Paper short abstract:

In studying “small places”, anthropologists presuppose International Relations (IR). I suggest that any account of small places is necessarily skewed, even impossible, unless the presuppositions of IR are made explicit and written about as points of intersections between the two, not necessarily symmetrical.

Paper long abstract:

Since George Marcus' (1995) article it has become nearly commonplace to admit the non-viability and limits of intensive fieldwork in one location. Hence the buzzword "multi-sited ethnography"! Appreciating this move and while attentive to the "world system" and "political economy", I argue that anthropology ought to confront the international relations which comprises states claiming to represent "nations". Any account of small places -whether single- or multi-sited -is necessarily skewed, even impossible, unless the presuppositions of the international relations and world order are made explicit and written about as points of intersections between the two and more, not necessarily symmetrical, however. With reference to some recent anthropological works and the writings of Wright Mills, who gestured such an approach long ago, I argue how the distance between anthropology and international relations continues to block the flowering of sociological imagination.

Paper short abstract:

This paper critically assesses representations of a singular Islamism in recent literature, constructed by either presenting it as a transnational homogenous reaction to 'Western' colonialism, or by discerning its continuity with Muslim political practices from the originary years of Islam.

Paper long abstract:

The shooting of the Charlie Hebdo humorists by Muslim radicals sparked a massive debate over the democratic credentials of Islam and the morality of Islamist movements. Does anthropology as a discipline have anything to add to these accounts? Many of the responses to the killings echoed a larger literature that over the last two decades has sought to analyse the emergence of what it presumes to be a singular Islamism. Much of that work has sought to identify or generate a transnational, cross-cultural and universal model to explain the origins of Islamism, constructing its object of analysis by transcending its origins in the particular historical concerns of different societies.

Building on the identification by Trevor Wilson of two types of explanatory ideal-type models, described as the immanent (endogenous), and the external (exogenous), this paper describes and critically analyses their main arguments, including their shared assumptions. Wilson argues that their differences revolve around two central contested points: whether the West has created Islamism through the effects of recent Western colonial and postcolonial aggression, sometimes glossed as its forcing of modernity upon Muslim societies; or whether Islamism was in and within Islam before the periods of oppressive Western influence over the Islamic world. The paper concludes by making a number of objections to both the immanent and the external models.

Paper short abstract:

This paper addresses two issues: first, the observation that Indonesian Sufism promotes an ethic of hospitality towards non-Muslims; second, the need for anthropology to find better ways of engaging with religious otherness.

Paper long abstract:

This paper addresses two main issues. First, based on current research on "new Muslim spiritualities in Indonesia", the author attempts to answer the question of whether, unlike their shariah- and reform-oriented co-religionists, Indonesian Sufis are more open to, and tolerant of, non-Muslim belief and practice. Does Sufism promote an ethic of hospitality in contemporary, urban Indonesia and if so why? Second, is the argument made by Joel Robbins, Tanya Luhrman and others that anthropology needs to find a better way of engaging with religious otherness. What might it mean to take the religious claims of ones interlocutors seriously?

It is argued that in fact these are not unrelated questions since both involve investigating the connection between ethics and religious (or what I'd rather call spiritual) practice. This connection is explored using Henri Corbin's concept of 'mundis imaginalis'. It is argued that it is precisely those practices that encourage or facilitate the imagination of worlds that differ radically (ontologically?) from our own that are most likely to promote moral conduct within and between communities.

Paper short abstract:

This paper considers the conjunction of pious dispositions and secular feminist values in the practices of Indonesian Muslim women NGO activists. It explores the ethical space of their political action, that draws on norms of justice, compassion, respect, community, integrity and hope.

Paper long abstract:

The title of this paper is drawn from Abu-Lughod's (2013) discussion of the 'social life' of Muslim women's rights. In suggesting that rights have a social life, Abu-Lughod argues that rights only exist in 'social play' (2013, p. 147), that is, in the social interactions and discursive exchanges where the notion of rights gets circulated, played out, transplanted and invoked. As a consequence, she argues, the concept of rights for Muslim women takes on different meanings as it moves through diverse social networks and becomes entangled with various local, state and non-state institutions (see, also, Al-Ali 2000; Badran 2005). Turning to Southeast Asia, Rinaldo (2010) documents how increasing interaction between the fields of Islamic and gender politics in Indonesian public life since the 1990s has shaped Muslim women's agency. As Islam has become a primary source of meaning in the Indonesian public sphere, Rinaldo demonstrates how women have variously mobilized Islam - some arguing for women's empowerment and equality and others to promote a more Islamic nation - thereby transforming global discourses of both Islam and feminism. This paper considers the confluence of religious and secular feminist orientations in the activism of a group of NGO activists in West Kalimantan. In considering the conjunction of pious dispositions and secular feminist values in the practices of these young Muslim women, the paper makes the further call that we consider how women's activism reflects the intersection of ethics and values, on the one hand, and political and socio-economic factors, on the other.

