Rasanayagam, Johan. 2006. "Healing with Spirits and the Formation of Muslim Selfhood in Post-Soviet Uzbekistan" The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute. 12, no. 2 (2006): 377-393.
Rasanayagam states: "In this article I will examine how people explore what it means to be a Muslim through ... healing with the aid of spirits." He explores how healers have responded to increasing post-Soviet "scripturalist" interpretations of Islam. He argues that healers, "construct themselves as 'proper' Muslims according to the orthodoxies authorized by official imams while maintaining their own, often highly individual, interpretations and practices."
Sections: A Particular Mode of Access to Divine Power and Knowledge; Healing Cosmologies; Orthodoxy in the Making; Authorizing Processes; Notes. Descriptors: 2000s, anthropology, diversity, ethnography, healers, journal, otins, post-Soviet, R, rituals, spirits, Uzbekistan; pluralism-textual/popular, Hanafi, syncretism, tabibs, oqsoqols, otins, perikhon, saints, bakshis, mavlud, hatma Qur'an, bibi seshanba, mushkul kushod, jinn, qori, avlio, alcohol
Showing posts with label ethnography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ethnography. Show all posts
Poliakov, Sergei P. and Martha Brill Olcott. Everyday Islam: Religion and Tradition in Rural Central Asia. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 1992.
This book is the work of Poliakov based on his more than thirty years of field research in Soviet Central Asia. Oclott merely provides editing and an introduction. According to Olcott, Poliakov believes that Central Asian traditionalism ("Everyday Islam") needs to be reformed. In the chapter on religion, Poliakov discusses madrasas, mosques, otins, mazar/shrine visits, mazar/Sufi sheikhs, official and unofficial mullahs, SADUM, the mahalla, and other topics.
Sections: Map of Central Asia; Glossary; By Way of Introduction: Martha Brill Olcott; Background; Economic Bases of Traditionalism; Traditionalism and the Family; The Role of Religion in the Community (Religious Institutions; The Clergy); Social Dynamics of Traditionalism; Notes; Index of Subjects; Index of Place Names. Descriptors: 1990s, anthropology, book, ethnography, mahalla, O, P, reform, Soviet
This book is the work of Poliakov based on his more than thirty years of field research in Soviet Central Asia. Oclott merely provides editing and an introduction. According to Olcott, Poliakov believes that Central Asian traditionalism ("Everyday Islam") needs to be reformed. In the chapter on religion, Poliakov discusses madrasas, mosques, otins, mazar/shrine visits, mazar/Sufi sheikhs, official and unofficial mullahs, SADUM, the mahalla, and other topics.
Sections: Map of Central Asia; Glossary; By Way of Introduction: Martha Brill Olcott; Background; Economic Bases of Traditionalism; Traditionalism and the Family; The Role of Religion in the Community (Religious Institutions; The Clergy); Social Dynamics of Traditionalism; Notes; Index of Subjects; Index of Place Names. Descriptors: 1990s, anthropology, book, ethnography, mahalla, O, P, reform, Soviet
Louw, Maria Elisabeth. Everyday Islam in Post-Soviet Central Asia. Central Asian Studies Series, Vol. 7. New York: Routledge, 2007.
Louw provides an excellent introduction to Sufism, veneration of saints, shrine visits (like the Naqshbandi shrine), and popular Islamic rituals (like bibi Seshanba) in Bukhara, Uzbekistan.
Louw provides an excellent introduction to Sufism, veneration of saints, shrine visits (like the Naqshbandi shrine), and popular Islamic rituals (like bibi Seshanba) in Bukhara, Uzbekistan.
Gladney, Dru C. Ethnic Identity in China: The Making of a Muslim Minority Nationality. Case Studies in Cultural Anthropology, edited by George and Louise Spindler. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1998.
In this ethnographic book, Gladney traces the identity of the contemporary Hui (sometimes referred to as "Chinese" Muslims) throughout China, including northwestern china. He concludes that, even though the Hui identify with one another, they are very diverse religiously, culturally, geographically, and by descent.
Contents: Foreword; Introduction; The Uniting of China; Creating Ethnic Identity in China: The Making of the Hui Nationality; Ethnoreligious Resurgence in a Northwestern Sufi Community; Chang Ying: Gender, Marriage, and Identity in a Hui Autonomous Village; Oxen Street: The Urban Hui Experience in Beijing; Chendai: Ethnic Revitalization in Quanzhou, Fujian; Conclusion: Ethnic National Identity in the Contemporary Chinese State. Descriptors: 1990s, anthropology, book, China, ethnography, G, Hui, identity, post-Soviet.
