muslims in Europe and America. In addition to ethnographies, anthropologists and sociologists have also written on historical aspects of Islam and the issues facing contemporary Muslims worldwide. The generally recognized foundational text for a specific anthropology of Islam is Clifford Geertz's widely read Islam Observed (see The Anthropolgical Study of Islam: Theory). The most prominent anthropologist contributing to anthropological theory in the study of Islam in the early 21st century is Talal Asad. In addition, as Muslims are now beginning to use the Internet in large numbers, ethnographers are beginning to pay attention to the impact of cyberspace on representations of Islam and on Muslim youth.
  3.  
  4. History of the Anthropological Study of Islam
  5. There is no detailed history of the anthropological study of Islam. Eickelman 2001 provides a summary of the intellectual predecessors to modern ethnographic study of Muslims. Historically, there were numerous travel accounts with information on Islam, most notably the classic study of Egypt by Edward Lane (Lane 1836). The Finnish scholar Edward Westermarck (Westermarck 1916) collected information on Moroccan Muslim folklore, including a major study on the Islamic notion of Baraka. In 1951, the American anthropologist Eric Wolf published an essay on the social origins of Islam in Mecca (Wolf 1951), although he had not done ethnographic research in the region. Both anthropologists and sociologists have examined the impact of Max Weber's views on Islam, most notably Turner 1974, followed by Huff and Schluchter 1999 and Salvatore 2007. Turner 1994 examines the impact of Orientalism and postmodern theory on the study of Islam.
  6.  
  7. Coon, Carlton S. Caravan: The Story of the Middle East. New York: Henry Holt, 1951.
  8.  
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  10.  
  11. Dated introduction to the Middle East, using the concept of the cultural mosaic.
  12.  
  13. Find this resource:
  14.  
  15. Eickelman, Dale F. The Middle East and Central Asia: An Anthropological Approach. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2001.
  16.  
  17. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  18.  
  19. In Chapter 2, “Intellectual Predecessors: East and West,” Eickelman discusses precursors to modern anthropology and their influence on later work.
  20.  
  21. Find this resource:
  22.  
  23. Huff, Toby E., and Wolfgang Schluchter, eds. Max Weber and Islam. Edison, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 1999.
  24.  
  25. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  26.  
  27. Includes eleven articles and a bibliography on the impact of Weber on the study of Islam.
  28.  
  29. Find this resource:
  30.  
  31. Lane, Edward. An Account of the Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians. Vol. 1. London: Charles Knight, 1836.
  32.  
  33. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  34.  
  35. Classic travel account on Islam in Egypt, revised in 1860 and reprinted many times since. Available online from TIMEA.
  36.  
  37. Find this resource:
  38.  
  39. Salvatore, Armando. “Beyond Orientalism? Max Weber and the Displacements of ‘Essentialism’ in the Study of Islam.” In Defining Islam: A Reader. Edited by Andrew Rippin, 148–172. London: Equinox, 2007.
  40.  
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  42.  
  43. In this article, originally published in 1996, Salvatore situates anthropological and sociological studies of Islam in the approaches of other disciplines.
  44.  
  45. Find this resource:
  46.  
  47. Turner, Bryan S. Weber and Islam: A Critical Study. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1974.
  48.  
  49. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  50.  
  51. Classic sociological analysis of the views of Weber on the study of Islam.
  52.  
  53. Find this resource:
  54.  
  55. Turner, Bryan S. Orientalism, Postmodernism, and Globalism. London: Routledge, 1994.
  56.  
  57. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  58.  
  59. An analysis of the impact of Orientalism (including the work of Weber and von Grunebaum) and postmodern theory on the sociological study of Islam.
  60.  
  61. Find this resource:
  62.  
  63. Westermarck, Edward. The Moorish Conception of Holiness (Baraka). Helsinki, Finland: Akademiska Bokhandeln, 1916.
  64.  
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  66.  
  67. A detailed study of the folklore on notions of holiness in Morocco.
  68.  
  69. Find this resource:
  70.  
  71. Wolf, Eric. “The Social Organization of Mecca and the Origins of Islam.” Southwestern Journal of Anthropology 7 (1951): 329–356.
  72.  
  73. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  74.  
  75. A functionalist interpretation of the origins of Islam.
  76.  
  77. Find this resource:
  78.  
  79. Introductory Works and Textbooks
  80. Eickelman 2001 is the standard textbook on the anthropology of the Middle East and Central Asia, and it contains information and bibliographic references on Islam. Fluehr-Lobban 2004 provides an introduction to Islam from an anthropological perspective. A survey of earlier information, often from travelers, is provided in Weeks 1984. Bowen and Early 2002 is an anthology of anthropological sources, many relevant to Islam, on the Middle East. Gilsenan 2000, Makris 2006, and Rosen 2002 provide introductions to Islam for a general audience, with a focus on the Middle East. The anthropology of contemporary Muslims in Europe and the Middle East is the focus of Marranci 2009.
  81.  
  82. Bowen, Donna Lee, and Evelyn Early. Everyday Life in the Muslim Middle East. 2d ed. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2002.
  83.  
  84. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  85.  
  86. An anthology useful for teaching the anthropology of the Middle East or Muslim societies.
  87.  
  88. Find this resource:
  89.  
  90. Eickelman, Dale F. The Middle East and Central Asia: An Anthropological Approach. 4th ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 2001.
  91.  
  92. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  93.  
  94. A general academic survey of the cultures of the region, with chapters on the history of anthropological ‘research and Islam.
  95.  
  96. Find this resource:
  97.  
  98. Fleuhr-Lobban, Carolyn. Islamic Societies in Practice. 2d ed. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2004.
  99.  
  100. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  101.  
  102. Introductory text on Islam by an anthropologist with ethnographic experience in Sudan.
  103.  
  104. Find this resource:
  105.  
  106. Gilsenan, Michael. Recognizing Islam: An Anthropologist's Introduction. Rev. ed. London: I. B. Tauris, 2000.
  107.  
  108. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  109.  
  110. A general introduction, based on the author's experience in Egypt and Lebanon. Originally published in 1982.
  111.  
  112. Find this resource:
  113.  
  114. Makris, G. P. Islam in the Middle East: A Living Tradition. Boston: Wiley-Blackwell, 2006.
  115.  
  116. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  117.  
  118. A survey of the region using ethnographic data. Explores key concepts and issues such as spirit possession and contemporary politics.
  119.  
  120. Find this resource:
  121.  
  122. Marranci, Gabriele. Understanding Muslim Identity, Rethinking Fundamentalism. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009.
  123.  
  124. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  125.  
  126. Through an ethnographically based interpretation, the author rejects essentialist and cultural reductionist theories, arguing that identity and emotion play a fundamental role in the formation of what the author calls “Emotional Islam.”
  127.  
  128. Find this resource:
  129.  
  130. Rosen, Lawrence. The Culture of Islam: Changing Aspects of Contemporary Muslim Life. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002.
  131.  
  132. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  133.  
  134. General overview of contemporary by an anthropologist with research experience in Morocco.
  135.  
  136. Find this resource:
  137.  
  138. Trix, Frances, John Walbridge, and Linda Walbridge, eds. Muslim Voices and Lives in the Contemporary World. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.
  139.  
  140. DOI: 10.1057/9780230611924Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  141.  
  142. Biographical portraits of eleven Muslim individuals, based on case studies.
  143.  
  144. Find this resource:
  145.  
  146. Weeks, Richard W., ed. Muslim Peoples: A World Ethnographic Survey. 2 vols. Rev. ed. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1984.
  147.  
  148. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  149.  
  150. Extensive survey useful for earlier sources.
  151.  
  152. Find this resource:
  153.  
  154. Bibliographies
  155. Older texts relevant to the anthropology of Islam in the Middle East are referenced in Strijp 1992. Consult the AAIF bibliography for works on American Muslims specifically. Varisco 2005 provides a recent bibliographical overview of anthropology in Islam.
  156.  
  157. Arab American Institute Foundation (AAIF). A Complete Bibliography of Selected References on Arab Americans.
  158.  
  159. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  160.  
  161. This bibliography, a work in progress under the supervision of Jen'nan Ghazal Read, includes some materials on American Muslims.
  162.  
  163. Find this resource:
  164.  
  165. Strijp, Ruud. Cultural Anthropology of the Middle East: A Bibliography. 2 vols. Leiden, the Netherlands: Brill, 1992–1997.
  166.  
  167. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  168.  
  169. Covers references from 1965 to 1992.
  170.  
  171. Find this resource:
  172.  
  173. Varisco, Daniel Martin. Islam Obscured: The Rhetoric of Anthropological Representation. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.
  174.  
  175. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  176.  
  177. Bibliography of anthropological texts on pp. 199–220.
  178.  
  179. Find this resource:
  180.  
  181. Journals
  182. Professional journals in anthropology and Middle East studies often have articles relevant to the anthropology of Islam and Muslim communities. The following journals are recommended. The anthropological journals most likely to contain articles of relevance are the American Ethnologist and Anthropology of the Middle East. For contemporary Islam and Muslim communities, consult Contemporary Islam, and ISIM Review. Gender is the focus of the Journal of Middle East Women's Studies. CyberOrient deals with representations of Islam in cyberspace and the impact of the Internet on Muslims.
  183.  
  184. American Ethnologist.
  185.  
  186. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  187.  
  188. Presents occasional articles about ethnography in Muslims contexts. Begun in 1974.
  189.  
  190. Find this resource:
  191.  
  192. Anthropology of the Middle East.
  193.  
  194. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  195.  
  196. Focuses on Middle East anthropology, often with relevance to the practice of Islam. Begun in 2006.
  197.  
  198. Find this resource:
  199.  
  200. Comparative Islamic Studies.
  201.  
  202. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  203.  
  204. Sometimes has articles of anthropological interest. Begun in 2005.
  205.  
  206. Find this resource:
  207.  
  208. Contemporary Islam.
  209.  
  210. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  211.  
  212. Focuses on the analysis of problems facing contemporary Muslims. Begun in 2007.
  213.  
  214. Find this resource:
  215.  
  216. CyberOrient: Online Journal of the Virtual Middle East.
  217.  
  218. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  219.  
  220. An online journal devoted to the study of Islam as represented in cyberspace and the impact of the Internet on Muslim and Middle Eastern societies. Begun in 2006.
  221.  
  222. Find this resource:
  223.  
  224. ISIM Review.
  225.  
  226. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  227.  
  228. The International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World existed from 1998 to 2008. All the articles from the ten years of the ISIM Journal are available online and provide an excellent source of information on Muslims in Europe.
  229.  
  230. Find this resource:
  231.  
  232. Journal of Middle East Women's Studies.
  233.  
  234. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  235.  
  236. This triannual journal focuses on gender issues, often with relevance to Islam.
  237.  
  238. Find this resource:
  239.  
  240. The Anthropological Study of Islam: Theory
  241. Assessments of the anthropology of Islam are often merged with studies on approaches used in the study of Middle Eastern or Oriental cultures. Geertz 1968 is the foundational text for a specific “anthropology” of Islam, based on a comparison of Islamic traditions in Indonesia and Morocco. Antoun 1976 is a state-of-the-art survey that notes the paucity of ethnographic studies on Islamic issues. el-Zein 1977 is one of the most important critiques of previous anthropological studies of Islam. Asad 1986 and Asad 2003 have stimulated much of the best anthropological research on Islam in recent years. Varisco 2005 provides a critical review of anthropological representation in previous studies, with a focus on the widely read work of Clifford Geertz, Ernest Gellner, Fatima Mernissi, and Akbar Ahmed. Goodman 2003 critically examines the theoretical perspective of Pierre Bourdieu.
  242.  
  243. Ahmed, Akbar S. Postmodernism and Islam: Predicament and Promise. London: Routledge, 1992.
  244.  
  245. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  246.  
  247. A wide-ranging discussion of perceptions of Islam in popular culture and in light of postmodern critical theory.
  248.  
  249. Find this resource:
  250.  
  251. Antoun, Richard T. “Anthropology.” In The Study of the Middle East. Edited by Leonard Binder, 137–213. New York: Wiley, 1976.
  252.  
  253. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  254.  
  255. A critical survey with extensive references.
  256.  
  257. Find this resource:
  258.  
  259. Asad, Talal. The Idea of an Anthropology of Islam. Occasional Papers Series. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, 1986.
  260.  
  261. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  262.  
  263. Argues for the study of Islam as a historic tradition rooted in texts. Reprinted in 1996.
  264.  
