http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk:80/handle/1810/221738 Thu, 23 May 2013 23:38:40 GMT 2013-05-23T23:38:40Z http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk:80/handle/1810/240753 Title: Muslim identity and Islamic faith in Sarajevo. Authors: Sorabji, Cornelia Abstract: Among the dominant themes in contemporary world affairs are the political role of Islam and the problem of national minorities in socialist states. The present thesis seeks to examine these issues through the anthropological investigation of a Muslim minority within a multi-national, federated socialist state - the Muslims of Bosnia-Hercegovina in Yugoslavia. The Yugoslav state is a constitutional federation of several diverse nationalities, all of which seek to preserve, assert and develop their distinct political identities within the fragile power balance system of Yugoslavia. The republic of Bosnia-Hercegovina is dominated by three such nationalities - the Serb, the Croat and the Muslim. These three correspond to three religious faiths; the Serbs are Orthodox, the Croats are Catholic and the Muslims are of the Islamic faith. Whilst the state does not officially recognise this correspondence, for ordinary Bosnians it is fundamental; national and religious identity are seen as inextricably linked. It is the nature of this link which forms the focus of my study, the fieldwork for which was carried out in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo. For Sarajevo's Muslims Islam provides a "double identity", two ways of conceptualising collective identity. On the one hand Islam distinguishes Muslims from their Serb/Orthodox and Croat/Catholic neighbours, whilst on the other it gives them membership in a worldwide religious community transcending the bounds of Yuqoslavia. Both aspects of identity find expression in Muslim religious life. Thus male death rituals assert Bosnian Muslims' identity as members of the Islamic Umma, whilst mortuary rites performed by women are seen as distinguishing Muslims from their non-Muslim neighbours. In this and other ways religion becomes a medium for identity assertion. At the same time the discourse of identity is one through which rivalling religious orientations may compete. For example, the state authorised Muslim establishment promotes a rapprochement of Islamic and socialist ideologies and of Muslim and Yugoslav identity, whilst a new, semi-clandestine Islamic tendency looks constantly to the outside Muslim world, seeking to ally Bosnian Muslims with it. As an ethnographic study the thesis examines a number of issues including the perception of town and neighbourhood as separate conceptual spaces, the role of ritual, gender relations and the nature of religious rivalry. Through this approach to Sarajevan Muslim society it attempts to illuminate some broader questions concerning the political role of Islam in the modern world, the development of nationalisms and the nature of relations between minorities and the socialist state. Wed, 01 Feb 1989 00:00:00 GMT http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk:80/handle/1810/240753 1989-02-01T00:00:00Z http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk:80/handle/1810/237240 Title: Mambila traditional religion : Sua in Somie Authors: Zeitlyn, David Abstract: This work is an analysis of Mambila religion based on fieldwork in Somié village, Cameroon. An ethnographic and historical introduction to the Mambila is followed by an account of their religious concepts. It is argued that, despite their adherence to Christianity (and to Islam), traditional practices continue to be of great importance in everyday life. In order to examine traditional practice descriptions are given of divination and oath-taking rites. Translated transcripts of the different forms of the sua-oath form the empirical core of the thesis. The transcripts illustrate the way that Mambila experience and understand the meaning of sua. Descriptions are also given of the sua masquerades. Finally I examine problems inherent in the analysis of non-literate societies lacking a reflective tradition, and in particular, societies lacking precise, structured religious concepts. This allows for discussion of resulting implications on the relationships between religion, politics and ‘symbolic power.’ Description: This is a revised version of my PhD thesis “Mambila Traditional Religion. Sua in Somié” submitted to Cambridge University in June 1989, examined in November 1989 and awarded in February 1990. The revision takes account of some of the comments made by my examiners and enables me to incoporate some of the corrections which I wish to make after further research which has included more fieldwork in Somié. The post-doctoral research has been made possible by the tenure of a Junior Research Fellowship at Wolfson College, Oxford for which I am very grateful. Tue, 30 Jan 1990 00:00:00 GMT http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk:80/handle/1810/237240 1990-01-30T00:00:00Z http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk:80/handle/1810/236973 Title: Crystal Rosary: insight and method in an anthropological study of Tibetan religion Authors: Samuel, Geoffrey Brian Tue, 28 Oct 1975 00:00:00 GMT http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk:80/handle/1810/236973 1975-10-28T00:00:00Z http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk:80/handle/1810/236168 Title: The world is established through the work of existence : the performance of Gham-Khadi among Pukhtun Bibiane in Northern Pakistan. Authors: Ahmed, Amineh A Abstract: This thesis explores the social lives of elite Pukhtun women or Bibiane in northern Pakistan, with an ethnographic focus on the enactment of particular life-cycle or gham-khadi ceremonies (funerals and weddings). The widely used Pukhto term ghamkhadi both refers to specific segregated gatherings and designates the emotions of sorrow (gham) and joy (khada) which they elicit. In the local understanding, gham-khadi comprises a system of life, in which happiness and sadness are understood as indissoluble, and are celebrated communally within networks of reciprocal social obligations. Bibiane's social role entails preparation for and attendance at gham-khadi, according to a stylized set of performances thought integral to Pukhtun identity or Pukhtunwali (ideal Pukhtun practices). In this sense, the "women's work" of gham-khadi links with another indigenous term, tieest-roý.g ar, which I translate as the "work of existence", and through which Bibiane maintain the fabric of life by sustaining social inter- and intra-family relationships. Ethnographic fieldwork, conducted in Islamabad and the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP or "Frontier") regions of Swat and Mardan between 1996-1998 and 1999-2001, suggests the extent to which Bibiane's sense of their gham-khadi obligations underpins their understanding of their personhood. In the process, the thesis unfolds a Pukhtun construction of work divergent from professionalism or physical labour, in which work produces not things, but social relations and transactions. This thesis, therefore, seeks to contribute to anthropological debate on a number of issues. First, it seeks to establish the distinctive sociality of Pukhtun Bibiane in terms of their participation, within and beyond the household, in gham-khadi festivities, joining them with hundreds of individuals from different families and social backgrounds. Second, the thesis makes a case for documenting the lives of a grouping of elite South Asian women, contesting their conventional representation as "idle" by illustrating their commitment to various forms of work within familial and social contexts. Third, it describes the segregated zones of gham-khadi as a space of female agency. Reconstructing the terms of this agency helps us to revise previous anthropological accounts of Pukhtun society, which project Pukhlunwali in predominantly masculine terms, while depicting gham-khadi as an entirely feminine category. Bibiane's gham-khadi performances allow a reflection upon Pukhtunwali and wider Pukhtun society as currently undergoing transformation. Fourth, as a contribution to Frontier ethnography, the thesis lays especial emphasis on gham-khadi as a transregional phenomenon, given the relocation of most Pukhtun families to the cosmopolitan capital Islamabad. Since gham-khadi is held at families' ancestral homes (kille-koroona), new variations and interpretations of conventional practices penetrate to the village context of Swat and Mardan. Ceremonies are especially subject to negotiation as relatively young convent-educated married Bibiane take issue with their "customs" (rewaý) from a scriptural Islamic perspective. More broadly, the dissertation contributes to various anthropological topics, notably the nature and expression of elite cultures and issues of sociality, funerals and marriage, custom and religion, space and gender, morality and reason, and social role and personhood within the contexts of Middle- Eastern and South Asian Islam. Mon, 26 Apr 2004 23:00:00 GMT http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk:80/handle/1810/236168 2004-04-26T23:00:00Z http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk:80/handle/1810/230199 Title: Money, magic and fear : identity and exchange amongst the Orang Suku Laut (sea nomads) and other groups of Riau and Batam, Indonesia. Authors: Chou, Cynthia Abstract: The central focus of my thesis is the symbolism of money and the power it holds in the Riau archipelago and Batam of Indonesia to affect the nature of social relationships. These social relationships in turn affect the different forms of exchange that take place in the archipelago. In particular, I am exploring the meaning and moral implications