In this ethnographic book, Gladney traces the identity of the contemporary Hui (sometimes referred to as "Chinese" Muslims) throughout China, including northwestern china. He concludes that, even though the Hui identify with one another, they are very diverse religiously, culturally, geographically, and by descent.
Contents: Foreword; Introduction; The Uniting of China; Creating Ethnic Identity in China: The Making of the Hui Nationality; Ethnoreligious Resurgence in a Northwestern Sufi Community; Chang Ying: Gender, Marriage, and Identity in a Hui Autonomous Village; Oxen Street: The Urban Hui Experience in Beijing; Chendai: Ethnic Revitalization in Quanzhou, Fujian; Conclusion: Ethnic National Identity in the Contemporary Chinese State. Descriptors: 1990s, anthropology, book, China, ethnography, G, Hui, identity, post-Soviet.
Dautcher, Jay. Down a Narrow Road: Identity and Masculinity in a Uyghur Community in Xinjiang China. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Asia Center, 2009.
Dautcher's book is the result of ethnographic research among Uygurs in Yining, Xinjiang, China beginning in 1995. With regard to Islam, he discusses life cycle rituals, shrine visits, mahalla life, the meshrep, and Ramadan. The comparison of the olturash (men's drinking parties) and the meshrep (parties where alcohol drinking is punished on religious grounds) is very interesting. The question of what is truly Islamic is present. Dautcher quotes a lot of poems and jokes and has too much of a focus on sexuality.
Dautcher's book is the result of ethnographic research among Uygurs in Yining, Xinjiang, China beginning in 1995. With regard to Islam, he discusses life cycle rituals, shrine visits, mahalla life, the meshrep, and Ramadan. The comparison of the olturash (men's drinking parties) and the meshrep (parties where alcohol drinking is punished on religious grounds) is very interesting. The question of what is truly Islamic is present. Dautcher quotes a lot of poems and jokes and has too much of a focus on sexuality.
Aigine Cultural Research Center. "Traditional Spiritual Practices." In "Traditional Knowledge in Kyrgyzstan." Aigine Cultural Research Center. http://tk.aigine.kg/Default.aspx.
This is a great website which covers Kyrgyz sacred rituals and shrines in text, photos, and video. It also contains a glossary, search box, and discussion of whether mazar visits are compatible with Islam. To access much of the information, however, one must register with the site.
Sections: Sacred Sites; Rituals; Kyrgyzchylyk, Manaschylyk; Sacred Capacity and Medicine; Master and Apprentice. Descriptors: 2010s, A, ethnography, Kyrgyz, Kyrgyzstan, photography, photos, RITUALS, SHRINES, SITES, video, website; religious life.
This is a great website which covers Kyrgyz sacred rituals and shrines in text, photos, and video. It also contains a glossary, search box, and discussion of whether mazar visits are compatible with Islam. To access much of the information, however, one must register with the site.
Sections: Sacred Sites; Rituals; Kyrgyzchylyk, Manaschylyk; Sacred Capacity and Medicine; Master and Apprentice. Descriptors: 2010s, A, ethnography, Kyrgyz, Kyrgyzstan, photography, photos, RITUALS, SHRINES, SITES, video, website; religious life.
Montgomery, David W. "Namaz, Wishing Trees, and Vodka: The Diversity of Everyday Religious Life in Central Asia." In Everyday Life in Central Asia: Past and Present, edited by Jeff Sahadeo and Russell Zanca, 355-370. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 2007.
In this chapter Montgomery follows three people in Kyrgyzstan and describes how they each practice and view Islam differently. He argues that religion in Central Asia is diverse and important to the people, but not all consuming.
Contents: Ideas of Islamic Orthopraxy and the Problem of Purity; Traditional Religious Practice, Syncretism, and Everyday Religious Meaning; Multiple Meanings of Sacred Space: The Case of Solomon's Mountain; Russian Orthodoxy, the New Christians, and the Challenge of Plurality; Religion on the Streets
In this chapter Montgomery follows three people in Kyrgyzstan and describes how they each practice and view Islam differently. He argues that religion in Central Asia is diverse and important to the people, but not all consuming.
Contents: Ideas of Islamic Orthopraxy and the Problem of Purity; Traditional Religious Practice, Syncretism, and Everyday Religious Meaning; Multiple Meanings of Sacred Space: The Case of Solomon's Mountain; Russian Orthodoxy, the New Christians, and the Challenge of Plurality; Religion on the Streets
Roberts, Sean R. "Everyday Negotiations of Islam in Central Asia: Practicing Religion in The Uyghur Neighborhood of Zarya Vostoka in Almaty, Kazakhstan." In Everyday Life in Central Asia: Past and Present, edited by Jeff Sahadeo and Russell Zanca, 339-354. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2007.