  265. Find this resource:
  266.  
  267. Asad, Talal. Formations of the Secular: Christianity, Islam, Modernity. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2003.
  268.  
  269. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  270.  
  271. Presents a theoretical and historical contextualization of secularism in Islamic thought. For a critical assessment of Asad's ideas, see Scott and Hirschkind 2006.
  272.  
  273. Find this resource:
  274.  
  275. Geertz, Clifford. Islam Observed: Religious Development in Morocco and Indonesia. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1968.
  276.  
  277. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  278.  
  279. Four lectures comparing Islam in Indonesia and Morocco. This was the first major anthropological study of Islam as a cultural system.
  280.  
  281. Find this resource:
  282.  
  283. Goodman, Jane E. “The Proverbial Bourdieu: Habitus and the Politics of Representation in the Ethnography of Kabylia.” American Anthropologist 105, no. 4 (2003): 782–793.
  284.  
  285. DOI: 10.1525/aa.2003.105.4.782Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  286.  
  287. A critique of the theory of the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu's work on Berbers.
  288.  
  289. Find this resource:
  290.  
  291. Scott, David, and Charles Hirschkind, eds. Powers of the Secular Modern: Talal Asad and His Interlocutors. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2006.
  292.  
  293. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  294.  
  295. An anthology of ten articles on the merits and impact of Asad's work, with a response by Asad.
  296.  
  297. Find this resource:
  298.  
  299. Varisco, Daniel Martin. Islam Obscured: The Rhetoric of Anthropological Representation. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.
  300.  
  301. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  302.  
  303. A critical review of the anthropological work of Clifford Geertz, Ernest Gellner, Fatima Mernissi, and Akbar Ahmed, including a section on lessons observed in previous ethnographic study (pp. 134–162).
  304.  
  305. Find this resource:
  306.  
  307. el-Zein, Abdul Hamid. “Beyond Ideology and Theology: The Search for the Anthropology of Islam.” Annual Review of Anthropology 6 (1977): 227–254.
  308.  
  309. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.an.06.100177.001303Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  310.  
  311. El-Zein, an Egyptian anthropologist, provides an important critique of previous anthropological studies of Islam.
  312.  
  313. Find this resource:
  314.  
  315. The Anthropological Study of Islam: Methodology
  316. The hallmark of anthropological analysis of Muslim communities is participant observation fieldwork (Eickelman 2007). Lukens-Bull 2007 reflects on the role of the ethnographer in studying in an Islamic context. Rabinow 1977 challenged the authority of the ethnographer following Rabinow's research in Morocco; this postmodern critique of ethnography was in turn challenged by Varisco 2006. Marranci 2008 provides important methodological insights from his research on British Muslims. The relevance of anthropological research for other scholars is the focus of McLoughlin 2007.
  317.  
  318. Eickelman, Dale F. “The Study of Islam in Local Contexts.” In Defining Islam: A Reader. Edited by Andrew Rippin, 58–73. London: Equinox, 2007.
  319.  
  320. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  321.  
  322. Originally published in 1982, this essay assesses the various approaches taken in the study of Islam.
  323.  
  324. Find this resource:
  325.  
  326. Lukens-Bull, Ronald A. “Lost in a Sea of Subjectivity: The Subject Position of the Researcher in the Anthropology of Islam.” Contemporary Islam 1, no. 2 (2007): 173–192.
  327.  
  328. DOI: 10.1007/s11562-007-0014-ySave Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  329.  
  330. A reflective essay on the role of the ethnographer.
  331.  
  332. Find this resource:
  333.  
  334. Marranci, Gabriele. The Anthropology of Islam. Oxford: Berg, 2008.
  335.  
  336. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  337.  
  338. A survey of the anthropological study of Islam, focusing on the relevance of fieldwork, the impact of the 9/11 terror attacks, and the dynamics of gender.
  339.  
  340. Find this resource:
  341.  
  342. McLoughlin, Seán. “Islam(s) in Context: Orientalism and the Anthropology of Muslim Societies and Cultures.” Journal of Beliefs & Values: Studies in Religion & Education 28, no. 3 (2007): 273–296.
  343.  
  344. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  345.  
  346. Assesses the relevance of anthropological research for scholars in religious studies.
  347.  
  348. Find this resource:
  349.  
  350. Rabinow, Paul. Reflections on Fieldwork in Morocco. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1977.
  351.  
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  353.  
  354. Reflexivist account of ethnographic fieldwork in Morocco, in which Rabinow challenges the authority of the ethnographer.
  355.  
  356. Find this resource:
  357.  
  358. Varisco, Daniel Martin. “Reflections on Fieldwork in Yemen: The Genealogy of a Diary in Response to Rabinow's Reflections on Fieldwork in Morocco.” Anthropology of the Middle East 1, no. 2 (2006): 35–62.
  359.  
  360. DOI: 10.3167/174607106780586941Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  361.  
  362. A critical response to Paul Rabinow's text.
  363.  
  364. Find this resource:
  365.  
  366. History of Islam
  367. Anthropologists have commented on the history of Islam based on their ethnographic experience or critical analysis of historical documents. In some cases, the anthropologist relies almost exclusively on derivative texts (e.g., Gellner 1981, Lindholm 2002) or writes from a sectarian viewpoint (Ahmed 1988). The historical analysis of Asad 1993 relates Islamic history to trends in European Christianity. An interpretation of cultural factors in the formation of Islam is provided by Asad 1980 and Eickelman 1967. Varisco 1995 compares the recorded genealogies of the prophet Muhammad to ethnographic accounts of tribal kinship. Textual analysis is used in Messick 1997, which looks at how Muslim jurists use Islamic legal texts and adapt them to contemporary circumstances, especially in Yemen.
  368.  
  369. Ahmed, Akbar S. Discovering Islam: Making Sense of Muslim History and Society. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1988.
  370.  
  371. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  372.  
  373. A general, uncritical survey, with little ethnographic data and an emphasis on interpretation within Shiʿa Islam.
  374.  
  375. Find this resource:
  376.  
  377. Anderson, Jon W. “Conjuring with Ibn Khaldun: From an Anthropological Point of View.” In Ibn Khaldun and Islamic Ideology. Edited by Bruce B. Lawrence, 111–121. Leiden, the Netherlands: E.J. Brill, 1984.
  378.  
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  380.  
  381. Provides commentary on the relevance of Ibn Khaldun's theory of dynastic change.
  382.  
  383. Find this resource:
  384.  
  385. Asad, Talal. “Ideology, Class and the Origins of the Islamic State.” Economy and Society 9, no. 4 (1980): 450–473.
  386.  
  387. DOI: 10.1080/03085148008538612Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  388.  
  389. An anthropological assessment of the factors leading to the origins of Islam in the 7th century.
  390.  
  391. Find this resource:
  392.  
  393. Asad, Talal. Genealogies of Religion: Discipline and Reasons of Power in Christianity and Islam. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993.
  394.  
  395. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  396.  
  397. A comparison of Christian and Muslim perspectives, from the medieval period to the present.
  398.  
  399. Find this resource:
  400.  
  401. Eickelman, Dale F. “Musaylima: An Approach to the Social Anthropology of Seventh-Century Arabia.” Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient 10 (1967): 17–52.
  402.  
  403. DOI: 10.2307/3596357Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  404.  
  405. An interpretation of the role of a rival prophet to Muhammad and the origins of Islam.
  406.  
  407. Find this resource:
  408.  
  409. Gellner, Ernest. Muslim Society. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1981.
  410.  
  411. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  412.  
  413. Includes a chapter on Gellner's theory of the dynamics of Muslim societies, plus eleven additional chapters, primarily concerning Islam in North Africa.
  414.  
  415. Find this resource:
  416.  
  417. Lindholm, Charles. The Islamic Middle East: Tradition and Change. 2d ed. Oxford: Blackwell, 2002.
  418.  
  419. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  420.  
  421. General survey of the history of the Islamic Middle East, with limited use of Arabic source material.
  422.  
  423. Find this resource:
  424.  
  425. Messick. Brinkley. “Genealogies of Reading and the Scholarly Cultures of Islam.” In Cultures of Scholarship. Edited by S. C. Humphries, 387–412. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1997.
  426.  
  427. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  428.  
  429. Analysis based on author's experience with Muslim jurists in Yemen.
  430.  
  431. Find this resource:
  432.  
  433. Varisco, Daniel Martin. “Metaphors and Sacred History: The Genealogy of Muhammad and the Arab ‘Tribe.’” Anthropological Quarterly 68, no. 3 (1995): 139–156.
  434.  
  435. DOI: 10.2307/3318071Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  436.  
  437. Compares textual accounts of Muhammad's genealogy with tribal kinship models.
  438.  
  439. Find this resource:
  440.  
  441. Regional Studies of Islam
  442. Anthropologists usually conduct fieldwork in specific locations. Many ethnographies focus on a village, town, city or region studied through personal observation and other research techniques. There is a large literature on ethnography among Muslim societies, but the focus here is on texts that provide information on Islamic practices and beliefs. Ethnographic accounts are also provided by scholars not trained specifically in the disciplines of anthropology or sociology.
  443.  
  444. Afghanistan and Central Asia
  445. Ethnographic research by English-speaking anthropologists has been limited in Afghanistan and Central Asia, in part due to past Soviet influence. Dupree 1973 is a general introduction to the traditional culture of Afghanistan. Canfield 1973 focuses on relations between sectarian groups. Interest in Afghanistan during the Taliban regime led to the account of modern Afghan society provided in Edwards 2002, drawn mainly from interviews with Afghan migrants in Pakistan. The Afghani anthropologist Nazif Shahrani (Shahrani 2002a, Shahrani 2002b) provides a native perspective on his own society. With the demise of the Soviet Union, ethnographic research is now taking place in the former Soviet states, as reported in Louw 2007 (Uzbekistan) and Harris 2006 (Tajikistan).
  446.  
  447. Canfield, Robert Leroy. Faction and Conversion in a Plural Society: Religious Alignments in the Hindu Kush. Anthropological Papers, No. 50. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1973.
  448.  
  449. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  450.  
  451. Provides an analysis of sectarian relations.
  452.  
  453. Find this resource:
  454.  
  455. Dupree, Louis. Afghanistan. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1973.
  456.  
  457. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  458.  
  459. Gives a general description of culture in Afghanistan before the Soviet invasion.
  460.  
  461. Find this resource:
  462.  
  463. Edwards, David B. Before Taliban: Genealogies of the Afghan Jihad. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002.
  464.  
  465. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  466.  
  467. A study of the Afghan jihad against the Soviets, based on interviews made in Pakistan.
  468.  
  469. Find this resource:
  470.  
  471. Harris, Colette. Muslim Youth: Tensions and Transitions in Tajikistan. Westview Case Studies in Anthropology. Boulder, CO: Westview, 2006.
  472.  
  473. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  474.  
  475. Discusses family life, education, dating, and marriage and the family in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan.
  476.  
  477. Find this resource:
  478.  
  479. Louw, Maria Elisabeth. Everyday Islam in Post-Soviet Central Asia. London: Routledge, 2007.
  480.  
  481. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  482.  
  483. Examines local forms of saint worship and Sufism in Bukhara.
  484.  
  485. Find this resource:
  486.  
  487. Shahrani, M. Nazif. The Kirghiz and Wakhi of Afghanistan: Adaptation to Closed Frontiers and War. 2d ed. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2002a.
  488.  
  489. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  490.  
  491. Looks at of the impact of war and Islamic extremism on these ethnic groups, many of whom fled Afghanistan to neighboring countries.
  492.  
  493. Find this resource:
  494.  
  495. Shahrani, M. Nazif. “War, Factionalism, and the State in Afghanistan.” American Anthropologist 104, no. 3 (2002b): 715–722.
  496.  
  497. DOI: 10.1525/aa.2002.104.3.715Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  498.  
  499. Commentary on the fall of the Taliban by a native anthropologist.
  500.  
  501. Find this resource:
  502.  
  503. Shahrani, M. Nazif, and Robert L. Canfield, eds. Revolutions and Rebellions in Afghanistan: Anthropological Perspectives. Berkeley, CA: Institute of International Studies, 1984.
  504.  
  505. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  506.  
  507. An anthology of articles on the Afghan resistance to the Soviets.
  508.  
  509. Find this resource:
  510.  
  511. Tapper, Nancy. Bartered Brides: Politics, Gender, and Marriage in an Afghan Tribal Society. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1991.
  512.  
  513. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  514.  
