Islam through Objects (Bloomsbury Studies in Material Religion) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1350132810 ISBN 13: 9781350132818

Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic, 2021

Synopsis

Islam through Objects represents the state of the field of Islamic material cultural studies. With contributions from scholars of religion, anthropologists, art historians, folklorists, historians, and other disciplines, Anna Bigelow brings together a wide range of perspectives on Islamic materiality to debunk myths of Islamic aversion to material aspects of religion.

Each chapter focuses on a single object in daily use by Muslims-prayer beads, coins, amulets, a cistern well, clothing, jewellery, bodily and domestic adornments-to consider both generic and particular aspects of the object in question. These narratives will engage the reader by describing and analyzing each object in terms of its provenance, materials, uses, and history, as well as the broader history, variety and uses of the object in Islamic history and cultures. Temporal, regional, and sectarian variations in the styles, uses, and theological perspectives are also considered.

Framed by an introduction that assesses the various approaches to Islamic material culture in recent scholarship, Islam through Objects provides a template for the study of religion and material culture, which engages current theory, subtle and nuanced narratives, and the creative and imaginal capacities of Muslims through history.

About this title

About the Authors

Anna Bigelow is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Stanford University, USA.

Amy Whitehead is Senior Lecturer in Social Anthropology at Massey University, New Zealand.

Edition details

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1350132810
• ISBN 13: 9781350132818
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 264
• Editor: Bigelow Anna