Roberts does a good job in this chapter of showing the diversity of Islam in a village near Almaty Kazakhstan. To do so he describes the influence of religion in three community events: a Muslim holiday, the blessing of a soccer field, and a wedding.
Sections: Daily Religious Practice in Central Asia: Making Sense of Diversity; Bourdieu's "Theory of Practice" as a Means of Understanding Everyday Life in Central Asia; Zarya Vostoka: From Collective Farm to Land Port on a New Silk Road; Daily Religious Practice and Negotiation in Zarya Vostoka (Qorbon Hayit in Zarya Vostoka; Blessing of the Zarya Vostoka Soccer Field; A Wedding in Zarya Vostoka); Conclusions: Toward an Everyday Understanding of Religiosity in Central Asia
Roberts does a good job in this chapter of showing the diversity of Islam in a village near Almaty Kazakhstan. To do so he describes the influence of religion in three community events: a Muslim holiday, the blessing of a soccer field, and a wedding.
Sections: Daily Religious Practice in Central Asia: Making Sense of Diversity; Bourdieu's "Theory of Practice" as a Means of Understanding Everyday Life in Central Asia; Zarya Vostoka: From Collective Farm to Land Port on a New Silk Road; Daily Religious Practice and Negotiation in Zarya Vostoka (Qorbon Hayit in Zarya Vostoka; Blessing of the Zarya Vostoka Soccer Field; A Wedding in Zarya Vostoka); Conclusions: Toward an Everyday Understanding of Religiosity in Central Asia
Privratsky, Bruce G. Muslim Turkistan: Kazak Religion and Collective Memory. Richmond UK: Curzon, 2001.
Privratsky's book is a good ethnographic survey of contemporary Islamic practice among Kazakhs in Turkistan, Kazakhstan. It discusses, among other things, Sufism, lines of ancestry traced to the first century of Islam, observance (or non-observance) of the five pillars of Islam, shrine visitations like that of the Yasawi Mausoleum, veneration of ancestors, and healing arts. There are interesting discussions about pre-Islamic influences of contemporary religious practices and what are true Islamic practices.
Contents: Maps and Illustrations; Preface; Abbreviations; Transliteration; The Problem of Kazak Religion; Kiyeli Jer: Muslim Landscapes and Kazak Ethnicity; Taza Jol: The Pure Way of Islam Among the Kazaks; Aruaq: Remembering the Ancestors; Auliye: Remembering the Saints; Emshi: The Kazak Healer; Kazak Religion and Collective Memory; Religion as Culture and Spirit; Appendix: Principal Informants; References Cited; Glossary; Index
Privratsky's book is a good ethnographic survey of contemporary Islamic practice among Kazakhs in Turkistan, Kazakhstan. It discusses, among other things, Sufism, lines of ancestry traced to the first century of Islam, observance (or non-observance) of the five pillars of Islam, shrine visitations like that of the Yasawi Mausoleum, veneration of ancestors, and healing arts. There are interesting discussions about pre-Islamic influences of contemporary religious practices and what are true Islamic practices.
Contents: Maps and Illustrations; Preface; Abbreviations; Transliteration; The Problem of Kazak Religion; Kiyeli Jer: Muslim Landscapes and Kazak Ethnicity; Taza Jol: The Pure Way of Islam Among the Kazaks; Aruaq: Remembering the Ancestors; Auliye: Remembering the Saints; Emshi: The Kazak Healer; Kazak Religion and Collective Memory; Religion as Culture and Spirit; Appendix: Principal Informants; References Cited; Glossary; Index
Moses, Larry W. "Uigur." In Muslim Peoples: A World Ethnographic Survey, edited by Richard V. Weekes, 451-454. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1978.
This short chapter outlines the history of the Uygurs. Only the last two paragraphs discuss Islam and they state that the Uygurs began to adopt Islam in the tenth century; like other Turkic groups, they were heavily influenced by Sufis; and they remained devout Muslims until the communist period.
This short chapter outlines the history of the Uygurs. Only the last two paragraphs discuss Islam and they state that the Uygurs began to adopt Islam in the tenth century; like other Turkic groups, they were heavily influenced by Sufis; and they remained devout Muslims until the communist period.
Benson, Linda and Ingvar Svanberg. China's Last Nomads: The History and Culture of China's Kazaks. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 1998.