  515. A study of marriage among the Maduzai, a tribal society in Afghan Turkistan, based on research in the mid-1970s.
  516.  
  517. Find this resource:
  518.  
  519. Africa
  520. This section covers major references for Islam as practiced outside North Africa, Egypt, and Sudan. One of the most important ethnographic studies, el-Zein 1974, is a groundbreaking symbolic analysis of beliefs on the island of Lamu in Kenya. Ethnographic case studies have been conducted in the West African countries of the Ivory Coast (Launay 1992) and Senegal (Dilley 2004, Diouf and Leichtman 2009), in the Central African country of Niger (Alidou 2005, Masquelier 2001), in Madagascar (Lambek 1993), and in sub-Saharan Africa (Brenner 1993, Soares and Otayek 2007).
  521.  
  522. Alidou, Ousseina D. Engaging Modernity: Muslim Women and the Politics of Agency in Postcolonial Niger. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2005.
  523.  
  524. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  525.  
  526. Focuses on gender roles among Muslims in Niger.
  527.  
  528. Find this resource:
  529.  
  530. Brenner, Louis, ed. Muslim Identity and Social Change in Sub-Saharan Africa. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1993.
  531.  
  532. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  533.  
  534. A collection of fourteen articles on education, Sufism, and changing conditions of Muslims throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
  535.  
  536. Find this resource:
  537.  
  538. Dilley, Roy. Islamic and Caste Knowledge Practices among Haalpulaaren in Senegal: Between Mosque and Termite Mound. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2004.
  539.  
  540. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  541.  
  542. Explores the knowledge practices of Muslim clerics and specialized craft groups, with a focus on their sense of religious identity.
  543.  
  544. Find this resource:
  545.  
  546. Diouf, Mamadou, and Mara Leichtman, eds. New Perspectives on Islam in Senegal: Conversion, Migration, Wealth, Power, and Femininity. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009.
  547.  
  548. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  549.  
  550. Edited volume with eleven articles on Qur'anic schools, mosques, jihad, conversion, migration, marriage, gender, and Sufi movements.
  551.  
  552. Find this resource:
  553.  
  554. Lambek, Michael. Knowledge and Practice in Mayotte: Local Discourses of Islam, Sorcery, and Spirit Possession. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1993.
  555.  
  556. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  557.  
  558. Focuses on discourse of magic, supernaturalism, and healing.
  559.  
  560. Find this resource:
  561.  
  562. Launay, Robert. Beyond the Stream: Islam and Society in a West African Town. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1992.
  563.  
  564. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  565.  
  566. A study of the Dyula, Muslim traders who form a religious and ethnic minority in an urban neighborhood in Koko.
  567.  
  568. Find this resource:
  569.  
  570. Masquelier, Adeline. Prayer Has Spoiled Everything: Possession, Power, and Identity in an Islamic Town of Niger. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2001.
  571.  
  572. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  573.  
  574. An ethnographic study of gender and spirit possession.
  575.  
  576. Find this resource:
  577.  
  578. Soares, Benjamin F., and René Otayek, eds. Islam and Muslim Politics in Africa. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.
  579.  
  580. DOI: 10.1057/9780230607101Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  581.  
  582. Focuses on recent cultural and political changes within Islam in sub-Saharan Africa.
  583.  
  584. Find this resource:
  585.  
  586. el-Zein, Abdul Hamid. The Sacred Meadows: A Structural Analysis of Religious Symbolism in an East African Town. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, 1974.
  587.  
  588. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  589.  
  590. Symbolic analysis of beliefs and practices in Lamu, Kenya.
  591.  
  592. Find this resource:
  593.  
  594. America
  595. Anthropological analyses of Muslims in America are often part of more general analyses of Arabs and immigrants from Muslim countries. The selections in Aswad and Bilgé 1996 and Haddad and Smith 1994 provide a general overview of Muslim communities in the United States, updated in Haddad, et al. 2006. Jamal 2005 focuses on Arab Muslim families, while Rouse 2004 provides one of the few anthropological studies on Black Muslims and Islam in the African-American community. Walbridge 1997 examines a Lebanese Shiʿa Muslim community in Michigan, and Peterson 2007 looks at Muslim reaction to media coverage.
  596.  
  597. Aswad, Barbara, and Barbara Bilgé, eds. Family and Gender among American Muslims: Issues Facing Middle Eastern Immigrants and Their Descendants. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1996.
  598.  
  599. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  600.  
  601. An anthology of studies on issues facing American Muslims.
  602.  
  603. Find this resource:
  604.  
  605. Curtis, Edward E., ed. The Columbia Sourcebook of Muslims in the United States. New York: Columbia University Press, 2008.
  606.  
  607. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  608.  
  609. Gives an overview of Muslim experiences in America, with useful references.
  610.  
  611. Find this resource:
  612.  
  613. Haddad, Yvonne Yazbeck, and Jane I. Smith, eds. Muslim Communities in North America. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1994.
  614.  
  615. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  616.  
  617. An anthology of articles, some with ethnographic perspective.
  618.  
  619. Find this resource:
  620.  
  621. Haddad, Yvonne Yazbeck, Jane I. Smith and Kathleen M. Moore, eds. Muslim Women in America. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.
  622.  
  623. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  624.  
  625. Investigates efforts by Muslim women to form a new “American” Islam with a focus on dress, marriage, childrearing, conversion, and workplace discrimination.
  626.  
  627. Find this resource:
  628.  
  629. Jamal, Amaney. “Mosques, Collective Identity, and Gender Differences among Arab American Muslims.” Journal of Middle East Women's Studies 1, no. 1 (2005): 53–78.
  630.  
  631. DOI: 10.2979/MEW.2005.1.1.53Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  632.  
  633. Focuses on gender roles among Muslim women.
  634.  
  635. Find this resource:
  636.  
  637. Peterson, Mark Allen. “Making Global News: ‘Freedom of Speech’ and ‘Muslim Rage’ in U.S. Journalism.” Contemporary Islam 1, no. 3 (2007): 247–264.
  638.  
  639. DOI: 10.1007/s11562-007-0021-zSave Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  640.  
  641. A former journalist assesses Muslim anger over media coverage of the Danish cartoon controversy.
  642.  
  643. Find this resource:
  644.  
  645. Rouse, Carolyn Moxley. Engaged Surrender: African American Women and Islam. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2004.
  646.  
  647. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  648.  
  649. A study of Islam, race, and gender in urban America.
  650.  
  651. Find this resource:
  652.  
  653. Staub, Shalom. Yemenis in New York City: The Folklore of Ethnicity. Philadelphia: Balch Institute Press, 1989.
  654.  
  655. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  656.  
  657. Explores the ethnography of an immigrant Yemeni Muslim community in Brooklyn.
  658.  
  659. Find this resource:
  660.  
  661. Walbridge, Linda S. Without Forgetting the Imam: Lebanese Shiʿism in an American Community. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press, 1997.
  662.  
  663. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  664.  
  665. Walbridge's study is based on four years of fieldwork among Lebanese Muslims in Dearborn, Michigan.
  666.  
  667. Find this resource:
  668.  
  669. Egypt and Nubia
  670. Because of the ease of access for Westerners to Egypt under British colonial control up until Nasser's revolution, many travelers and researchers visited the country. The most important documentation of local custom was (see Lane under History of the Anthropological Study of Islam). The focus during this time was on the archaeology of ancient Egypt and peasant life, rather than the role of Islam in people's lives. Several of Egypt's ethnographies were written by native Egyptians trained in anthropology or related social sciences. A major research project on the impact of the Aswan Dam on Nubians generated several studies (e.g., Kennedy 1978) with follow-up ethnography. Topics covered in ethnographies of Egypt include education (Starrett 1998), folk cosmology and ritual observance (Abu-Zahra 1997, el-Aswad 2002), gender (Mahmood 2005, Rugh 1986), health issues (Morsey 1993), and recent religious change (Haeri 2003, Hirschkind 2006).
  671.  
  672. Abu-Zahra, Nadia. The Pure and Powerful: Studies in Contemporary Muslim Society. Reading, UK: Ithaca, 1997.
  673.  
  674. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  675.  
  676. Focuses on the role of women in Muslim rituals.
  677.  
  678. Find this resource:
  679.  
  680. el-Aswad, el-Sayed. Religion and Folk Cosmology: Scenarios of the Visible and Invisible in Rural Egypt. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2002.
  681.  
  682. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  683.  
  684. Detailed ethnographic study of folk knowledge in relation to Islamic beliefs in rural Egypt.
  685.  
  686. Find this resource:
  687.  
  688. Haeri, Niloofar. Sacred Language, Ordinary People: Dilemmas of Culture and Politics in Egypt. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003.
  689.  
  690. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  691.  
  692. Provides a linguistic analysis of religious rhetoric.
  693.  
  694. Find this resource:
  695.  
  696. Hirschkind, Charles. The Ethical Soundscape: Cassette Sermons and Islamic Counterpublics. New York: Columbia University Press, 2006.
  697.  
  698. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  699.  
  700. Focuses on the rhetoric of sermons and their reception in Egyptian urban culture.
  701.  
  702. Find this resource:
  703.  
  704. Kennedy, John G. Nubian Ceremonial Life: Studies in Islamic Syncretism and Cultural Change. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1978.
  705.  
  706. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  707.  
  708. Explores the results of a research study on Nubians displaced by the building of the Aswan dam.
  709.  
  710. Find this resource:
  711.  
  712. Mahmood, Saba. Politics of Piety: The Islamic Revival and the Feminist Subject. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univerity Press, 2005.
  713.  
  714. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  715.  
  716. Ethnographic study of the women's mosque movement in Cairo.
  717.  
  718. Find this resource:
  719.  
  720. Morsey, Soheir A. Gender, Sickness, and Healing in Rural Egypt: Ethnography in Historical Context. Boulder, CO: Westview, 1993.
  721.  
  722. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  723.  
  724. An ethnographic study of women's attitudes to healing and health services.
  725.  
  726. Find this resource:
  727.  
  728. Rugh, Andrea B. Reveal and Conceal: Dress in Contemporary Egypt. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1986.
  729.  
  730. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  731.  
  732. Discusses Egyptian Muslim views on dress.
  733.  
  734. Find this resource:
  735.  
  736. Starrett, Gregory. Putting Islam to Work: Education, Politics, and Religious Transformation in Egypt. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998.
  737.  
  738. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  739.  
  740. Explores both the history and ethnography of the role of public education in Egypt.
  741.  
  742. Find this resource:
  743.  
  744. Europe
  745. Muslims in Europe have received less attention from anthropologists than from sociologists. In recent years, the focus has been on Muslim immigrants in Western Europe, especially with the rise of a global militancy and terrorist attacks. Overviews of the Muslim experience in Europe are provided in the anthologies of Gerholm and Lithman 1988 and Grillo and Soares 2004. Based on ethnographic research in Ireland, England, and Scotland, Marranci 2006 applies anthropological theory to the issues facing Muslim immigrants. Specific studies are available on Muslim communities in Berlin (al-Hammameh and Thielman 2008, Ewing 2008), Bosnia (Bringa 1995), the Netherlands (Buitelaar 2007), and Sweden (Roald 2003). For an archive of short articles on Muslim communities in Europe, see the online issues of the now defunct journal ISIM Review (1998–2008).
  746.  
  747. Bringa, Toné. Being Muslim the Bosnian Way: Identity and Community in a Central Bosnian Village. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1995.
  748.  
  749. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  750.  
  751. Gives the results of a six-year ethnographic study in a mixed Croat-Muslim village in Central Bosnia.
  752.  
  753. Find this resource:
  754.  
  755. Buitlelaar, Marjo. “Staying Close By Moving Out. The Contextual Meanings of Personal Autonomy in the Life Stories of Women of Moroccan Descent in the Netherlands.” Contemporary Islam 1, no. 1 (2007): 3–22.
  756.  
  757. DOI: 10.1007/s11562-007-0003-1Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  758.  
  759. Ethnographic work on issues facing Moroccan Muslim women.
  760.  
  761. Find this resource:
  762.  
  763. Ewing, Katherine Pratt. Stolen Honor: Stigmatizing Muslim Men in Berlin. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2008.
  764.  
  765. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  766.  
  767. Develops an ethnographic portrait of Turkish Muslim men in Germany, with a focus on media attention on immigration and assimilation.
  768.  
  769. Find this resource:
  770.  
  771. Gerholm, Tomas, and Yngve Georg Lithman, eds. The New Islamic Presence in Western Europe. London: Mansell, 1988.
  772.  
