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Dindarligin Siyaseti - Islami Uyanis ve Feminist Özne
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1 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2022
About the author
Saba Mahmood
17 books98 followersSaba Mahmood is an associate professor of social cultural anthropology at UC Berkeley.
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July 17, 2025
I read the Turkish translation of Politics of Piety: The Islamic Revival and the Feminist Subject, titled Dindarlığın Siyaseti: İslamî Uyanış ve Feminist Özne, and in my opinion, it holds a groundbreaking place among the anthropological and sociological ethnographic studies I have read so far.
The book approaches the mosque movement of women in Egypt not only from a sociological perspective but also through religious references. It engages with the subject using internal Islamic sources such as Kur’an verses, hadiths, and fiqh traditions. In this respect, it focuses not only on social practices but also on the internal dynamics of faith. This methodological approach was quite impressive for me.
Another striking aspect of the book is its approach to the issue of subject formation. Mahmood, unlike the Western secular liberal understanding, argues that subjectivity is not always formed through resistance or liberation, but sometimes through worship and obedience. This perspective presents a powerful critique of modernity at its core and proposes an alternative semavi (heavenly) framework.
The book also questions the forms of subjectivity imposed on women by feminism. It attempts to understand Islam’s view on gender relations not by reducing it to Western categories like patriarchy or homophobia, but by engaging with Islam’s own epistemological tradition. In this context, it emphasizes the importance of analyzing Islam not through an external gaze but through an internal comprehension.
Finally, it helped me better understand the roles of women behind the İhvan-ı Müslimin movement and the habitus of this movement in everyday life on the path leading to the Arab Spring. It was a deeply valuable reading experience that challenged the boundaries of my thinking.
The book approaches the mosque movement of women in Egypt not only from a sociological perspective but also through religious references. It engages with the subject using internal Islamic sources such as Kur’an verses, hadiths, and fiqh traditions. In this respect, it focuses not only on social practices but also on the internal dynamics of faith. This methodological approach was quite impressive for me.
Another striking aspect of the book is its approach to the issue of subject formation. Mahmood, unlike the Western secular liberal understanding, argues that subjectivity is not always formed through resistance or liberation, but sometimes through worship and obedience. This perspective presents a powerful critique of modernity at its core and proposes an alternative semavi (heavenly) framework.
The book also questions the forms of subjectivity imposed on women by feminism. It attempts to understand Islam’s view on gender relations not by reducing it to Western categories like patriarchy or homophobia, but by engaging with Islam’s own epistemological tradition. In this context, it emphasizes the importance of analyzing Islam not through an external gaze but through an internal comprehension.
Finally, it helped me better understand the roles of women behind the İhvan-ı Müslimin movement and the habitus of this movement in everyday life on the path leading to the Arab Spring. It was a deeply valuable reading experience that challenged the boundaries of my thinking.
Displaying 1 of 1 review