This book contains a good historical and contemporary history of the Kazaks in Central Asia and China.
Sections: The Kazaks of Northwestern China: The Physical and Cultural Setting; Kazaks in Central Eurasia and China to the Twentieth Century; China's Kazaks, 1912-1949; CCP Minority Policy and Its Implementation in Xinjiang; Life at the Local Level: Development and Change in Xinjiang's Autonomous Kazak Areas; Kazak Culture and Chinese Politics; Kazakhstan and China's Kazaks in the Twenty-First Century
This book contains a good historical and contemporary history of the Kazaks in Central Asia and China.
Sections: The Kazaks of Northwestern China: The Physical and Cultural Setting; Kazaks in Central Eurasia and China to the Twentieth Century; China's Kazaks, 1912-1949; CCP Minority Policy and Its Implementation in Xinjiang; Life at the Local Level: Development and Change in Xinjiang's Autonomous Kazak Areas; Kazak Culture and Chinese Politics; Kazakhstan and China's Kazaks in the Twenty-First Century
Abramson, David M. and Elyor E. Karimov. "Sacred Sites, Profane Ideologies: Religious Pilgrimage and the Uzbek State." In Everyday Life in Central Asia: Past and Present, edited by Jeff Sahadeo and Russell Zanca, 319-338. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2007.
This chapter is very interesting and based on archival information and fieldwork. It reviews the contemporary practice of visiting sacred shrines in Uzbekistan. In doing so it shows the difference between Islam as interpreted by ordinary people and those who have religious education and how the state controls Islam in contemporary Uzbekistan.
Sections: Definition of a Sacred Site; Shared Shrines, Contested Practices (The Shrine of Ughlanjon-ota; The Tomb of Bahauddin Naqshband); Rethinking Religion in the Post-Soviet World; Conclusions: Islam and the Anthropology of Social Change
This chapter is very interesting and based on archival information and fieldwork. It reviews the contemporary practice of visiting sacred shrines in Uzbekistan. In doing so it shows the difference between Islam as interpreted by ordinary people and those who have religious education and how the state controls Islam in contemporary Uzbekistan.
Sections: Definition of a Sacred Site; Shared Shrines, Contested Practices (The Shrine of Ughlanjon-ota; The Tomb of Bahauddin Naqshband); Rethinking Religion in the Post-Soviet World; Conclusions: Islam and the Anthropology of Social Change
McGlinchey, Eric M. "Divided Faith: Trapped Between State and Islam in Uzbekistan." In Everyday Life in Central Asia: Past and Present, edited by Jeff Sahadeo and Russell Zanca, 305-318. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2007.
McGlinchey's chapter is very interesting. It tells the stories of a few contemporary pious, but not radical, individuals who were persecuted by the government in order to show how Uzbekistan monitors and controls religious activity and mosques. McGlinchey argues that piety does not equal extremism. Sections: The Neighborhood Mosque and the Limits of Uzbek State Control; Family Life and State Intimidation; The State's Manipulation of Radical Islam; Conclusion
McGlinchey's chapter is very interesting. It tells the stories of a few contemporary pious, but not radical, individuals who were persecuted by the government in order to show how Uzbekistan monitors and controls religious activity and mosques. McGlinchey argues that piety does not equal extremism. Sections: The Neighborhood Mosque and the Limits of Uzbek State Control; Family Life and State Intimidation; The State's Manipulation of Radical Islam; Conclusion
Gullette, David. "Introduction: Religion and Ethnicity." In "Kinship, State, and 'Tribalism': The Genealogical Construction of the Kyrgyz Republic," 13-15. PhD diss., University of Cambridge, 2006, http://www.innerasiaresearch.org/Gullette-PhDThesis06.pdf.
This is a three page section on religion and ethnicity in Kyrgyzstan in a dissertation that is otherwise not about Islam. It discusses the interrelationship between kinship, ethnicity, social practices, and religion and argues that religion has been an identity marker and is just now becoming a belief system in Kyrgyzstan.
This is a three page section on religion and ethnicity in Kyrgyzstan in a dissertation that is otherwise not about Islam. It discusses the interrelationship between kinship, ethnicity, social practices, and religion and argues that religion has been an identity marker and is just now becoming a belief system in Kyrgyzstan.
Liu, Morgan Y. "A Central Asian Tale of Two Cities: Locating Lives and Aspirations in a Shifting Post-Soviet Cityscape." In Everyday Life in Central Asia: Past and Present, edited by Jeff Sahadeo and Russell Zanca, 66-83. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2007.
