Somali, Muslim, British: Striving in Securitized Britain (LSE Monographs on Social Anthropology)

Somalis are one of the most chastised Muslim communities in Europe. Depicted in the news as victims of female genital mutilation, perpetrators of gang violence, or more recently, as radical Islamists, Somalis have been cast as a threat to social cohesion, national identity, and security in Britain and beyond. Somali, Muslim, British shifts attention away from these public representations to provide a detailed ethnographic study of Somali Muslim women's engagements with religion, political discourses, and public culture in the United Kingdom. The book chronicles the aspirations of different generations of Somali women as they respond to publicly charged questions of what it means to be Muslim, Somali, and British. By challenging and reconfiguring the dominant political frameworks in which they are immersed, these women imagine new ways of being in securitized Britain. Giulia Liberatore provides a nuanced account of Islamic piety, arguing that it needs to be understood as one among many forms of striving that individuals pursue throughout their lives. Bringing new perspectives to debates about Islam and multiculturalism in Europe, this book makes an important contribution to the anthropology of religion, subjectivity, and gender. Title Page Copyright Page Contents List of Figures Acknowledgements Note on Language Chapter 1 Introduction Security, British values and the Muslim ‘other’ The Islamic revival in Britain and beyond Aspiration Outline of the book Notes Chapter 2 An ethnography with Somali women in London A new Somali studies Ethnographic fieldwork in London Notes Chapter 3 Memories of modern Mogadishu Between nostalgia and critique Soomaalinimo and the spirit of modernity From independence to Scientific Socialism Modernity through the eyes of Somali women Modernity versus religion: Consequences of the 1975 family law Notes Chapter 4 Tuition centres and Somali mosques: Raising good daughters in London From Somalia to Britain Life as a refugee woman Religious reflections Investing in the next generation Raising ‘good Somali daughters’ in Britain Notes Chapter 5 Updating Soomaalinimo: Young Somalis and the problematization of culture A play on FGM Problematizing culture ‘I have Leyla culture’ Niiko dancing as culture Updating and modernizing culture Transcending Soomaalinimo Conclusion Notes Chapter 6 Mosque hopping: Seeking Islamic knowledge in London New beginnings: Layla and Saynab New forms of knowledge Sheikh Ibrahim: Affect and self-transformation Islamic scholarship Western knowledge Debating knowledge: Sufis, Salafis and the ‘bad imam’ Conclusion Notes Chapter 7 Multiculturalism, British values and the Muslim subject Make Bradford British The problem of being British and Muslim The problem of interiority and exteriority Sister A: Exteriority as cultural Problematizing exteriority: From sister A to sister B Ikraan’s jilbab ‘What matters is what I think and feel’: Cawo as a practising non-believer Inside-out reconsidered Conclusion Notes Chapter 8 Imagining an ideal husband The halal marriage event Imagining a professional, practising Somali man Beyond a dysfunctional marriage Love Jane Austen style Khadija as an independent professional Marriage, piety and aspiration Notes Chapter 9 Conclusion: Beyond Prevent Spotting extremists Prevent training Deradicalization Promoting British values Writing with Somali women: Future aspirations Notes References Index "Somalis are one of the most chastised Muslim communities in Europe. Frequently depicted in the news as victims of female genital mutilation, perpetrators of gang violence, or as jihadi brides and radical Islamists, Somalis have long been seen as a problematic refugee community in Britain and beyond. Somali, Muslim, British shifts attention away from these public debates to provide a detailed ethnographic study of the lives of Somali Muslim women in the United Kingdom. Based on ethnographic research with 21 households in London, it explores the aspirations of Somali women and how these shift over the course of the life cycle and across generations. It argues that these women's aspirations are shaped by, but also unsettle, contemporary ideas of religion, culture and nationality. Giulia Liberatore demonstrates that the increasing dominance of Islamic piety in Europe cannot be explained solely through the lens of religion and migration. Instead, it needs to be understood as one among many different forms of striving - such as for modernity or financial security - that individuals pursue throughout their lives. Bringing new perspectives to debates about Islam, multiculturalism, integration, and national identity in Europe and beyond, this book makes an important contribution to the anthropology of religion, subjectivity, and gender"-- Provided by publisher