of monetary and commercial exchanges in contrast to exchanges of other kinds that take place between the Orang Suku Laut and other Malay and non-Malay communities. The Orang Suku Laut are regarded as the Orang asli Melayu (indigenous Malays) of Riau. Yet in the interaction between the Malays and Orang Suku Laut, there exists much fear between them with constant accusations of being poisoned and harmed by one and the other through practices of magic and witchcraft. This stems from the Malays' perception of the Orang Suku Laut as a "dangerous, dirty and unprogressive people. " The Orang Suku Laut are regarded as preferring a life of nomadism, and one without a religious orientation towards Islam, as opposed to a life of sedentism guided by the Islamic religion. This thesis explores how this self and other perceptions which have shaped the image of the Orang Suku Laut, have become enmeshed in the exchange economy of the Orang Suku Laut and the Malays. Mon, 17 Oct 1994 23:00:00 GMT http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk:80/handle/1810/230199 1994-10-17T23:00:00Z http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk:80/handle/1810/227576 Title: Diverse styles of Islamic reform among the Songhay of eastern Mali Authors: Niezen, Ronald Wesley Abstract: The general aim of the dissertation is to contribute to an understanding of Islamic reform in West Africa. To this end fieldwork was conducted among the Songhay of eastern Mali, a people who experienced a sudden rise in the popularity of Islamic reform in the early 1970's which divided many communities along religious lines. The term 'Wahhabiyya', often used to describe a trend in religious reform in West Africa which is inspired largely by the Saudi Arabian model of puritan Islam, is accepted by most members of this Songhay movement. In the region of Gao, in which this locally-based Wahhabi movement emerged, the situation is one in which Islamic reform among the village population is more 'radical' and uncompromising than among town dwellers. The central concerns of the dissertation are to compare the social backgrounds and religious orientations of 'moderates' and 'radicals' and, in particular, to account for the strong appeal of Islamic reform among the villagers. In order to assess the impact of religious reform attention is paid throughout the dissertation to the social and religious life of the non-reformist population. In tracing the background of the topic it was necessary to explore the history of the Songhay with specific reference to the introduction of Islam and its place in the 'traditional' religious complex as well as changes in the family, the economy and the politicaltostructure which have occurred since the advent of French colonization. These issues are set within a general comparison of the reformist and traditionalist communities which includes consideration of the way Islam is observed, the place of leadership and organization, and the way Islamic education is implemented. Tue, 27 Oct 1987 00:00:00 GMT http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk:80/handle/1810/227576 1987-10-27T00:00:00Z http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk:80/handle/1810/226815 Title: Mambila traditional religion : Sua in Somie Authors: Zeitlyn, David Abstract: This work is an analysis of Mambila religion based on fieldwork in Somie village, Cameroon. An ethnographic and historical introduction to the Mambila is followed by an account of their religious concepts. It is argued that, despite their adherence to Christianity (and to Islam), traditional practices continue to be of great importance in everyday life. In order to examine traditional practice descriptions are given of divination and oath-taking rites. Translated transcripts of the different forms of the sua-oath form the empirical core of the thesis. The transcripts illustrate the way that Mambila experience and understand the meaning of sua. Descriptions are also given of the sua masquerades. Finally I examine problems inherent in the analysis of non-literate societies lacking a reflective tradition, and in particular, societies lacking precise, structured religious concepts. This allows for discussion of resulting implications on the relationships between religion, politics and `symbolic power. ' Tue, 30 Jan 1990 00:00:00 GMT http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk:80/handle/1810/226815 1990-01-30T00:00:00Z http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk:80/handle/1810/226813 Title: The Yao Muslims : religion and social change in southern Malawi Authors: Thorold, Alan Peter Hereward Abstract: The African Muslim minority in Malawi has been identified with one particular linguistic group, the Yao. The dissertation begins with the problem of their conversion and adherence to Islam in the face of seemingly adverse circumstances. In exploring-solutions to this problem the