Islam through Objects

Description

Islam through Objects represents the state of the field of Islamic material cultural studies. With contributions from scholars of religion, anthropologists, art historians, folklorists, historians, and other disciplines, Anna Bigelow brings together a wide range of perspectives on Islamic materiality to debunk myths of Islamic aversion to material aspects of religion. Each chapter focuses on a single object in daily use by Muslims-prayer beads, coins, amulets, a cistern well, clothing, jewellery, bodily and domestic adornments-to consider both generic and particular aspects of the object in question. These narratives will engage the reader by describing and analyzing each object in terms of its provenance, materials, uses, and history, as well as the broader history, variety and uses of the object in Islamic history and cultures. Temporal, regional, and sectarian variations in the styles, uses, and theological perspectives are also considered. Framed by an introduction that assesses the various approaches to Islamic material culture in recent scholarship, Islam through Objects provides a template for the study of religion and material culture, which engages current theory, subtle and nuanced narratives, and the creative and imaginal capacities of Muslims through history.

Anna Bigelow is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Stanford University, USA.

This is a fascinating and often surprising contribution to the Bloomsbury Studies in Material Religion. * Religion, Collections and Heritage Group * By bringing together a multitude of perspectives and disciplines ranging from social and cultural anthropology to history, from folklore to art history and ecology, the volume offers a very inspiring contribution to widening the scope of Islamic studies ... A collection of articles that abound in epic qualities and convey adventures and surprises of research. Some of the touching and truly breath-taking stories contained in this very enjoyable book will remain in the mind of the reader for a long time. * Die Welt Des Islams * This is a treasure box of exciting object-oriented analysesthat unpack how Islamic epistemes are enmeshed with the material world. Framed by Anna Bigelow's sophisticated introduction, this volume does not only offer a ground-breaking contribution to theorizing materiality in the study of Islam. It also triggers new insights for conceptualizing material religion from the angle of Muslim engagements with things. * Birgit Meyer, Professor of Religious Studies, Utrecht University, The Netherlands * Writing against misrepresentations of Islam as an iconophobic, monolithic tradition, this eclectic volume explores how Islamic things 'make sense' to Muslims around the world. Chapters colorfully narrate how Muslim communities come to identify an object as Islamic, saturated with Islamic meaning and presence, as well as how such objects animate and orient the senses and sensibilities of Muslims. Fascinating! * Zareena A Grewal, Associate Professor of American Studies and Religious Studies, Yale University, USA * "This exciting edited collection of essays takes you on a journey to destabilize any notion you might have on 'Islam' through objects. An important book that will push you away from text to a world of things, beautifully illustrated-alive through the diverse lives of Muslims." * Amanullah De Sondy, Head of Study of Religions Department and Senior Lecturer in Contemporary Islam, University College Cork, Ireland *