A New Anthropology of Islam

New Departures in Anthropology

by John R. Bowen

In this powerful but accessible new study John Bowen draws on a full range of work in social anthropology to present Islam in ways that emphasise its constitutive practices, from praying and learning to judging and political organising. Starting at the heart of Islam – revelation and learning in Arabic lands – Bowen shows how Muslims have adapted Islamic texts and traditions to ideas and conditions in the societies in which they live. Returning to key case studies in Indonesia, Africa, Pakistan and Western Europe to explore each major domain of Islamic religious and social life, Bowen also considers the theoretical advances in social anthropology that have come out of the study of Islam. A New Anthropology of Islam is essential reading for all those interested in the study of Islam and for those following new developments in the discipline of anthropology.

Genres: Anthropology, Islam, Religion, Nonfiction

230 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

John Richard Bowen

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Niels Baars · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clearly structured and interesting topics

[Abu’l Salihaat · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful exposition on the ways seemingly-fixed ideological constructs reveal themselves as uniquely defined and practiced between disparate cultures and societies throughout the globe. Through a series of case studies ranging from 13th century Morocco to present-day Indonesia (including intranational examples), Bowden compares and contrasts how acts such as prayer, daw’ah, charitable sacrifice, saint veneration, and jihad, amongst others, take a wide variety of often contradictory forms and meanings according to (and sometimes as a reaction to) the cultural customs of the area. As with most anthropological inquiries, Bowden’s observations can sometimes be effected by implicit biases on rare occasion, though his extensively thorough research and incredibly insightful conclusions solidify the text as a must-read for anyone curious about the plurality of the Islamic tradition.

[Stuart Ahn Sones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciated the clarity with which Bowen presented a breadth of case studies from across the Muslim world and attended to both context-specific practices of the religion and Islam as a global tradition, setting forth the what anthropology has to offer for the study of Islam.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually finished an ethnography for class ayyy

[Samira]

This book is excellent, but a bit challenging for my students. I will have to think about how to work through it with them more closely when I next teach the course.