Islam Obscured: The Rhetoric of Anthropological Representation

237 Pages·2005·1.97 MB·English

by  Daniel Varisco

ISLAM OBSCURED
CONTEMPORARY ANTHROPOLOGY OF RELIGION
A series published with the Society for the
Anthropology of Religion
Robert Hefner, Series Editor
Boston University
Published by Palgrave Macmillan
Body / Meaning / Healing
By Thomas J. Csordas
The Weight of the Past: Living with History in Mahajanga,
Madagascar
By Michael Lambek
After the Rescue: Jewish Identity and Community in Contemporary
Denmark
By Andrew Buckser
Empowering the Past, Confronting the Future
By Andrew Strathern and Pamela J. Stewart
Islam Obscured
The Rhetoric of Anthropological
Representation
Daniel Martin Varisco
ISLAMOBSCURED
© Daniel Varisco,2005.
All rights reserved.No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any
manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
First published in 2005 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN™
175 Fifth Avenue,New York,N.Y.10010 and
Houndmills,Basingstoke,Hampshire,England RG21 6XS
Companies and representatives throughout the world.
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave
Macmillan division of St.Martin’s Press,LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.
Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States,United Kingdom
and other countries.Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European
Union and other countries.
ISBN 1–4039–6772–5
ISBN 1–4039–6773–3
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Varisco,Daniel Martin.
Islam obscured :the rhetoric of anthropological representation /
Daniel Martin Varisco.
p.cm.—(Contemporary anthropology of religion)
Includes bibliographical references (p.) and index.
ISBN 1–4039–6772–5 (hc :alk.paper)
ISBN 1–4039–6773–3 (pbk.:alk.paper)
1.Islam.2.Ethnology—Islamic countries.3.Islam and culture—
Islamic countries.I.Title.II.Series.
BP161.3.V37 2005
306.6(cid:2)97—dc22 2004050514
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd.,Chennai,India.
First edition:January 2005
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America.
The Muslim should learn to look more objectively at his religious
history, particularly at how Islam has fared at his hands, and the
non-Muslim should learn to know something of what Islam does to
a Muslim from the inside.
Fazlur Rahman
The anthropologist taking a phenomenological approach focuses on
the daily lived experience of the local islams and leaves the study of
theological interpretation to the Islamists.
Abdul Hamid el-Zein
This page intentionally left blank
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction
Anthropology and Islam 1
Chapter 1
Clifford Geertz: Islam Observed Again 21
Chapter 2
Ernest Gellner: Idealized to a Fault 53
Chapter 3
Beyond the Veil: At Play in the Bed of the Prophet 81
Chapter 4
Akbar Ahmed: Discovering Islam Inside Out 115
Epilogue
Muslims Observed: The Lessons From Anthropology 135
Notes 163
Bibliography 199
Index 221
This page intentionally left blank
Acknowledgments
T
his book has evolved over several years of deciding what it should
be. Along the way a number of colleagues have patiently responded
to my incessant emails and, at times, graciously given of their time to
read drafts of chapters in the book. Among these are Najwa Adra,
Jon Anderson, Dale Eickelman, Steve Caton, Andre Gingrich, Terry
Godlove, Bob Hefner, David Hicks, Sharryn Kasmir, Kathy Kueny,
Ron Lukens-Bull, Rich Martin, Laury Silvers, Ira Singer, Richard
Tapper, Shelagh Weir, and Bill Young. Many Muslim friends and stu-
dents have helped shape my thinking for this book in ways they would
probably not recognize.
After finishing the draft of this book, I received news of the pass-
ing of George Makdisi, a distinguished historian who had served on
my doctoral committee at the University of Pennsylvania. Over the
years he was a mentor to me on matters philological and pragmatic.
Although this book does not touch on the subjects of Islamic law and
education to which he made notable contributions, I do owe part of
my abiding penchant for critical engagement to the demanding stan-
dards Makdisi set for himself as well as for his students. Mindful of his
influence, which never allows me to be comfortable with established
thinking, I dedicate this book to George Makdisi, an individual who,
in my mind, defines what it means to be a scholar and a gentleman.
The chapter on Geertz was given in roughly its present form at
the annual meeting of the Society for the Anthropology of Religion
in Cleveland, Ohio, in April, 2002. The chapter on Mernissi stems
from a paper delivered at the American Anthropological Association
in Washington, D.C., 1995. I delivered the chapter on Ahmed at the
annual meeting of the Society for the Anthropology of Religion in
Providence, Rhode Island, in April, 2003. I wish to thank Yale
University Press for permission to quote from Geertz’s Islam
Obscured.