  773. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  774.  
  775. Anthology on problems facing immigrant Muslim communities.
  776.  
  777. Find this resource:
  778.  
  779. Grillo, Ralph, and Benjamin F. Soares, eds. “Islam, Transnationalism, and the Public Sphere in Western Europe.” Special issue, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 30, no. 5 (2004.)
  780.  
  781. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  782.  
  783. Collection of 10 articles on Muslim immigrant issues in Britain, France, Germany and Italy.
  784.  
  785. Find this resource:
  786.  
  787. al-Hammameh, Ala, and Jörn Thielmann, eds. Islam and Muslims in Germany. Leiden, the Netherlands: Brill, 2008.
  788.  
  789. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  790.  
  791. A comprehensive point of departure for understanding the history of the Muslim presence in Germany.
  792.  
  793. Find this resource:
  794.  
  795. ISIM Review.
  796.  
  797. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  798.  
  799. The International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World existed from 1998 to 2008. All the articles from the ten years of the ISIM Journal are available online and provide an excellent source of information on Muslims in Europe.
  800.  
  801. Find this resource:
  802.  
  803. Marranci, Gabriele. Jihad Beyond Islam. Oxford: Berg, 2006.
  804.  
  805. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  806.  
  807. An ethnographic study of British Muslim responses to 9/11 and the global war on terror.
  808.  
  809. Find this resource:
  810.  
  811. Roald, Anne-Sofie. “The Mecca of Gender Equality: Muslim Women in Sweden.” In Muslim Women in the United Kingdom and Beyond: Experiences and Images. Edited by Haifaa Jawad and Tansin Benn, 65–90. Leiden, the Netherlands: Brill, 2003.
  812.  
  813. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  814.  
  815. Focuses on gender issues of Muslim migrants to Sweden.
  816.  
  817. Find this resource:
  818.  
  819. Werbner, Pnina. Imagined Diasporas Among Manchester Muslims: The Public Performance of Pakistani Transnational Identity Politics. Oxford: James Curry, 2002.
  820.  
  821. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  822.  
  823. Examines problems facing a long-standing Muslim immigrant community in Britain.
  824.  
  825. Find this resource:
  826.  
  827. Gulf States and Saudi Arabia
  828. Anthropological fieldwork by Western ethnographers has been limited in the Gulf States and Saudi Arabia, although local folklorists and trained anthropologists publish in Arabic. One of the few exceptions is Hurreiz 2002, which explores the folklore of the United Arab Emirates. el-Aswad 2003, meanwhile, examines globalism in the United Arab Emirates. Much of the available research deals with gender issues, especially Altorki 1986 and Doumato 1999 for Saudi Arabia and Wikan 1982 in Oman. Recent ethnographic studies include Limbert 2008, an analysis of the date as a gift in an Omani town, and Lay 2005, a study of non-Qatari students in an all-female Qatari school.
  829.  
  830. Altorki, Soraya. Women in Saudi Arabia: Ideology and Behavior among the Elite. New York: Columbia University Press, 1986.
  831.  
  832. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  833.  
  834. A study of gender issues among the elite families of Jeddah.
  835.  
  836. Find this resource:
  837.  
  838. el-Aswad, el-Sayed. “Sanctified Cosmology: Maintaining Muslim Identity with Globalism.” Journal of Social Affairs 24, no. 80 (2003): 65–94.
  839.  
  840. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  841.  
  842. A comparative study of the impact of globalism in the Emirates and Egypt.
  843.  
  844. Find this resource:
  845.  
  846. Doumato, Eleanor Abdella. “Women and Work in Saudi Arabia: How Flexible Are Islamic Margins?” Middle East Journal 53, no. 4 (1999): 568–583.
  847.  
  848. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  849.  
  850. Examines whether the Saudi Arabian regime can respond to women's desire for more job options and still be credible guardians of society's “Islamic margins.”
  851.  
  852. Find this resource:
  853.  
  854. Eickelman, Christine. Women and Community in Oman. New York: New York University Press, 1984.
  855.  
  856. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  857.  
  858. Community ethnography with information on women's ritual practices.
  859.  
  860. Find this resource:
  861.  
  862. Hurreiz, Sayyid Hamid. Folklore and Folklife in the United Arab Emirates. London: Routledge, 2002.
  863.  
  864. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  865.  
  866. Detailed study of folklore in the UAE, with information on folk beliefs and ritual practices.
  867.  
  868. Find this resource:
  869.  
  870. Lay, Alexis R. “Interpretations of Islamic Practices among Non-Qatari Students Living in the University of Qatar's Ladies Hostel.” Dialectical Anthropology 29, no. 2 (2005): 181–219.
  871.  
  872. DOI: 10.1007/s10624-005-0826-1Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  873.  
  874. Semi-structured interviews with second-generation expatriates and Omani students reveal gossip networks.
  875.  
  876. Find this resource:
  877.  
  878. Limbert, Mandana. “The Sacred Date: Gifts of God in an Omani Town.” Ethnos 73, no. 3 (2008): 361–376.
  879.  
  880. DOI: 10.1080/00141840802324045Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  881.  
  882. Examines dates as gifts of God that embody and index the generosity of God and are central to everyday life.
  883.  
  884. Find this resource:
  885.  
  886. Wikan, Unni. Behind the Veil in Arabia: Women in Oman. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1982.
  887.  
  888. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  889.  
  890. Focuses on gender and sex roles in northern Oman.
  891.  
  892. Find this resource:
  893.  
  894. India and Pakistan
  895. Under British control, there was substantial documentation of the peoples of India, but most of this was not conducted by trained anthropologists. The majority of ethnographic research has been on Muslims in Pakistan and Bangladesh after the split from India. Ethnographic research among the Pathans and Pakhtuns has been carried out by Akbar Ahmed (Ahmed 1976, Ahmed 1980) and—with a focus on gender—by Amineh Ahmed (Ahmed 2006). Marsden 2005 examines village life near the Afghan border under the impact of Afghan refugees. Kotalová 1993 analyzes gender relations in Bangladesh. Ethnographic studies on contemporary Muslim communities within India explore the religious symbolism of weaving (Mehta 1997), identity (Hansen 2000, Lee 2005), and the impact of the Internet on Daudi Bohra Muslims (Blank 2001).
  896.  
  897. Ahmed, Akbar S. Millennium and Charisma among Pathans: A Critical Essay in Social Anthropology. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1976.
  898.  
  899. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  900.  
  901. An ethnographic survey by a native anthropologist trained in Britain.
  902.  
  903. Find this resource:
  904.  
  905. Ahmed, Akbar S. Pukhtun Economy and Society: Traditional Structure and Economic Development in a Tribal Society. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1980.
  906.  
  907. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  908.  
  909. An ethnographic survey by a native anthropologist.
  910.  
  911. Find this resource:
  912.  
  913. Ahmed, Amineh. Sorrow and Joy among Muslim Women: The Pukhtuns of Northern Pakistan. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2006.
  914.  
  915. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  916.  
  917. Focus on contemporary gender issues.
  918.  
  919. Find this resource:
  920.  
  921. Blank, Jonah. Mullahs on the Mainframe: Islam and Modernity among the Daudi Bohras. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001.
  922.  
  923. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  924.  
  925. An ethnographic study on the impact of the Internet on this religious community.
  926.  
  927. Find this resource:
  928.  
  929. Hansen, Thomas B. “Predicaments of Secularism: Muslim Identities and Politics in Mumbai.” Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 6, no. 2 (2000): 255–272.
  930.  
  931. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  932.  
  933. Focuses on Muslim identity construction in a major Indian city.
  934.  
  935. Find this resource:
  936.  
  937. Kotalová, Jitka. Belonging to Others: Cultural Construction of Womanhood among Muslims in a Village in Bangladesh. Uppsala, Sweden: Academiae Ubsaliensis, 1993.
  938.  
  939. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  940.  
  941. Focuses on the symbolic construction of womenhood in a Muslim peasant community.
  942.  
  943. Find this resource:
  944.  
  945. Lee, Christopher. “Adab and Banarsipan: Embodying Community among Muslim Artisans in Varanasi, India.” Comparative Islamic Studies 1, 2 (2005): 177–196.
  946.  
  947. DOI: 10.1558/cist.2005.1.2.177Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  948.  
  949. Examines adab (cultured respectfulness) and banarsipan (Banaras-ness) as two forms of identity for working-class Muslims in the Indian city of Varanasi.
  950.  
  951. Find this resource:
  952.  
  953. Marsden, Magnus. Living Islam: Muslim Religious Experience in Pakistan's North-West Frontier. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2005.
  954.  
  955. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  956.  
  957. An account of village life near the Afghan border, based on ethnographic research from 2000 to 2003.
  958.  
  959. Find this resource:
  960.  
  961. Mehta, Deepak. Work, Ritual, Biography: A Muslim Community in North India. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.
  962.  
  963. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  964.  
  965. Ethnographic study of a community of Muslim weavers in Ansari, in northern India.
  966.  
  967. Find this resource:
  968.  
  969. Iran and Iraq
  970. A large amount of sociological research is available on Iran, but there is less ethnographic research by foreign scholars. Earlier ethnographic study during the period of the Shah focused on tribal society (Bradburd 1998, Tapper 1984). Gender has been of special interest, especially for native Iranian anthropologists (Haeri 1989, Mir-Hosseini 1999). Several studies focus on the life in Iran after the 1979 revolution (Fischer 1980, Fischer and Abedi 1990, Mir-Hosseini and Tapper 2006, Swenson 1985). Few Western anthropologists have had access to Iraq, however, and most have not looked at Islamic practices. A notable exception is Fernea 1965, a popular account of life in a southern Iraqi village in the late 1950s.
  971.  
  972. Bradburd, Daniel. Being There: The Necessity of Fieldwork. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1998.
  973.  
  974. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  975.  
  976. A biographical account of the author's fieldwork, with a discussion of local Islamic practices.
  977.  
  978. Find this resource:
  979.  
  980. Fernea, Elizabeth. Guests of the Sheik: An Ethnography of an Iraqi Village. New York: Anchor Books, 1965.
  981.  
  982. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  983.  
  984. Popular account about life in a southern Iraqi town in the late 1950s. The focus is on women, including their participation in rituals. Reprinted in 1990.
  985.  
  986. Find this resource:
  987.  
  988. Fischer, Michael M. J. Iran: From Religious Dispute to Revolution. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1980.
  989.  
  990. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  991.  
  992. Based on ethnographic research before and during the Iranian revolution.
  993.  
  994. Find this resource:
  995.  
  996. Fischer, Michael M. J., and Mehdi Abedi. Debating Muslims: Cultural Dialogues in Postmodernity and Tradition. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1990.
  997.  
  998. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  999.  
  1000. A wide-ranging set of essays on contemporary Iran, with an emphasis on critical theory and popular culture.
  1001.  
  1002. Find this resource:
  1003.  
  1004. Haeri, Shahla. Law of Desire: Temporary Marriage in Shiʿi Iran. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1989.
  1005.  
  1006. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1007.  
  1008. Ethnographic analysis of a controversial form of traditional marriage.
  1009.  
  1010. Find this resource:
  1011.  
  1012. Mir-Hosseini, Ziba. Islam and Gender: The Religious Debate in Contemporary Iran. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1999.
  1013.  
  1014. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1015.  
  1016. Focuses on the impact of the Iranian revolution on gender roles.
  1017.  
  1018. Find this resource:
  1019.  
  1020. Mir-Hosseini, Ziba, and Richard Tapper. Islam and Democracy in Iran: Eshkevari and the Quest for Reform. London: I. B. Tauris, 2006.
  1021.  
  1022. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1023.  
  1024. An analysis of the reform movement of the Iranian critic Hasan Yousefi Eshkevari.
  1025.  
  1026. Find this resource:
  1027.  
  1028. Swenson, Jill D. “Martyrdom: Mytho-Cathexis and the Mobilization of the Masses in the Iranian Revolution.” Ethos 13, no. 2 (1985): 121–149.
  1029.  
  1030. DOI: 10.1525/eth.1985.13.2.02a00030Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1031.  
  1032. A psychological-anthropological approach to the events of the Iranian Revolution.
  1033.  
  1034. Find this resource:
  1035.  
  1036. Tapper, Richard. “Holier Than Thou: Islam in Three Tribal Societies.” In Islam in Tribal Societies: From the Atlas to the Indus. Edited by Akbar S. Ahmed and David M. Hart, 244–265. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1984.