emergence of a Yao identity is outlined and the politics of conversion are described. The narrative then moves on to the transformations of the Yao Muslims in the hundred years since their conversion. A model of religious change is developed that attempts to account for both the dynamics of change and the contemporary situation of Islam in southern Malawi. The Yao Muslims are shown to be divided into three competing and sometimes hostile factions that are termed the Sufis, the sukuti or 'quietist' movement and the new reformists. The appearance of these movements and their interaction with one another is described in relation to the questions of identity and religious practice. The model proposes a three phase scheme of Islamic change (appropriation and accommodation followed by internal reform and then the new reformist movement) that is defined in part by the relationship of the Yao Muslims to writing and the Book. It is suggested that a certain logic of transformation is endogenous to Islam as a religion of the Book and that the scripturalist tendencies of the reformist movement give it an advantage over the followers of Sufi practices, especially in the context of modern systems of communication and education. The general approach is that of an historical anthropology, linking notions of structured change to anthropological concerns with ritual and practice. The analysis concludes by raising questions about the nature of religious change in the context of an increasingly volatile world system and the place of the anthropology of religion in the understanding of modernity. Sun, 01 Jan 1995 00:00:00 GMT http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk:80/handle/1810/226813 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk:80/handle/1810/226812 Title: Alevi and Sunni in rural Turkey : diverse paths of change Authors: Shankland, David Abstract: This dissertation has two aims. The first is to contribute toward our knowledge of changes in contemporary Anatolia in a coherent way, the second to provide the first systematic ethnographic account of the Alevi, a Shiite minority living in rural Turkey. From March 1988 until November 1989, I conducted fieldwork in a sub-province in the north-eastern part of central Anatolia, and returned for a brief visit in August 1990. The population of the sub-province is approximately 70,000; about 12,000 live in the only town, the remainder dispersed among 96 villages. I lived in one village but made frequent visits to others, and to the town. The people are Muslim, divided into two sects, Alevi and Sunni. 74 villages are Sunni and 20 Alevi, 2 villages contain both Alevi and Sunni. The town I estimare to be 90 per cent Sunni. The finding which I discuss in my dissertation is that the Sunni villages are more successful than the Alevi villages at moving into the modern world. More specifically, though most Sunni villages are declining in size, some are growing larger, and even turning into small towns. In striking and direct contrast to this, all the Alevi villages are losing population, so much so that the total Alevi population of the sub-province has diminished by more than half over the years 1980-1990. Similarly, whilst most Sunni men continue to confirm their faith, many Alevi men are becoming sceptical, some even doubting the existence of God. The model which I use to account for these findings suggests that the social order within the Sunni villages is compatible with being absorbed gradually into the national, centralised administrative system. In contrast to this, traditional Alevi culture is based on the idea that they have offered submission to an authority which is not that of the central government, but another which lies outside the jurisdiction of the central state. As the Alevi internalise their membership of modem Turkey, the right to solve disputes becomes transferred from indigenous mediators, whose position is supported by the traditional myths, to figures whose authority is sanctioned by central government. In addition, the Alevi settlements are much smaller than the Sunni; a number of them together are declared a village by the state, causing conflicts of loyalty, ownership and identity within their communities. In short, the dispersed nature of Alevi traditional settlement patterns and their uneasy relationship with central authority means that their communities cannot become part of modern Turkey without undergoing fatal disruption. In spite of the great upheavals in their communities, the Alevi do not become violent. Rather, their religion, which might be described as 'Shi'ite mystical Islam', loses it force as an instrument of social control, and, fused with Kemalism, becomes a secular humanitarian ethic by which they can lead their lives in the cities. Fri, 01 Jan 1993 00:00:00 GMT http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk:80/handle/1810/226812 1993-01-01T00:00:00Z