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In the khidma (‘service’) of Ahl al-Bayt : Agency and social capital of religious statue art in Kuwait

Al-Hudaid, Nada LU (2022)
Abstract
In this chapter, I develop an ethnographic understanding of khidma (Arabic for serving), exploring the effect serving Ahl al-Bayt (Family of Prophet Mohammed) has on devotees with a particular focus on materiality. More specifically, I will trace the process of khidma through art and show how art is utilized in religious service, which highlights the centrality of materiality in contemporary Shii religious cultures. The art that will be explored is religious statue making, which is becoming more popular amongst Shiis as more ritual spaces as well as museums dedicate space to Shii statue art. Shiis in Kuwait use several terms interchangeably to refer to ‘statues’, including embodiments (mujasamāt), statues (tamāthīl), and representations... (More)
In this chapter, I develop an ethnographic understanding of khidma (Arabic for serving), exploring the effect serving Ahl al-Bayt (Family of Prophet Mohammed) has on devotees with a particular focus on materiality. More specifically, I will trace the process of khidma through art and show how art is utilized in religious service, which highlights the centrality of materiality in contemporary Shii religious cultures. The art that will be explored is religious statue making, which is becoming more popular amongst Shiis as more ritual spaces as well as museums dedicate space to Shii statue art. Shiis in Kuwait use several terms interchangeably to refer to ‘statues’, including embodiments (mujasamāt), statues (tamāthīl), and representations (tashābīh). Following the organization and curation of an exhibition entitled Āh Zaynab by Umm Mishʿal, a pious Shii woman who self identifies as a servant of Ahl al-Bayt, the chapter will explore the relationship between khidma in art.
This chapter contributes to the literature on Shii materiality and art by presenting and introducing a particular Shii artform and its original creator who initiated a trend of making states at home and incorporating them in religious events in Kuwait, Umm Mishʿal, which will create a scholarly documentation of how this art tradition started in Kuwait. The photographs that will be presented in this chapter that covers the process of the making are the only such visual source available that documents a work that has influenced Shii rites in the Arab Gulf countries since 2004.
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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
in press
subject
host publication
Beyond Karbala : New Approaches to Shi’i Materiality - New Approaches to Shi’i Materiality
editor
Shanneik, Yafa and Marei, Fouad
publisher
Brill
project
Alterumma - Creating an Alternative umma: Clerical Authority and Religio-political Mobilisation in Transnational Shii Islam
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
1a4606ab-f316-4e0e-84e7-1c07ec651893
date added to LUP
2022-05-24 00:17:12
date last changed
2023-09-21 15:52:31
@inbook{1a4606ab-f316-4e0e-84e7-1c07ec651893,
  abstract     = {{In this chapter, I develop an ethnographic understanding of khidma (Arabic for serving), exploring the effect serving Ahl al-Bayt (Family of Prophet Mohammed) has on devotees with a particular focus on materiality. More specifically, I will trace the process of khidma through art and show how art is utilized in religious service, which highlights the centrality of materiality in contemporary Shii religious cultures. The art that will be explored is religious statue making, which is becoming more popular amongst Shiis as more ritual spaces as well as museums dedicate space to Shii statue art. Shiis in Kuwait use several terms interchangeably to refer to ‘statues’, including embodiments (mujasamāt), statues (tamāthīl), and representations (tashābīh). Following the organization and curation of an exhibition entitled Āh Zaynab by Umm Mishʿal, a pious Shii woman who self identifies as a servant of Ahl al-Bayt, the chapter will explore the relationship between khidma in art.<br/>This chapter contributes to the literature on Shii materiality and art by presenting and introducing a particular Shii artform and its original creator who initiated a trend of making states at home and incorporating them in religious events in Kuwait, Umm Mishʿal, which will create a scholarly documentation of how this art tradition started in Kuwait. The photographs that will be presented in this chapter that covers the process of the making are the only such visual source available that documents a work that has influenced Shii rites in the Arab Gulf countries since 2004.<br/>}},
  author       = {{Al-Hudaid, Nada}},
  booktitle    = {{Beyond Karbala : New Approaches to Shi’i Materiality}},
  editor       = {{Shanneik, Yafa and Marei, Fouad}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Brill}},
  title        = {{In the khidma (‘service’) of Ahl al-Bayt : Agency and social capital of religious statue art in Kuwait}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}