  1037.  
  1038. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1039.  
  1040. Analysis of the role of Islam in Iranian tribal groups.
  1041.  
  1042. Find this resource:
  1043.  
  1044. Levant and Israel
  1045. Ethnographic research in Israel, Jordan, Palestine and Syria has been limited, despite a great deal of “ethnographic” information from Western travelers and considerable attention being paid to political events. Antoun 1972 was one of the earliest community studies, followed up by an analysis of sermons by Jordanian imams (Antoun 1989). The Israeli anthropologist Joseph Ginat has worked among Bedouin in Israel (Ginat 1982). Recent attention has been paid to the plight of Palestinian refugees (Lybarger 2007) and the politicization of Islam in Lebanon (Deeb 2006a, Deeb 2006b; Norton 2009).
  1046.  
  1047. Antoun, Richard T. Arab Village: A Social Structural Study of a Transjordanian Peasant Community. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1972.
  1048.  
  1049. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1050.  
  1051. An early ethnographic study of a local community in this region.
  1052.  
  1053. Find this resource:
  1054.  
  1055. Antoun, Richard T. Muslim Preacher in the Modern World: A Jordanian Case Study in Comparative Perspective. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1989.
  1056.  
  1057. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1058.  
  1059. Detailed analysis of sermons from a Jordanian cleric in ethnographic context.
  1060.  
  1061. Find this resource:
  1062.  
  1063. Deeb, Lara. An Enchanted Modern: Gender and Public Piety in Shiʿi Lebanon. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2006a.
  1064.  
  1065. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1066.  
  1067. In this depiction of a Shiʿi Muslim community in Beirut, Deeb examines the ways that individual and collective expressions and understandings of piety have been debated, contested, and reformulated.
  1068.  
  1069. Find this resource:
  1070.  
  1071. Deeb, Lara. “Deconstructing a ‘Hizbullah Stronghold.’” MIT Electronic Journal of Middle East Studies 6 (2006b): 115–125.
  1072.  
  1073. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1074.  
  1075. Anthropological assessment of Hezbollah in Lebanon. Available online.
  1076.  
  1077. Find this resource:
  1078.  
  1079. Ginat, Joseph. Women in Muslim Rural Society: Status and Role in Family and Community. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Books, 1982.
  1080.  
  1081. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1082.  
  1083. Based on research among Palestinian Bedouins.
  1084.  
  1085. Find this resource:
  1086.  
  1087. Lybarger, Loren D. Identity and Religion in Palestine: The Struggle between Islamism and Secularism in the Occupied Territories. Princeton Studies in Muslim Politics. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2007.
  1088.  
  1089. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1090.  
  1091. Based on author's research in Palestinian refugee camps.
  1092.  
  1093. Find this resource:
  1094.  
  1095. Norton, Augustus Richard. Hezbollah: A Short History. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2009.
  1096.  
  1097. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1098.  
  1099. Analysis based on the author's training in anthropology, as a former U.S. Army officer and UN military observer.
  1100.  
  1101. Find this resource:
  1102.  
  1103. North Africa
  1104. Extensive anthropological research by English-speaking anthropologists has been conducted across North Africa, in part due to its proximity to Europe. The most studied area is Morocco, with studies on education (Eickelman 1985), identity (Eickelman 1976), and spirit possession and ritual performance (Crapanzano 1973, Buitelaar 1993, Gellner 1969, Hammoudi 1993). Fewer studies have been undertaken in Tunisia (Abu Zahra 1982, Holmes-Eber 2003) and Libya.
  1105.  
  1106. Abu Zahra, Nadia. Sidi Ameur: A Tunisian village. London: Ithaca, 1982.
  1107.  
  1108. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1109.  
  1110. A community study with details on local ritual practices.
  1111.  
  1112. Find this resource:
  1113.  
  1114. Buitelaar, Marjo. Fasting and Feasting in Morocco: Women's Participation in Ramadan. Oxford: Berg, 1993.
  1115.  
  1116. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1117.  
  1118. Focuses on the female roles in Ramadan rituals.
  1119.  
  1120. Find this resource:
  1121.  
  1122. Crapanzano, Vincent. The Hamadsha: A Study in Moroccan Ethnopsychiatry. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1973.
  1123.  
  1124. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1125.  
  1126. A psychological study of a Moroccan healer.
  1127.  
  1128. Find this resource:
  1129.  
  1130. Eickelman, Dale F. Moroccan Islam: Tradition and Society in a Pilgrimage Center. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1976.
  1131.  
  1132. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1133.  
  1134. A classic effort to link classical studies of Islam at the center with popular religious practices.
  1135.  
  1136. Find this resource:
  1137.  
  1138. Eickelman, Dale F. Knowledge and Power in Morocco. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1985.
  1139.  
  1140. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1141.  
  1142. Explores the role of education and religious knowledge in Moroccan society.
  1143.  
  1144. Find this resource:
  1145.  
  1146. Gellner, Ernest. Saints of the Atlas. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1969.
  1147.  
  1148. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1149.  
  1150. An ethnographic study of relations between tribes and religious marabouts.
  1151.  
  1152. Find this resource:
  1153.  
  1154. Hammoudi, Abdellah. The Victim and Its Masks: An Essay on Sacrifice and Masquerade in the Maghreb. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993.
  1155.  
  1156. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1157.  
  1158. Analysis of sacrifice in Morocco and different anthropological approaches to its understanding its significance.
  1159.  
  1160. Find this resource:
  1161.  
  1162. Holmes-Eber, Paula. Daughters of Tunis: Women, Family, and Networks in a Muslim City. Boulder, CO: Westview, 2003.
  1163.  
  1164. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1165.  
  1166. Focuses on gender issues in urban context in Tunisia.
  1167.  
  1168. Find this resource:
  1169.  
  1170. Munson, Henry, Jr. Religion and Power in Morocco. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1993.
  1171.  
  1172. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1173.  
  1174. A critial assessment of Clifford Geertz's approach to the study of Islam in Morocco.
  1175.  
  1176. Find this resource:
  1177.  
  1178. Southeast Asia
  1179. Modern ethnographic research in Indonesia began with Geertz 1960, with critical assessment by Woodward 1989. Peacock 1978 studies the origins and development of the Muhammadiyah movement. Among the issues studied are ritual observance (Bowen 1993), law and civil society (Hefner 2000), political Islam (Lukens-Bull 2005), and religious pluralism (Hefner 1985). Ethnographic research has also been carried out in Malaysia (Daniels 2004) and the Philippines (Horvatich 1994).
  1180.  
  1181. Bowen, John R. Muslims through Discourse: Religion and Ritual in Gayo Society. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1993.
  1182.  
  1183. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1184.  
  1185. Ethnographic analysis, with an emphasis on ritual performances.
  1186.  
  1187. Find this resource:
  1188.  
  1189. Daniels, Timothy. Building Cultural Nationalism in Malaysia: Identity, Representation, and Citizenship. New York: Routledge, 2004.
  1190.  
  1191. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1192.  
  1193. Ethnographic analysis of Islamic identity in Malaysian nationalism.
  1194.  
  1195. Find this resource:
  1196.  
  1197. Geertz, Clifford. The Religion of Java. Glencoe, IL: The Free Press, 1960.
  1198.  
  1199. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1200.  
  1201. Ethnographic analysis of Islam and other religions during the 1950s.
  1202.  
  1203. Find this resource:
  1204.  
  1205. Hefner, Robert W. Hindu Javanese: Tengger Tradition and Islam. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1985.
  1206.  
  1207. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1208.  
  1209. An ethnographic study comparing Muslims and Hindus.
  1210.  
  1211. Find this resource:
  1212.  
  1213. Hefner, Robert W. Civil Islam: Muslims and Democratization in Indonesia. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2000.
  1214.  
  1215. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1216.  
  1217. A survey of recent democratization and nationalist discourse in Indonesia.
  1218.  
  1219. Find this resource:
  1220.  
  1221. Horvatich, Patricia. “Ways of Knowing Islam.” American Ethnologist 21 (1994): 811–826.
  1222.  
  1223. DOI: 10.1525/ae.1994.21.4.02a00080Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1224.  
  1225. Study of the construction of religious authority among the Sama of the southern Philippines.
  1226.  
  1227. Find this resource:
  1228.  
  1229. Lukens-Bull, Ronald A. A Peaceful Jihad. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.
  1230.  
  1231. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1232.  
  1233. Focuses on identity among the pesantren community in Indonesia.
  1234.  
  1235. Find this resource:
  1236.  
  1237. Peacock, James. Purifying the Faith: The Muhammadijah Movement in Indonesian Islam. Menlo Park, CA: Cummings, 1978.
  1238.  
  1239. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1240.  
  1241. Ethnographic study of an important Indonesia religious order.
  1242.  
  1243. Find this resource:
  1244.  
  1245. Woodward, Mark R. Islam in Java: Normative Piety and Mysticism in the Sultanate of Yogyakarta. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1989.
  1246.  
  1247. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1248.  
  1249. Provides a critical assessment of the work of Geertz.
  1250.  
  1251. Find this resource:
  1252.  
  1253. Sudan
  1254. Ethnographic work in Sudan began with British anthropologists when Britain was in control of the area, but most of this work was focused on animist groups. Barclay 1963 is an ethnographic study of a village near Khartoum. Holy 1991 examines a Sudanese tribe with Islamic and animist practices. The ethnography of Rashaayda Bedouin in Young 1996 pays particular attention to their practice of Islam. Several studies focus on gender (Hale 1996, Hale 2005, Holy 1988). Fluehr-Lobban 1987 surveys the ramifications of Islamic law on Sudanese society.
  1255.  
  1256. Barclay, Harold B. “Muslim Religious Practice in a Village Suburb of Khartoum.” The Muslim World 53, no. 3 (1963): 205–211.
  1257.  
  1258. DOI: 10.1111/j.1478-1913.1963.tb01157.xSave Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1259.  
  1260. A summary of ethnographic research.
  1261.  
  1262. Find this resource:
  1263.  
  1264. Barclay, Harold B. Buurri al Lamaab: A Suburban Village in the Sudan. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1964.
  1265.  
  1266. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1267.  
  1268. Community ethnography before the rise of Islamist politics.
  1269.  
  1270. Find this resource:
  1271.  
  1272. Fluehr-Lobban, Carolyn. Islamic Law and Society in the Sudan. London: Frank Cass, 1987.
  1273.  
  1274. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1275.  
  1276. A survey of the impact of Islamic law on Sudanese society.
  1277.  
  1278. Find this resource:
  1279.  
  1280. Hale, Sondra. Gender Politics in Sudan: Islamism, Socialism, and the State. Boulder, CO: Westview, 1996.
  1281.  
  1282. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1283.  
  1284. Presents the results of ethnographic research in northern Sudan.
  1285.  
  1286. Find this resource:
  1287.  
  1288. Hale, Sondra. “Activating the Gender Local: Transnational Ideologies and ‘Women's Culture’ in Northern Sudan.” Journal of Middle East Women's Studies 1, no. 1 (2005): 29–52.
  1289.  
  1290. DOI: 10.2979/MEW.2005.1.1.29Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1291.  
  1292. Focuses on gender issues in contemporary Sudan.
  1293.  
  1294. Find this resource:
  1295.  
  1296. Holy, Ladislav. “Gender and Ritual in an Islamic Society: the Berti of Darfur.” Man 23, no. 3 (1988): 469–487.
  1297.  
  1298. DOI: 10.2307/2803261Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1299.  
  1300. Summary of research on the religious practices of a Sudanese people.
  1301.  
  1302. Find this resource:
  1303.  
  1304. Holy, Ladislav. Religion and Custom in a Muslim Society: The Berti of Sudan. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1991.
  1305.  
  1306. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1307.  
  1308. Examines the results of ethnographic study among a Sudanese people with an animist tradition.
  1309.  
  1310. Find this resource:
  1311.  
  1312. Young, William Charles. The Rashaayda Bedouin: Arab Pastoralists of Eastern Sudan. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1996.
  1313.  
  1314. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1315.  
  1316. Focuses on Islamic practices and the author's own conversion to Islam.
  1317.  
  1318. Find this resource:
  1319.  
  1320. Turkey
  1321. Earlier modern ethnographic studies in Turkey, such as Magnarella 1974, rarely focused on Islam. Delaney 1991, Olson 1985, and Shively 2005 all focus on gender. Meeker 2002 examines secularism, while White 2002 and Çinar 2005 look at Islamist sentiments and symbols in contemporary Turkish culture. An ethnographic study of Turkish healing practices is provided by Önder 2007.
