Dreams That Matter: Egyptian Landscapes of the Imagination

by Amira Mittermaier

Dreams that Matter explores the social and material life of dreams in contemporary Cairo. Amira Mittermaier guides the reader through landscapes of the imagination that feature Muslim dream interpreters who draw on Freud, reformists who dismiss all forms of divination as superstition, a Sufi devotional group that keeps a diary of dreams related to its shaykh, and ordinary believers who speak of moving encounters with the Prophet Muhammad. In close dialogue with her Egyptian interlocutors, Islamic textual traditions, and Western theorists, Mittermaier teases out the dream’s ethical, political, and religious implications. Her book is a provocative examination of how present-day Muslims encounter and engage the Divine that offers a different perspective on the Islamic Revival. Dreams That Matter opens up new spaces for an anthropology of the imagination, inviting us to rethink both the imagined and the real.

Genres: Anthropology, Religion, Islam, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Ethnography

326 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Wendelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

fascinating, beautifully written text, appreciable even by anthropological laymen like me. nominally about the dream interpretation trade in Egypt, but the intersectional nature of this trade enables this book to be a gateway toward elucidation of Egyptian culture: Muslim and secular reformists on one hand and dream interpreters plying their trade on the other intersect in tension to reveal a vigorous and non-monolithic religion debating various expressions; much like the Catholic confessional, the space of the dream interpreter provides an intersection where diverse members of society bring their fears, dreams and sorrows, and sometimes receive material charity; the personage of the dream interpreter himself must be an intersection, of expertise in the Quran and the hadiths, in the bibliography of dream interpretation, and in tact and knowledge of the social milieu inhabited by his customers.

[Trixy Lemell · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 if i could do a half star. I really enjoyed the narrative aspect of this book. It allowed me to see and get to know the people and the culture. I was able to connect and visualize and find a place of understanding and compassion. By the end of the book, the afterward, I cried. The author does not only a great job of laying put her theories and explaining the subject matter, but she does a wonderful job of being honest, not only to herself but to those whose stories she shares with us. You really get a sense of their spirit and passion and a deeper understanding of this slice of Islam culture.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for uni. Beautifully written and easy to understand.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mittermaier's book on Muslim dream interpretation in Egypt is absolutely fascinating. Mittermaier offers a transcultural approach to looking at the way dreams are interpreted, acknowledging the Freudian model so prevalent in the Western world, but also focusing fairly on the practices of the Middle East, where dreams are often thought to stem from divine sources. She discusses these beliefs in terms of how persons in the Middle East (specifically Egypt) relate to one another in a socio-political sense (political in terms of the Arendtian view, where politics is comprised of the activities of daily life). Mittermaier's book is a great read for anyone interested in Middle Eastern culture and religion.

[Farida El-gueretly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It was refreshing to read an ethnography that was concerned with really engaging with the subject and genuinely experiencing with the other as opposed to the countless ethnographies we see nowadays that continuously succumb to navel-gazing. She provides profound insight of Egyptian interpretations of dreams, and how they affect reality, but also how they can influence reality, how in both cases, whether they exist or not, there is a resonating influence.