The Art of Resistance in Islam: The Performance of Politics among Shi'i Women in the Middle East and Beyond (Cambridge Middle East Studies, Series Number 65)

Based on first-hand ethnographic insights into Shi'i religious groups in the Middle East and Europe , this book examines women's resistance to state as well as communal and gender power structures. It offers a new transnational approach to understanding gender agency within contemporary Islamic movements expressed through language, ritual practices, dramatic performances , posters and banners. By looking at the aesthetic performance of the political on the female body through Shi'i ritual practices – an aspect that has previously been ignored in studies on women's acts of resistance -, Yafa Shanneik shows how women play a central role in redefining sectarian and gender power relations both in the Middle East and in the European diaspora. "In 2014, I visited a private women-only religious gathering (majlis, pl. majālis) organised by an Iraqi Shi'i in her house in London. When I entered, everyone was still very busy preparing the majlis: some were sorting out the seating area by laying down additional cushions on the carpet while others were busy making food and drinks in the kitchen. The smell of black tea, cardamom, and saffron filled the house. The walls were covered in black with numerous Islamic Shi'a embroideries in yellow, green, and red colours hanging throughout the rooms. Various paintings and pictures of the prophet's grandson, Imam Husayn, and other Shi'i Sigures were displayed"-- Provided by publisher The Art of Resistance in Islam The Performance of Politics among Shi'i Women in the Middle East and Beyond-Yafa Shanneik (2022) The Art of Resistance in Islam Contents List of Figures Preface Note on Transliteration Introduction 1. Trajectories of Shi'is in the Gulf and Their Presence in Europe 2. The Rites of Mourning within Shi'i Islam 3. Performing the Sacred: Emotions, the Body, and Visuality 4. Aestheticization of Politics: The Case of Tatbir 5. Fatima's Apparition: Power Relations within Female Ritual Spaces 6. THe Power of the Word: The Politization of Language 7. Conclusion Bibliography Index Books in the Series