  1322.  
  1323. Bellér-Hann, Ildikó, and Chris Hann. Turkish Region: State, Market, and Social Identities on the East Black Sea Coast. Santa Fe: School of American Research Press, 2001.
  1324.  
  1325. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1326.  
  1327. Excellent study of changes in regional urban society, with strong chapters on Islam.
  1328.  
  1329. Find this resource:
  1330.  
  1331. Çinar, Alev. Modernity, Islam, and Secularism in Turkey. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2005.
  1332.  
  1333. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1334.  
  1335. Informative study of the rising use of Islamic symbols in public in Turkey.
  1336.  
  1337. Find this resource:
  1338.  
  1339. Delaney, Carol. The Seed and the Soil: Gender and Cosmology in Turkish Village Society. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1991.
  1340.  
  1341. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1342.  
  1343. Explores theories and symbols of procreation, based on almost two years or ethnographic research in the early 1980s.
  1344.  
  1345. Find this resource:
  1346.  
  1347. Magnarella, Paul J. Tradition and Change in a Turkish Town. Cambridge, MA: Schenkman, 1974.
  1348.  
  1349. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1350.  
  1351. A community study with minimal information on local Islamic practices.
  1352.  
  1353. Find this resource:
  1354.  
  1355. Meeker, Michael E. A Nation of Empire: The Ottoman Legacy of Turkish Modernity. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002.
  1356.  
  1357. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1358.  
  1359. An account of efforts to impose state secularism, and of the gradual return of religion.
  1360.  
  1361. Find this resource:
  1362.  
  1363. Önder, Sylvia Wing. We Have No Microbes Here: Healing Practices in a Turkish Black Sea Village. Ethnographic Studies in Medical Anthropology Series. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press, 2007.
  1364.  
  1365. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1366.  
  1367. Examines the lives of rural Turkish women, with an emphasis on their health issues and treatment in the health care system.
  1368.  
  1369. Find this resource:
  1370.  
  1371. Olson, Emelie A. “Muslim Identity and Secularism in Contemporary Turkey: the ‘Headscarf Dispute.’” Anthropologial Quarterly 58, no. 4 (1985): 161–171.
  1372.  
  1373. DOI: 10.2307/3318146Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1374.  
  1375. Analysis of secular rulings on Islamic dress in Turkey.
  1376.  
  1377. Find this resource:
  1378.  
  1379. Shively, Kim. “Religious Bodies and the Secular State: The Merve Kavakci Affair.” Journal of Middle East Women's Studies 1, no. 3 (2005): 46–72.
  1380.  
  1381. DOI: 10.2979/MEW.2005.1.3.46Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1382.  
  1383. Examines the election of a veiled woman to the Turkish parliament.
  1384.  
  1385. Find this resource:
  1386.  
  1387. White, Jenny B. Islamist Mobilization in Turkey: A Study in Vernacular Politics. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2002.
  1388.  
  1389. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1390.  
  1391. Analysis of the cultural and political impact of Islamism.
  1392.  
  1393. Find this resource:
  1394.  
  1395. Yemen
  1396. A large amount of ethnographic study on Muslims in the Middle East has taken place in Yemen, mainly in the former Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen). The British anthropologist Paul Dresch has written extensively about relations between Yemen's tribes and the Zaydi Islamic state (Dresch 1989). Among the numerous studies on Yemeni tribes, Weir 2007 examines the role of customary tribal law. Messick 1993, meanwhile, examines the process of juridicial decision making based on ethnographic research in Ibb. (Messick has also published a number of articles on Islamic law in Yemen.) Mundy 1979 focuses on inheritance law in its present context. The traditional Sada elite in Yemen are the focus of vom Bruck 2005. Bujra 1971 describes relations between a Muslim elite and other classes in a southern Yemeni town near the end of the British protectorate. Ho 2006 traces the history and current experiences of Hadrami migrants to Southeast Asia, with a focus on Sufi texts and practices.
  1397.  
  1398. Bruck, Gabriele vom. Islam, Memory, and Morality in Yemen: Ruling Families in Transition. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.
  1399.  
  1400. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1401.  
  1402. An ethnographic study of the changing role of the Sada elite in north Yemen.
  1403.  
  1404. Find this resource:
  1405.  
  1406. Bujra, Abdella. The Politics of Stratification: A Study of Political Change in a South Arabian Town. Oxford: Clarendon, 1971.
  1407.  
  1408. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1409.  
  1410. An ethnographic study of Hureidah, including the religious elite before the revolution in South Yemen.
  1411.  
  1412. Find this resource:
  1413.  
  1414. Dresch, Paul. Tribes, Government, and History in Yemen. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989.
  1415.  
  1416. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1417.  
  1418. A historical survey of Yemeni tribes and their relation to the Zaydi state, based on historical texts and ethnographic research.
  1419.  
  1420. Find this resource:
  1421.  
  1422. Gerholm, Tomas. Market, Mosque and Mafraj: Social Inequality in a Yemeni Town. Stockholm, Sweden: Stockholm University Press, 1977.
  1423.  
  1424. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1425.  
  1426. One of the earliest ethnographies of Yemen, in the highland town of Manakha.
  1427.  
  1428. Find this resource:
  1429.  
  1430. Ho, Engseng. The Graves of Tarim: Genealogy and Mobility across the Indian Ocean. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2006.
  1431.  
  1432. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1433.  
  1434. A history of the Yemeni diaspora to Indonesia and India, with an emphasis on Sufism.
  1435.  
  1436. Find this resource:
  1437.  
  1438. Meneley, Anne. “Fashions and Fundamentalisms in Fin-De-Siècle Yemen: Chador Barbie and Islamic Socks.” Cultural Anthropology 22, no. 2 (2007): 214–243.
  1439.  
  1440. DOI: 10.1525/can.2007.22.2.214Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1441.  
  1442. Impact of Islamist thinking on popular culture in Yemen.
  1443.  
  1444. Find this resource:
  1445.  
  1446. Messick, Brinkley. The Calligraphic State: Textual Domination and History in a Muslim Society. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993.
  1447.  
  1448. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1449.  
  1450. A detailed study of the process of legal decision making in Yemen, based on ethnographic research in Ibb and a thorough study of Yemeni legal texts.
  1451.  
  1452. Find this resource:
  1453.  
  1454. Mundy, Martha. “Women's Inheritance of Land in Highland Yemen.” Arabian Studies 5 (1979): 161–187.
  1455.  
  1456. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1457.  
  1458. Analysis of inheritance practices in the central highland Zaydi area.
  1459.  
  1460. Find this resource:
  1461.  
  1462. Weir, Shelagh. A Tribal Order: Politics and Law in the Mountains of Yemen. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2007.
  1463.  
  1464. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1465.  
  1466. Focuses on tribal customary law in relation to the Islamic state in Yemen.
  1467.  
  1468. Find this resource:
  1469.  
  1470. Muslim Critiques of Anthropology
  1471. Several Muslim critics have responded to what they see as the biased and Orientalist writing of Western anthropologists on Islam. This involves a rejection of the evolutionary and secular aspects of contemporary anthropology (Maʿruf 1989). The British-trained Pakistani anthropologist Akbar Ahmed has called for an “Islamic anthropology” (Ahmed 1989), a concept that has been critically assessed by Tapper 1995 and Varisco 2005.
  1472.  
  1473. Ahmed, Akbar. Toward Islamic Anthropology. In Toward Islamization of Disciplines. Edited by Mahmoud Abu Saud, et al., 199–247. Herndon, VA: International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1989.
  1474.  
  1475. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1476.  
  1477. Exploration of the idea of a specific “Islamic” approach to anthropological research.
  1478.  
  1479. Find this resource:
  1480.  
  1481. Davies, Wyn. Knowing One Another: Shaping Islamic Anthropology. London: Mansell, 1988.
  1482.  
  1483. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1484.  
  1485. A thoughtful study on how to create an Islamic anthropology, written by a Welsh convert to Islam.
  1486.  
  1487. Find this resource:
  1488.  
  1489. Maʿruf, Muhammad. “Western Anthropology: A Critique of Evolutionism.” In Toward Islamization of Disciplines. Edited by Mahmoud Abu Saud, et al., 165–195. Herndon, VA: International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1989.
  1490.  
  1491. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1492.  
  1493. A critique of the evolutionary and secular basis of modern anthropology.
  1494.  
  1495. Find this resource:
  1496.  
  1497. Tapper, Richard. “‘Islamic Anthropology’ and the ‘Anthropology of Islam.’” Anthropological Quarterly 68, no. 3 (1995): 185–193.
  1498.  
  1499. DOI: 10.2307/3318074Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1500.  
  1501. A critical assessment of the work of Akbar Ahmed.
  1502.  
  1503. Find this resource:
  1504.  
  1505. Varisco, Daniel Martin. Islam Obscured: The Rhetoric of Anthropological Representation. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.
  1506.  
  1507. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1508.  
  1509. Includes a critical analysis of the work of Akbar Ahmed (pp. 115–134).
  1510.  
  1511. Find this resource:
  1512.  
  1513. Fundamentalism
  1514. Although the term “fundamentalism” has been applied to Islam, there are several other terms used to describe recent conservative trends, including “Islamism” and “resurgence.” A debate between anthropologist Daniel Martin Varisco and sociologist Donald Emmerson over the term “Islamism” is published in Martin and Barzegar 2009. Both El Guindi 1981 and Toth 2003 analyze political Islam in Egypt. Antoun 2008 provides a comparative perspective of fundamentalism in Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. For a focus on the Middle East in general, see Munson 1988. Mernissi 2003 examines the impact of fundamentalism in North Africa, and Varisco 2007 looks at Christian fundamentalist apocalyptic fears of Islam.
  1515.  
  1516. Antoun, Richard T. Understanding Fundamentalism: Christian, Islamic, and Jewish Movements. 2d ed. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2008.
  1517.  
  1518. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1519.  
  1520. A comparative survey of fundamentalism in these three religions.
  1521.  
  1522. Find this resource:
  1523.  
  1524. El Guindi, Fadwa. “The Emerging Islamic Order: The Case of Egypt's Contemporary Islamic Movement.” Journal of Arab Affairs 1 (1981): 245–261.
  1525.  
  1526. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1527.  
  1528. An important study of the rise of political forms of Islam in Egypt and their impact on women.
  1529.  
  1530. Find this resource:
  1531.  
  1532. Marranci, Gabriele. Understanding Muslim Identity, Rethinking Fundamentalism. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009.
  1533.  
  1534. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1535.  
  1536. Through an ethnographically based interpretation, the author rejects essentialist and cultural reductionist theories, arguing that identity and emotion play a fundamental role in the formation of what the author calls “Emotional Islam.”
  1537.  
  1538. Find this resource:
  1539.  
  1540. Martin, Richard, and Abbas Barzegar, eds. Islamism: Contested Perspectives on Political Islam. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2009.
  1541.  
  1542. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1543.  
  1544. Debate between anthropologist Daniel Martin Varisco and sociologist Donald Emmerson on the use of the term “Islamism” with commentaries by anthropologists and other specialists. Suitable for classroom use.
  1545.  
  1546. Find this resource:
  1547.  
  1548. Mernissi, Fatema. “Palace Fundamentalism and Liberal Democracy.” In The New Crusades: Constructing the Muslim Enemy. Edited by Emran Qureshi and Michael A. Sells, 51–67. New York: Columbia University Press, 2003.
  1549.  
  1550. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1551.  
  1552. Focuses on recent religious extremism in North Africa.
  1553.  
  1554. Find this resource:
  1555.  
  1556. Munson, Henry, Jr. Islam and Revolution in the Middle East. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1988.
  1557.  
  1558. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1559.  
  1560. General survey of rise of political forms of Islam.
  1561.  
  1562. Find this resource:
  1563.  
  1564. Toth, James. “Islamism in Southern Egypt: A Case Study of a Radical Religious Movement.” International Journal of Middle East Studies 35 (2003): 547–572.
  1565.  
  1566. DOI: 10.1017/S0020743803000230Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1567.  
  1568. A study based on ethnographic research in Egypt.
  1569.  
  1570. Find this resource:
  1571.  
  1572. Varisco, Daniel Martin. “The Tragedy of a Comic: Fundamentalists Crusading against Fundamentalists.” Contemporary Islam 1, no. 3 (2007): 207–230.
  1573.  
