Sharia Dynamics: Islamic Law and Sociopolitical Processes

By exploring the ways in which Muslims in diverse cultural contexts apply Shariah, this book offers a new and promising path for anthropologists and scholars in all fields who are interested in understanding Islam as a lived tradition beyond but not ignoring theology.

This multidisciplinary volume explores the role of Islamic law within the dynamic processes of postcolonial transformation, nation building, and social reform. Here, eleven international scholars examine Islamic law in several contemporary sociopolitical contexts, focusing specifically on  Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, China, Tunisia, Nigeria, the United States, and the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).  The contributors also address the entanglement of Islamic law and ethics with the history of Muslim religious discourses, shifts toward modernity, gender relations, and efforts to construct exclusive or plural national communities. Sharia Dynamics, at once enchanting and enlightening, is a must-read for scholars of contemporary Islam.

About the Author

Timothy P. Daniels is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Hofstra University, USA.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Sharia Dynamics and the Anthropology of Islam by Daniels, Timothy P.

Fatwa, Discursivity, and the Production of Sharia by Awass, Omer

Fatwās on Mohamed Bouazizi’s Self-Immolation: Religious Authority, Media, and Secularization by Burhani, Ahmad Najib

Sharia Law and Muslim Ethical Imaginaries in Modern Indonesia by Hefner, Robert W.

Sharia in China: Compromising Perceptions by Frankel, James D.

Interplay of Sharia Projects: Between Ketuanan Melayu, Islam, and Liberal Rights in Malaysia  by Daniels, Timothy P.

Gendered Accounts of Expertise Within Islamic Finance and Financialization in Malaysia by Elder, Laura

The Difficulty of Accounting for Women Who Critique Sharia in Northern Nigeria by Eltantawi, Sarah

Islamic Movements, Women, and Social Reform: Who Speaks of the Sharia in Pakistan? By Zaman, Meryem F.

ou Are Not a Muslim: Ahmadiyya Exclusion and Sharia Interpretation in Pakistan by Malik, Wajeeha Ameen

Anwar and Maqasid: Forging a Muslim Democracy by Allers, Charles

A Veneer of Unity? Islam and a Culture of Inclusion in Sabah by Banks, David J.

Bibliographic Information

Title: Sharia Dynamics: Islamic Law and Sociopolitical Processes

Editor: Timothy P. Daniels

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

 Language: English

Length: 364 pages

ISBN: 978-3-319-45691-1

Pub. Date: January 19, 2017