An anthropology of Muslims in Europe - A modest attempt by Martijn
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 uprisings in the Middle East, again, but now with a special focus on the events in Syria.
In navolging van Merkel en Cameron hebben nu ook Verhagen en Rutte gesteld dat de multiculturele samenleving mislukt is. Maar wat bedoelt men daar nu eigenlijk mee? In een serie van blogposts geef ik een schets van de maatschappelijke context waarin deze redenering opkomt en het blootleggen van de gevaarlijke cirkelredenering van het falen van de multikul. Dit is het vierde en tevens laatste deel van de serie: secularistische dwingelandij.
What direction will Egypt be going in the time coming? Anthropologist Samuli Schielke is once again in Egypt and talked to several people and sees contradictory developments that were already going on but that are now partly magnified and partly transformed: the reintroduction of capitalism with a major social impact, the wave of a religious conservatism that was depoliticised in the past but is now becoming openly political in the aftermath of the protests and is also part of the neoliberal system of governance. Other major points pertain to the difficult relationship between ordinary people and the state, the crisis of patriarchal authority and people claiming their voice. Interestingly Schielke also shows how revolution is an emotional state and endeavour.
Het is vrijdag. En het is revolutiedag. En die revolutie wordt steeds bloediger. Een overzicht met Yemen, Libië, Syrië, Marokko, Saudi Arabië, Palestina en Bahrain.
In navolging van Merkel en Cameron hebben nu ook Verhagen en Rutte gesteld dat de multiculturele samenleving mislukt is. Maar wat bedoelt men daar nu eigenlijk mee? In een serie van blogposts geef ik een schets van de maatschappelijke context waarin deze redenering opkomt en het blootleggen van de gevaarlijke cirkelredenering van het falen van de multikul. Dit is deel 3: over het post-seculiere karakter van de samenleving.
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 uprisings in the Middle East, again, but now with a special focus on the position and role of women.
The Guardian has an interesting peak into the delibarations of a UK sharia tribunal. Several other documentaries have also, more in-depth, given us a look into the rulings on family matters.
In navolging van Merkel en Cameron hebben nu ook Verhagen en Rutte gesteld dat de multiculturele samenleving mislukt is. Maar wat bedoelt men daar nu eigenlijk mee? In een serie van blogposts geef ik een schets van de maatschappelijke context waarin deze redenering opkomt en het blootleggen van de gevaarlijke cirkelredenering van het falen van de multikul. Dit is deel 2 over een perverse vorm van multiculturalisme.
Women’s conversion to Islam is a hot topic. Within a political context that perceives both Islam and women as important boundary markers between ‘us’ and ‘them’ the female convert is presented as the ultimate other. Often women’s involvement in religious movements is seen as a sign of mere female superstition, irrationalism, fanaticism, or the result of a false consciousness and their perceived submission to male supremacy is often poorly understood. In this seminar the participants explore new developments in the field of the study of conversion and focus on how women themselves are active agents in constructing a coherent self, a gendered Muslim identity and in creating sense of belonging while mainting a relationship with non-Muslims.
According to Asef Bayat, if revolutions are about intense struggle for a profound change, then any revolution should expect a counterrevolution of subtle or blatant forms. The question is not if the threat of counter-revolution is to be expected; the question rather is if the ‘revolutions’ are revolutionary enough to offset the perils of restoration. It seems that the Arab revolutions remain particularly vulnerable precisely because of their distinct peculiarity—their structural anomaly expressed in the paradoxical trajectory of political change.