  1574. DOI: 10.1007/s11562-007-0019-6Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1575.  
  1576. An analysis of the Christian fundamentalist propaganda of Jack Chick, who argues that Islam is a plot of Satan and the Catholic Church.
  1577.  
  1578. Find this resource:
  1579.  
  1580. Gender
  1581. Since the 1980s, Gender has been one of the most studied aspects of Muslim societies. While some ethnographic case studies focus on a specific location, there are a number of general summaries of gender issues, with the issues of veiling and sexuality as specific concerns.
  1582.  
  1583. General Studies
  1584. General overviews of the gender roles of Muslim women in the Middle East are provided in Beck and Keddie 1978 and Fernea 1978. The most widely read study of gender and sexuality is Mernissi 1987 (first published in 1977). Critical commentaries on the study of gender are given by Abu-Lughod 2002, Mahmood 2003, and Tapper 1979. Mahmood 2001 assesses the role of feminist theory in studying Egyptian Muslim women. Inhorn 1994 examines the concerns about fertility among Egyptian women. The reflections of native Arab and Muslim female anthropologists are given in the selections of Altorki and el-Solh 1988.
  1585.  
  1586. Abu-Lughod, Lila. “Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving? Anthropological Reflections on Cultural Relativism and Its Others.” American Anthropologist 104, no. 3 (2002): 883–890.
  1587.  
  1588. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1589.  
  1590. A critical study of feminist views on Muslim women.
  1591.  
  1592. Find this resource:
  1593.  
  1594. Altorki, Soraya, and Camilla F. el-Solh, eds. Arab Women in the Field: Studying Your Own Society. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1988.
  1595.  
  1596. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1597.  
  1598. Presents the reflections of six female anthropologists claiming Arab descent on conducting ethnographic research in their own society.
  1599.  
  1600. Find this resource:
  1601.  
  1602. Beck, Lois, and Nikkie Keddie, eds. Women in the Muslim World. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1978.
  1603.  
  1604. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1605.  
  1606. An important anthology of excerpts about women in the Middle East.
  1607.  
  1608. Find this resource:
  1609.  
  1610. Fernea, Elizabeth W., and Basima Q. Bezirgan, eds. Middle Eastern Muslim Women Speak. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1978.
  1611.  
  1612. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1613.  
  1614. Excerpts from Muslim women's folklore and reflections, suitable for classroom use.
  1615.  
  1616. Find this resource:
  1617.  
  1618. Inhorn, Marcia C. Quest for Conception: Gender, Infertility, and Egyptian Medical Traditions. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1994.
  1619.  
  1620. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1621.  
  1622. Detailed analysis of views on conception and fertility in the Egyptian context. General survey of gender and sexuality issues concerning Muslim women.
  1623.  
  1624. Find this resource:
  1625.  
  1626. Mahmood, Saba. “Feminist Theory, Embodiment, and the Docile Agent: Some Reflections on the Egyptian Islamic Revival.” Cultural Anthropology 16, no. 2 (2001): 202–236.
  1627.  
  1628. DOI: 10.1525/can.2001.16.2.202Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1629.  
  1630. Critical analysis of feminist views on Muslim women. Available online.
  1631.  
  1632. Find this resource:
  1633.  
  1634. Mahmood, Saba. “Anthropology and the Study of Women in Islamic Cultures.” In The Encyclopedia of Women and Islamic Cultures, 307–314. Leiden, the Netherlands: Brill, 2003.
  1635.  
  1636. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1637.  
  1638. General survey.
  1639.  
  1640. Find this resource:
  1641.  
  1642. Mernissi, Fatima. Beyond the Veil: Male-Female Dynamics in Modern Muslim Society. Rev ed. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1987.
  1643.  
  1644. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1645.  
  1646. Classic but dated study by Moroccan sociologist with essentialist portrayal of Muslim gender roles based on the medieval scholar al-Ghazali. First published in 1977.
  1647.  
  1648. Find this resource:
  1649.  
  1650. Tapper, Nancy. “Mysteries of the Harem? An Anthropological Perspective on Recent Studies of Women of the Muslim Middle East.” Women's Studies International Quarterly 2 (1979): 481–487.
  1651.  
  1652. DOI: 10.1016/S0148-0685(79)90520-7Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1653.  
  1654. Critical survey of early literature, including the work of Mernissi.
  1655.  
  1656. Find this resource:
  1657.  
  1658. Veiling
  1659. The issue of veiling has been a special concern in the anthropological study of the Middle East. The debate between Richard Antoun (Antoun 1968) and Nadia Abu-Zahra (Abu-Zahra 1970) was one of the first dialogues on the issue. Abu-Zahra criticized Antoun for interpreting views of female modesty in the village on the basis of pedantic interpretation of Quranic passages and linguistic origins rather than the prevailing local value system. The most comprehensive study of the issue is El Guindi 1999. Case studies are available for Afghanistan (Anderson 1982), Turkey (Göle 1996), and France (Bowen 2006). Mernissi 1991 provides a historical interpretation of veiling in Islam.
  1660.  
  1661. Abu-Zahra, Nadia. “On the Modesty of Women in Arab Muslim Villages: A Reply.” American Anthropologist 72, no. 5 (1970): 1079–1087.
  1662.  
  1663. DOI: 10.1525/aa.1970.72.5.02a00080Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1664.  
  1665. In this article, Abu-Zahra critiques Antoun's 1968 study of a Jordanian village as overly reliant on textual arguments.
  1666.  
  1667. Find this resource:
  1668.  
  1669. Anderson, Jon W. “Social Structure and the Veil: Comportment and the Composition of Interaction in Afghanistan.” Anthropos 77, no. 2 (1982) 397–420.
  1670.  
  1671. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1672.  
  1673. An important study of veiling and gender separation in Afghan society.
  1674.  
  1675. Find this resource:
  1676.  
  1677. Antoun, Richard T. “On the Modesty of Women in Arab Muslim Villages: A Study in the Accommodation of Traditions.” American Anthropologist 70, no. 4 (1968): 671–697.
  1678.  
  1679. DOI: 10.1525/aa.1968.70.4.02a00010Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1680.  
  1681. Provides a functional argument about the maintenance of the modesty code in a Jordanian peasant village, relating this to the Quran and obscure linguistic origins.
  1682.  
  1683. Find this resource:
  1684.  
  1685. Bowen, John Richard. Why the French Don't Like Headscarves: Islam, the State, and Public Space. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2006.
  1686.  
  1687. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1688.  
  1689. Analysis of the controversy over wearing Islamic headscarves and the French reaction against it.
  1690.  
  1691. Find this resource:
  1692.  
  1693. El Guindi, Fadwa. Veil: Modesty, Privacy and Resistance. Oxford: Berg, 1999.
  1694.  
  1695. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1696.  
  1697. Major survey of the history and functions of veiling in the Middle East.
  1698.  
  1699. Find this resource:
  1700.  
  1701. Göle, Nilufer. The Forbidden Modern: Civilization and Veiling. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1996.
  1702.  
  1703. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1704.  
  1705. Focuses on the issue of veiling in secular Turkey.
  1706.  
  1707. Find this resource:
  1708.  
  1709. Mernissi, Fatima. The Veil and the Male Elite: A Feminist Interpretation of Women's Rights in Islam. Translated by Mary Jo Lakeland. Reading, PA: Addison-Wesley, 1991.
  1710.  
  1711. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1712.  
  1713. An interpretation of Islamic texts regarding female roles, including the issue of veiling.
  1714.  
  1715. Find this resource:
  1716.  
  1717. Pfluger-Schindlbeck, Ingrid. “On the Symbolism of Hair in Islamic Societies: An Analysis of Approaches.” Anthropology of the Middle East 1, no. 2 (2006): 72–88.
  1718.  
  1719. DOI: 10.3167/174607106780586905Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1720.  
  1721. A symbolic analysis of various approaches to and uses of hair in Islamic societies.
  1722.  
  1723. Find this resource:
  1724.  
  1725. Sexuality
  1726. Interest in sexuality among Muslims was a theme of exotic Orientalist writing, most notably by Richard Burton (Burton 1886, Burton 1888), who translated The Arabian Nights. Contemporary ethnographic study is mostly on gay and lesbian sexuality, primarily in Murray and Roscoe 1997. Case studies are available for lesbian and bisexual British Muslims (Yip 2008), gays in Indonesia (Boellstorff 2005), and the xanith role in Oman (Wikan 1982).
  1727.  
  1728. Boellstorff, Tom. The Gay Archipelago: Sexuality and Nation in Indonesia. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2005.
  1729.  
  1730. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1731.  
  1732. A general survey of the lives of gay men in Indonesia.
  1733.  
  1734. Find this resource:
  1735.  
  1736. Burton, Sir Richard. The Perfumed Garden of the Sheikh Nefzaoui. London: Kama Shastra Society, 1886.
  1737.  
  1738. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1739.  
  1740. A translation of an erotic text by Sheikh Nefzaoui. Available online.
  1741.  
  1742. Find this resource:
  1743.  
  1744. Burton, Sir Richard. “Terminal Essay” from The Arabian Nights. London: Benares: Printed by the Kamashastra society for private subscribers only, 1888.
  1745.  
  1746. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1747.  
  1748. Controversial study of erotica for the annotation of Burton's translation of The Arabian Nights. Available online, with excerpts available from People with a History.
  1749.  
  1750. Find this resource:
  1751.  
  1752. Murray, Stephen O., and Will Roscoe, ed. Islamic Homosexualities: Culture, History, and Literature. New York: New York University Press, 1997.
  1753.  
  1754. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1755.  
  1756. An anthology of twenty-one selections, including anthropological studies on Pakistan, Indonesia, Philippines, and Iraq.
  1757.  
  1758. Find this resource:
  1759.  
  1760. Wikan, Unni. Behind the Veil in Arabia: Women in Oman. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1982.
  1761.  
  1762. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1763.  
  1764. Contains a discussion of the sex role of the xanith in Oman.
  1765.  
  1766. Find this resource:
  1767.  
  1768. Yip, Andrew Kam-Tuck. “The Quest for Intimate/Sexual Citizenship: Lived Experiences of Lesbian and Bisexual Muslim Women.” Contemporary Islam 2, no. 2 (2008): 99–117.
  1769.  
  1770. DOI: 10.1007/s11562-008-0046-ySave Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1771.  
  1772. Explores the results of a qualitative research project exploring the lived experiences of British lesbian and bisexual Muslim women.
  1773.  
  1774. Find this resource:
  1775.  
  1776. Literature
  1777. Responses to Salman Rushdie's controversial book The Satanic Verses are contextualized in Asad 1990 and Werbner 1996.
  1778.  
  1779. Asad, Talal. “Ethnography, Literature, and Politics: Some Readings and Uses of Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses.” Cultural Anthropology 5, no. 3 (1990): 239–269.
  1780.  
  1781. DOI: 10.1525/can.1990.5.3.02a00010Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1782.  
  1783. Provides an anthropological perspective on the Rushdie affair in Britain.
  1784.  
  1785. Find this resource:
  1786.  
  1787. Werbner, Pnina. “Allegories of Sacred Imperfection: Magic, Hermeneutics, and Passion in The Satanic Verses.” In “Anthropology in Public,” special issue of Current Anthropology 37, no. 1 (1996): S55–S86.
  1788.  
  1789. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1790.  
  1791. A British anthropologist examines the cultural aspects of the Rushdie affair.
  1792.  
  1793. Find this resource:
  1794.  
  1795. Media
  1796. The impact of television and film has been the focus of several anthropological studies about Egypt (Abu-Lughod 1993, Armbrust 1996) and Syria (Salamandra 2008). Messick 1996 examines the use of radio in the spread of Islamic knowledge, and Edwards 1995 analyses the use of print media in Afghanistan. The reaction of Indonesian Muslims to the Danish cartoon controversy is examined in Daniels 2007. The use of the Internet and cyberspace are the focus of Anderson 1999 and Varisco 2007.
  1797.  
  1798. Abu-Lughod, Lila. “Finding a Place for Islam: Egyptian Television Serials and the National Interest.” Public Culture 5, no. 3 (1993): 493–513.
  1799.  
  1800. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1801.  
  1802. An ethnographic study of the impact of the media on ordinary Egyptians.
  1803.  
  1804. Find this resource:
  1805.  
  1806. Anderson, Jon W. “The Internet and Islam's New Interpreters.” In New Media in the Muslim World: The Emerging Public Sphere. Edited by Dale F. Eickelman and Jon W. Anderson, 41–56. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1999.
  1807.  
  1808. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1809.  
