Matrilineal, Matriarchal, and Matrifocal Islam: The World of Women-Centric Islam (Palgrave Series in Islamic Theology, Law, and History)

Around the world, Islamic cultures have developed distinctive matrilineal, matrifocal, matrilocal, or matriarchal natures as a result of how they have been practised by integrated and indigenised Muslim communities. In matrilineal descent systems, in contrast to the more common mosaic of patrilineal patterns, children belong to the mother’s ancestry group. Matrilineal Muslims therefore follow a social system in which people are identified with their mother's lineage, and the inheritance of property as well as succession are transferred through the matriline. This volume focuses on matrilineal, matrifocal and matriarchal Muslims and their unique folk natures, integrated social structures, adopted legal systems, and so on. It provides a unique perspective for understanding global Muslim communities that have succeeded in integrating the matrilineal tenets of local practices with religion, adhering to essential Islamic values in a way that makes traditional women-centred cultures acceptable to mainstream Islam. Contents Notes on Contributors List of Tables Introduction: Women-Centric Islam Part I: South and Southeast Asia Matrifocal, Matrilineal, or Matriarchal? Cultural Resilience and Vulnerability Among the Matrilineal and Muslim Minangkabau in Indonesia Key Concepts Matrifocality Matrilineality Matriarchy Vulnerability Resilience The Minangkabau The History of Adat and Islam in the Alam Minangkabau Social Organisation Education Ancestral Inheritance (harto pusako), Work, and the Village Economy The Larger Economy Merantau and Remittances Governance Conclusion Bibliography Adat Perpatih in Malaysia: Nature, History, Practice, and Contemporary Issues Introduction The Nature of Adat Perpatih Negeri Sembilan’s Adat Perpatih Tradition Leadership in Adat Perpatih Marriage in Adat Perpatih Property Ownership and Inheritance in Adat Perpatih Contemporary Issues Conclusion Bibliography Cultural and Social Integrations in Matrilineal, Matriarchal, Matrifocal Muslim Communities of South India Introduction The Manuscript of Futūhāt al-Jazāʾir The Qiṣṣat Shakarwatı̄ Farmāḍ Manuscript and Matrilineal Port Towns Adoption of Waqf al-Aulād in Malabar Expressions of Matrilineal Culture (Marumakkathayam) Legacy of Matrilineal Kinship Integrated Family Customs and Cultures ‘Reformation’ to Curb Matrilineal Islam Colonial Laws Against “un-Islamic” Matrilineal Practices Conclusion Bibliography Manuscripts Part II: Northeast Asia Affective Matrivocality and Women’s Voices: A History of Muslim Women Writers in China Introduction Historical Review of Hui Muslim Women in China from the Seventh to the Twentieth Century Wives, Mothers, and Daughters Gender Complementarity: Han Kitab and Women as Cultural Preservers Rise of Women’s Studies and Modern Education in the Twentieth Century From Gender Complementarity to Affective Matrivocality in Contemporary China Hui Women’s Voices in Public Spheres in the First Half of the Twentieth Century From Gender Complementarity to Affective Matrivocality Since the 1950s Conclusion Bibliography Matriarchal Family Structure in Korea’s Jeju Island and its Implications for the Muslim Community in Korea Introduction 1. The Status of Women in Korean History 2. The Matriarchal Tradition of Jeju Island 3. The Emergence and Development of the Korean Muslim Community 1. Historical Background 2. Socio-economic Conditions of Korean Muslims 4. Korean Muslim Women in Jeju and Matriarchal Traditions 5. The Prospect and Challenge of Muslim Women in Korean Society Bibliography Interviews The Maternal Initiative Role in the Japanese Muslim Community: Japanese Muslim Wives as Mediators Between Muslim Immigrants and Japanese Society Introduction The Transition of the Family System in Modern Japan Demography and Preceding Studies on the Muslim Families in Japan Case Studies on Women’s Role in the Muslim Families in Japan 1. Family Name Inheritance 2. Livelihood 3. Local Community Activities, Including School Activities Japanese Muslim Wives As Mediators Conclusion Bibliography Part III: Africa Muslim Family Under Portuguese Rule: Sharı̄ʿa and Matrilineal Custom in Colonial Coastal Northern Mozambique (ca. 1900–1974) Introduction Sharı̄ʿa and Orientalism Custom and Colonial Legal Pluralism The Muslim Family Between Sharı̄ʿa and Matrilineal Custom Conclusion Bibliography Asante Nkramo and Fantse Nkramo: Unravelling the Paradox of Islam and Matriliny in Ghana Introduction The Asante and Fantse Ethnic Groups Islam in Asante and Fantse Lands Islamic Law of Inheritance The Akan (Asante/Fantse) System of Inheritance The Akan and Fantse and Other Matrilineal Communities Conclusion Bibliography Interviews Part IV: Andalusia and Americas The Tuareg, from Arabia to Americas Introduction: A Wider View of Arab Civilisation The Origins of the Tuareg Matrilineal Practices among the Tuareg and in the Ancient Near East Arab and African Journeys to the Americas Evidence of Arab and African Heritage on the American Continent Matrilineal Practices Among Native American Societies Could the Cherokee Indians Have a Muslim Heritage? Conclusion Bibliography The Origins of Andalusian Muslim Matrilineal Systems Matrilinearity and Matrifocality in Spain II. The Origins of Matrilinearity in Spain Before Islam Methodological Issues (a) Iberians and North African Influences (b) Indo-European Influences in Pre-Roman Spain (c) Basque Culture and Matrifocal Institutions (d) The Influence of Sephardi Jews Settled in Spain III. Matrilineal Systems in Al-Andalus Conclusions Bibliography Index