Observing the Sunni-Shiʿa Divide in Fieldwork : The When and Where of Muslim Identities
(2023) In Journal of Muslims in Europe 12(1). p.58-76- Abstract
- Based on an ethnographic study of non-conformist mosques, this article demonstrates how Muslims may adopt a Sunni or Shiʿa identity while navigating spaces that are institutionalised as such but give much less importance to this identity – if any – when occupying less structured spaces. It may, for example, have little influence on what religious literature they read, which preachers they follow on social media, and how they practise religion in everyday life. The article argues that research methodologies must be properly sensitised to this. Otherwise, they risk making the Sunni–Shiʿa identity hypervisible, thus producing the divide rather than investigating it.
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/5e549540-cb60-4edd-bd82-c6b9a50ebf33
- author
- Petersen, Jesper LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2023
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Shiʿa, Shiʿism, Anthropology of Islam, Salafism, Islamic feminism, warping
- in
- Journal of Muslims in Europe
- volume
- 12
- issue
- 1
- pages
- 58 - 76
- publisher
- Brill
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85150472006
- ISSN
- 2211-7954
- DOI
- 10.1163/22117954-bja10077
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 5e549540-cb60-4edd-bd82-c6b9a50ebf33
- date added to LUP
- 2023-03-19 10:29:01
- date last changed
- 2023-06-15 04:07:42
@article{5e549540-cb60-4edd-bd82-c6b9a50ebf33, abstract = {{Based on an ethnographic study of non-conformist mosques, this article demonstrates how Muslims may adopt a Sunni or Shiʿa identity while navigating spaces that are institutionalised as such but give much less importance to this identity – if any – when occupying less structured spaces. It may, for example, have little influence on what religious literature they read, which preachers they follow on social media, and how they practise religion in everyday life. The article argues that research methodologies must be properly sensitised to this. Otherwise, they risk making the Sunni–Shiʿa identity hypervisible, thus producing the divide rather than investigating it.}}, author = {{Petersen, Jesper}}, issn = {{2211-7954}}, keywords = {{Shiʿa; Shiʿism; Anthropology of Islam; Salafism; Islamic feminism; warping}}, language = {{eng}}, number = {{1}}, pages = {{58--76}}, publisher = {{Brill}}, series = {{Journal of Muslims in Europe}}, title = {{Observing the Sunni-Shiʿa Divide in Fieldwork : The When and Where of Muslim Identities}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/22117954-bja10077}}, doi = {{10.1163/22117954-bja10077}}, volume = {{12}}, year = {{2023}}, }