C L O S E R Blog

MESA – Transnationalism and Religious Authority: Exploring the Salafi Movement 0

MESA – Transnationalism and Religious Authority: Exploring the Salafi Movement

The Nijmegen research group on Salafism as a Transnational Movement will present itself in a panel at the annual MESA conference in San Diego. We are very pleased that Jocelyne Cesari agreed to be our discussant at this panel. Our focus in this panel will be on the issue of religious authority.

The Ideology and Influence of Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi 9

The Ideology and Influence of Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi

Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, is hardly known among Muslims outside Salafi circles and almost a complete unknown among non-Muslims outside specialists of radical Islam. Still, within those two groups, everybody knows who he is. Today Joas Wagemakers will defend his PhD thesis on Al-Maqdisi, one of the most important scholars about jihad. On Closer a guest contribution by Joas Wagemakers about his research.

New Book – Identity and Participation in Culturally Diverse Societies: A Multidisciplinary Perspective 1

New Book – Identity and Participation in Culturally Diverse Societies: A Multidisciplinary Perspective

Together with Roel Meijer I wrote a chapter Going All the Way: Politicization and Radicalization of the Hofstad Network in the Netherlands. In this chapter we analyze the shift from a politicized identity to a radicalized identity of (members of) the Hofstad network. This chapter will be published in Identity and Participation in Culturally Diverse Societies: A Multidisciplinary Perspective edited by Assaad E. Azzi, Xenia Chryssochoou, Bert Klandermans, Bernd Simon. The book presents an original discussion of how the links between identity, political participation, radicalization, and integration can provide a scientific understanding of the complex issue of coexistence between groups in culturally diverse societies.

Handboek en symposium over jongeren en religie 1

Handboek en symposium over jongeren en religie

Zappers, relishoppers, legobouwers. Jongeren in Nederland; je ziet ze nauwelijks nog in de kerk of de moskee. Toch zijn ze wel degelijk bezig met zingeving en religieuze activiteiten. Ze bewegen zich in diffuse sociale netwerken en zijn moeilijk te traceren, laat staan langdurig te binden. Hoe stellen deze jongeren hun eigen bouwpakket van zingeving samen en waaruit kiezen ze? Uit de tradities van de grote wereldreligies? En waaruit nog meer? Welk effect heeft de religieuze erfenis van ouders op jongeren? Welke bronnen boren moslimjongeren aan voor hun religieuze zingeving? Wat voor adviezen kunnen jongerenwerkers geven aan religieuze instituten? Het Handboek jongeren en religie toont de stand van zaken met betrekking tot onderzoek naar christelijke en moslimjongeren en laat zien welke rol voor godsdienstige instituten als de kerk en de moskee kan zijn weggelegd.

Cartoonesque 17: That is (not) funny! 0

Cartoonesque 17: That is (not) funny!

Jokes can be funny, or not. What matters is who has the power to define what is funny and what the position of the target of the joke is. It is the transgressive quality of jokes that makes them funny but also very suitable for political uses. Which jokes are made at the responses to these jokes reveal important processes, hierarchies and discourse in society.

Closing the week 44 – Featuring Roshonara Choudry, Al-Awlaki and Online Radicalisation 0

Closing the week 44 – Featuring Roshonara Choudry, Al-Awlaki and Online Radicalisation

A weekly round up of writings on the Internet, some relevant for my research, some political, some funny but all of them interesting (Dutch/English). (As usual to a large extent based upon suggestions from Dutch, other European, American and Middle Eastern readers. Thank you all.) This week featuring the case of Roshonara Choudry.