  1810. An important study on the role of the Internet in Muslim society.
  1811.  
  1812. Find this resource:
  1813.  
  1814. Armbrust, Walter. Mass Culture and Modernism in Egypt. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1996.
  1815.  
  1816. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1817.  
  1818. Focuses on film analysis and the ethnographic study of filmgoers.
  1819.  
  1820. Find this resource:
  1821.  
  1822. Daniels, Timothy. “Liberals, Moderates and Jihadists: Protesting Danish Cartoons in Indonesia.” Contemporary Islam 1, no. 3 (2007): 231–246.
  1823.  
  1824. DOI: 10.1007/s11562-007-0020-0Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1825.  
  1826. An analysis of Indonesian Muslim reactions to the controversial Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad.
  1827.  
  1828. Find this resource:
  1829.  
  1830. Edwards, David B. “Print Islam: Media and Religious Revolution in Afghanistan.” Anthropological Quarterly 68, no. 3 (1995): 171–184.
  1831.  
  1832. DOI: 10.2307/3318073Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1833.  
  1834. Examines the use of print media for revolutionary propaganda.
  1835.  
  1836. Find this resource:
  1837.  
  1838. Eickelman, Dale F. and Jon W. Anderson, ed. New Media in the Muslim World: The Emerging Public Sphere. 2d. ed. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2003.
  1839.  
  1840. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1841.  
  1842. A revised edition of this important anthology on the use of various media in the Muslim world.
  1843.  
  1844. Find this resource:
  1845.  
  1846. Messick, Brinkley. “Media Muftis: Radio Fatwas in Yemen.” In Islamic Legal Interpretation: Muftis and Their Fatwas. Edited by Muhammad Khalid Masud, Brinkley Messick, and David S. Powers, 310–320. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1996.
  1847.  
  1848. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1849.  
  1850. Based on ethnographic research in Yemen.
  1851.  
  1852. Find this resource:
  1853.  
  1854. Salamandra, Christa. “Creative Compromise: Syrian Television Makers between Secularism and Islamism.” Contemporary Islam 2, no. 3 (2008): 177–189.
  1855.  
  1856. DOI: 10.1007/s11562-008-0060-0Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1857.  
  1858. Explores Syrian television dramas as social commentary on Islamism.
  1859.  
  1860. Find this resource:
  1861.  
  1862. Varisco, Daniel Martin. “Virtual Dasein: Ethnography in Cyberspace.” CyberOrient 1 (2007).
  1863.  
  1864. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1865.  
  1866. Theoretical discussion of role of e-ethnography, with case study of Muslim websites. Available online.
  1867.  
  1868. Find this resource:
  1869.  
  1870. Ritual Celebrations
  1871. Most ethnographies focus on the practice of Islamic rituals in context. An assessment of Ramadan fasting is made by Antoun 1968 and Gordon 1998, while pilgrimage is the focus of Delaney 1990 and Young 1993. Celebrations of the Prophet's birth are analyzed in Tapper and Tapper 1987 and Peterson 2008. Studies are also available on mourning (Hegland 1998), prayer (Mahmoud 2001), and shrine visitation (Schielke 2008).
  1872.  
  1873. Antoun, Richard T. “The Social Significance of Ramadan in an Arab Village.” The Muslim World 58 (1968): 36–42, 95–104.
  1874.  
  1875. DOI: 10.1111/j.1478-1913.1968.tb02701.xSave Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1876.  
  1877. A functional analysis of Ramadan in a Jordanian peasant village.
  1878.  
  1879. Find this resource:
  1880.  
  1881. Delaney, Carol. “The Hajj: Sacred and Secular.” American Ethnologist 17, no. 3 (1990): 513–530.
  1882.  
  1883. DOI: 10.1525/ae.1990.17.3.02a00060Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1884.  
  1885. An analysis of the pilgrimage ritual by a specialist on Turkish Islam.
  1886.  
  1887. Find this resource:
  1888.  
  1889. Eickelman, Dale F., and James Piscatori, eds. Muslim Travellers: Pilgrimage, Migration, and the Religious Imagination. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990.
  1890.  
  1891. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1892.  
  1893. Anthology of twelve articles, including analysis of the Islamic concept of hijra (migration), Muslim travel accounts, the pilgrimage to Mecca, and visitations to local shrines.
  1894.  
  1895. Find this resource:
  1896.  
  1897. Gordon, Joel. “Becoming the Image: Words of Gold, Talk Television, and Ramadan Nights on the Little Screen. Visual Anthropology 10 (1998): 247–263.
  1898.  
  1899. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1900.  
  1901. Explores media representations of Ramadan on Arab television.
  1902.  
  1903. Find this resource:
  1904.  
  1905. Hegland, Mary. “Flagellation and Fundamentalism: (Trans)forming Meaning, Identity, and Gender through Pakistani Women's Rituals of Mourning.” American Ethnologist 25, no. 2 (1998): 240–266.
  1906.  
  1907. DOI: 10.1525/ae.1998.25.2.240Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1908.  
  1909. Examines the mourning rituals of Shiʿa Muslim women in Peshawar, Pakistan.
  1910.  
  1911. Find this resource:
  1912.  
  1913. Mahmoud, Saba. “Rehearsed Spontaneity and the Conventionality of Ritual: Disciplines of Salat.” American Ethnologist 28, no. 4 (2001): 827–853.
  1914.  
  1915. DOI: 10.1525/ae.2001.28.4.827Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1916.  
  1917. Focuses on prayer ritual in urban Egypt.
  1918.  
  1919. Find this resource:
  1920.  
  1921. Peterson, Jennifer. “Playing with Spirituality: The Adoption of Mulid Motifs in Egyptian Dance Music.” Contemporary Islam 2, no. 3 (2008): 271–295.
  1922.  
  1923. DOI: 10.1007/s11562-008-0064-9Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1924.  
  1925. Examines the content of mulid dance songs, the festive and social contexts in which they are used, and the cultural debate about their impact on Egyptian youth.
  1926.  
  1927. Find this resource:
  1928.  
  1929. Schielke, Samuli. “Policing Ambiguity: Muslim Saints-day Festivals and the Moral Geography of Public Space in Egypt.” American Ethnologist 35, no. 4 (2008): 539–552.
  1930.  
  1931. DOI: 10.1111/j.1548-1425.2008.00097.xSave Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1932.  
  1933. Explores how the festive culture of mulids, Egyptian Muslim saints-day festivals, relates to notions of habitus, public space, and religious and civic discipline.
  1934.  
  1935. Find this resource:
  1936.  
  1937. Tapper, Nancy, and Richard Tapper. “The Birth of the Prophet: Ritual and Gender in Turkish Islam.” Man 22, no. 1 (1987): 69–92.
  1938.  
  1939. DOI: 10.2307/2802964Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1940.  
  1941. An analysis of the mulid ritual in Turkey.
  1942.  
  1943. Find this resource:
  1944.  
  1945. Young, William C. “The Kaʿba, Gender, and the Rites of Pilgrimage.” International Journal of Middle East Studies 25 (1993): 285–300.
  1946.  
  1947. DOI: 10.1017/S0020743800058530Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1948.  
  1949. Symbolic analysis of gender and pilgrimage to this holy site.
  1950.  
  1951. Find this resource:
  1952.  
  1953. Sufism and Spirit Possession
  1954. Sufism has attracted the attention of anthropologists working in Egypt (Gilsenan 1973) Morocco (Spadola 2008), and Albania (Trix 1993). In a number of Muslim contexts, the possession ritual of zar is practiced, as detailed in Adra 1998 and Boddy 1989.
  1955.  
  1956. Adra, Najwa. “Zar.” In The International Encyclopedia of Dance. Vol. 6. Edited by Selma Jeanne Cohen, 444–445. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
  1957.  
  1958. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1959.  
  1960. A survey of research on zar possession ceremonies.
  1961.  
  1962. Find this resource:
  1963.  
  1964. Boddy, Janice. Wombs and Alien Spirits: Women, Men, and the Zār Cult in Northern Sudan. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1989.
  1965.  
  1966. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1967.  
  1968. An important ethnographic study on the zar cult in Sudan.
  1969.  
  1970. Find this resource:
  1971.  
  1972. Gilsenan, Michael. Saint and Sufi in Modern Egypt: An Essay in the Sociology of Religion. Oxford: Clarendon, 1973.
  1973.  
  1974. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1975.  
  1976. Theoretical study of the role of Sufism in contemporary Egypt.
  1977.  
  1978. Find this resource:
  1979.  
  1980. Kennedy, John. Mushahara: “A Nubian Concept of Supernatural Danger and the Theory of Taboo.” American Anthropologist 69, no. 9 (1967): 685–702.
  1981.  
  1982. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1983.  
  1984. Focuses on psychological aspects of spirit possession in Nubia and Egypt.
  1985.  
  1986. Find this resource:
  1987.  
  1988. Spadola, Emilio. “The Scandal of Ecstasy: Communication, Sufi Rites, and Social Reform in 1930s Morocco.” Contemporary Islam 2, no. 2 (2008): 119–138.
  1989.  
  1990. DOI: 10.1007/s11562-008-0047-xSave Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1991.  
  1992. Examines Moroccan print media in 1930s Fez on the issue of anti-Sufi critiques and argues that it is part of a recent nationalist discourse.
  1993.  
  1994. Find this resource:
  1995.  
  1996. Trix. Frances. Spiritual Discourse: Learning with an Islamic Master. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1993.
  1997.  
  1998. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  1999.  
  2000. Analysis of teachings of Baba Rexheb, an Albanian leader of the Nektashi order.
  2001.  
  2002. Find this resource:
  2003.  
  2004. Werbner, Pnina. Pilgrims of Love: The Anthropology of a Global Sufi Cult. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2003.
  2005.  
  2006. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  2007.  
  2008. Traces the influence of the Naqshbandi Sufis in Pakistan and the diaspora.
  2009.  
  2010. Find this resource:
  2011.  
  2012. Terrorism
  2013. The politicization of Islam and the “war on terror” has generated interest among contemporary anthropologists. Göle 2002 and Varisco 2002 comment on the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers. The Abu Sayyaf movement in the Philippines in analyzed by Frake 1998. Theoretically based studies of terrorism and suicide bombing are given by Asad 2007 and Mamdani 2004. Beeman 2008 provides an analysis of the mutual demonization between Iran and the United States.
  2014.  
  2015. Asad, Talal. On Suicide Bombing. New York: Columbia University Press. 2007.
  2016.  
  2017. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  2018.  
  2019. A critical examination of the motivations behind suicide bombing.
  2020.  
  2021. Find this resource:
  2022.  
  2023. Beeman, William. The Great Satan vs. the Mad Mullahs: How the United States and Iran Demonize Each Other. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2008.
  2024.  
  2025. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  2026.  
  2027. As a linguistic anthropologist, Beeman examines the ways in which political leaders in Iran and the United States have used historical references, religious associations, and the mythology of evil to inflame their own citizens.
  2028.  
  2029. Find this resource:
  2030.  
  2031. Frake, Charles O. “Abu Sayyaf: Displays of Violence and the Proliferation of Contested Identities among Philippine Muslims.” American Anthropologist 100, no. 1 (1998), 41–54.
  2032.  
  2033. DOI: 10.1525/aa.1998.100.1.41Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  2034.  
  2035. An Analysis of a militant Islamic resistance movement.
  2036.  
  2037. Find this resource:
  2038.  
  2039. Göle, Nilufar. “Close Encounters: Islam, Modernity and Violence.” In Understanding September 11. Edited by Craig Calhoun, Paul Price, and Ashley Timmer. New York: New Press, 2002.
  2040.  
  2041. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  2042.  
  2043. Reflections on the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Available online.
  2044.  
  2045. Find this resource:
  2046.  
  2047. Mamdani, Mahmood. Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, the Cold War, and the Roots of Terror. New York: Pantheon, 2004.
  2048.  
  2049. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  2050.  
  2051. A critique of the “clash of civilization” theory and stereotypes of militant Islam, with a focus on al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden.
  2052.  
  2053. Find this resource:
  2054.  
  2055. Varisco, Daniel Martin. 2002. “September 11: Participant Webservation of the ‘War on Terrorism.’” American Anthropologist 104, no. 3 (2002): 934–938.
  2056.  
  2057. DOI: 10.1525/aa.2002.104.3.934Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  2058.  
  2059. Analysis of the coverage of 9/11 on the Internet, including “participant webservation” of online video games involving Osama Bin Laden.
  2060.  
  2061. Find this resource:
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