This chapter is an interesting comparison between life in Soviet apartment blocks and mahallas in Osh, Kyrgyzstan. Liu shows that those living in the mostly Uzbek mahallas turn more to Islam for moral guidance than those living in the Russian apartment blocs. Sections: Bazaar Nexus; Soviet City; Entering the Mahalla; Conclusion: Two Cities, Two Visions
This chapter is an interesting comparison between life in Soviet apartment blocks and mahallas in Osh, Kyrgyzstan. Liu shows that those living in the mostly Uzbek mahallas turn more to Islam for moral guidance than those living in the Russian apartment blocs. Sections: Bazaar Nexus; Soviet City; Entering the Mahalla; Conclusion: Two Cities, Two Visions
Irons, William G. "Turkmen." In Muslim Peoples: A World Ethnographic Survey, edited by Richard V. Weekes, 427-433. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1978.
This chapter reviews Turkmen culture in Central Asia. It states that the main reason why the Turkmen were nomadic was so that they could raid the sedentary populations and retreat into more arid regions. It also outlines some of the social obligations of sons to fathers and wives to husbands.
This chapter reviews Turkmen culture in Central Asia. It states that the main reason why the Turkmen were nomadic was so that they could raid the sedentary populations and retreat into more arid regions. It also outlines some of the social obligations of sons to fathers and wives to husbands.
Dupree, Louis. "Tajik." In Muslim Peoples: A World Ethnographic Survey, edited by Richard V. Weekes, 389-395. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1978.
This is a very interesting chapter. It compares the Tajiks in Afghanistan to those in Soviet Central Asia where life is different due to the Soviet influence. It also briefly discusses Ismaili Muslims in the region and the following topics: agriculture, animal husbandry, home styles, tribal democracy, alcohol, etc. It mentions that Tajik women rarely wore the veil and influenced decisions in the village councils (majlis) even though they did not attend.
This is a very interesting chapter. It compares the Tajiks in Afghanistan to those in Soviet Central Asia where life is different due to the Soviet influence. It also briefly discusses Ismaili Muslims in the region and the following topics: agriculture, animal husbandry, home styles, tribal democracy, alcohol, etc. It mentions that Tajik women rarely wore the veil and influenced decisions in the village councils (majlis) even though they did not attend.
Mote, Victor L. "Tatars." In Muslim Peoples: A World Ethnographic Survey, edited by Richard V. Weekes, 395-400. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1978.
Among other items, this chapter discusses the complexity of the Tatar identity, the relative importance of education to them, and family matters. Descriptors: 1970s, chapter, ethnography, identity, M, political science, Soviet, Tatar
Among other items, this chapter discusses the complexity of the Tatar identity, the relative importance of education to them, and family matters. Descriptors: 1970s, chapter, ethnography, identity, M, political science, Soviet, Tatar
Mote, Victor L. "Kirgiz." In Muslim Peoples: A World Ethnographic Survey, edited by Richard V. Weekes, 215-220. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1978.
This chapter helps demonstrate the diversity of Islam in Central Asia. It discusses the animal husbandry and the remaining semi-nomadic ways of the Kyrgyz in Soviet times. It also discusses the condition of women in marriage and points out that they did not wear the veil.
This chapter helps demonstrate the diversity of Islam in Central Asia. It discusses the animal husbandry and the remaining semi-nomadic ways of the Kyrgyz in Soviet times. It also discusses the condition of women in marriage and points out that they did not wear the veil.
Montgomery, David C. "Uzbek." In Muslim Peoples: A World Ethnographic Survey, edited by Richard V. Weekes, 460-464. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1978.
This chapter briefly describes the history and culture of Uzbeks during Soviet times. It also discusses their conversion to Islam and the Soviet treatment of Islam. Despite Soviet laws, it states that Uzbeks continued certain religious practices such circumcision, Islamic feast days, Islamic marriage and funerals, polygamy, shrine visits, patron Islamic saints, and Muslim names. It also discusses the Soviet attempts to liberate women with marriage, divorce, and polygamy laws and the campaign to end the veil.
This chapter briefly describes the history and culture of Uzbeks during Soviet times. It also discusses their conversion to Islam and the Soviet treatment of Islam. Despite Soviet laws, it states that Uzbeks continued certain religious practices such circumcision, Islamic feast days, Islamic marriage and funerals, polygamy, shrine visits, patron Islamic saints, and Muslim names. It also discusses the Soviet attempts to liberate women with marriage, divorce, and polygamy laws and the campaign to end the veil.
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