Paper short abstract:

Drawing on fieldwork with female converts to Islam, this paper documents their practice and aspirations for self-discipline, whilst also attending to the co-existence of, rather than competition between, the different sensory regimes and moral registers that characterise the conversion experience.

Paper long abstract:

While the relationship between agency, piety and morality has become a key focus of the anthropology of Islam and Muslim societies, this paper argues that questions of ambivalence and contradiction in religious practice need further analysis (see Schielke 2009). How do we account for 'spaces between' piety and practice? Drawing on fieldwork with female converts to Islam at several Melbourne mosque groups, I describe how women who attended the groups were committed to self-cultivation through piety practices, yet were struggling to develop a moral self within a secular context. How do we account for the ambivalence, ambiguity, hesitation and fragmentation that are evident in the narratives of female converts? If the focus is only on claims of piety and morality do we obscure the fact that the experience of female converts is often characterised by competing hopes and desires that cannot always be framed by religious doctrine? In an attempt to understand the experience of conversion, I document the converts' practice and aspirations for self-discipline, whilst also attending to the 'inconsistencies and complexities in their attempts to live virtuous lives' (Marsden 2005: 261). By doing so, I hope to delineate the co-existence of, rather than competition between, different sensory regimes, bodily nuances, interpersonal moments and moral registers that characterise the experience of conversion.

Paper short abstract:

This paper considers the reflections of young Muslims whom have experienced public school sex education in NSW, which is viewed by some as moralising. Using ethnographic examples, I explore how Muslims engage with discourses of morality and values as individuals first and community members second.

Paper long abstract:

This paper considers the reflections of some young, unmarried Muslims whom have experienced sex education in public schools and explores their conceptualisations of sex and values. Based on anthropological research in multicultural and multi-religious Sydney, I will observe that sex education in public schools can be perceived as a moralising force that does not allow for alternative moralities and is seen ultimately as being part of a larger secularising and assimilatory agenda of the Australian state. Such perceptions can polarise opinions among young Muslims and make some feel as if they must choose between opposing categories of 'Muslim values' and 'Australian values' in articulating their own understandings of sexual ethics and morality. This tension is then compounded by certain political and media discourses that stereotype Australian Muslims as being somehow unable to fully adapt to an equally stereotyped 'mainstream Australian culture', which in turn contributes to an environment that facilitates 'us/them' comparisons among both Muslim and non-Muslim Australians. Inclusive of Muslims of various theological stances, degrees of self-defined religiosity, sexualities and gender identities, this paper seeks to demonstrate the fragility of the us/them dichotomy that may be constructed either between communities, or indeed between researcher and researched. Taking the often controversial topic of the presentation of sexuality education in schools as an illustration, I hope to show that individuals engage with and manipulate discourses according to their needs as individuals first, and community members second.

Paper short abstract:

The focus of this paper is on two important Islamic art practices that have experienced a major recent revival in Turkey: Sufi music and calligraphy. The paper examines the transformative power of Islamic art pedagogies to cultivate both new creative and ethical perceptions in practitioners.

Paper long abstract:

The teaching and learning of Islamic art practices have experienced a major global revival over the last two decades, as part of a more general interest in Islamic cultural politics by Muslims (Roy and Boubekeur 2012; Göle 2002). This paper discusses the two most important and popular art forms in this revival: the musical tradition of ney playing (the Sufi flute) and calligraphy (literally 'beautiful writing'). In Sufism, widely circulating knowledge about it often describes it as 'the breath of God', an instrument with a natural ability to express the inner soul and to reveal the secrets of human kind. The art of hat (calligraphy) on the other hand involves the skilled practice of writing the words of the Qur'an. For calligraphers, dedication to the perfection of their art is an act of prayer. Based on two years of fieldwork in Istanbul, the paper investigates the ethical and perceptual modifications effected through the learning and mastering of these Islamic art practices. This involves examining the transformative power of the core methods of Islamic art pedagogy rooted in the complex learning relationship between master and apprentice(s).

Paper short abstract:

This paper focuses on the current lives of young female Muslims in Indonesia and Singapore. In recent times, young Muslim women in both countries have been inclined to search for religious gatherings that assist them in constructing themselves to become what they consider ethical Muslim women.

Paper long abstract:

From 2012 onwards, a new trend has grown in the stage of Islamic da'wa (proselytisation) dedicated to young Muslim women in Southeast Asia. Numbers of Islamic events organised by young Muslims, using convention centres and social media, have been held to cater to the demand of female youth. This phenomenon is different to the more established forms of becoming religious, as studied by many scholars, and as has been experienced by older generations who are driven to be religious by their religious socio-cultural environment. Little, however, has been said regarding this new phenomenon of young Muslim women returning to Islam. Drawing from fieldwork in Indonesia and Singapore, this paper will focus on the aspects that have led young Muslims to self-fashion themselves by using their own youth subculture. It will also analyse to what extent the notion of being an ethical young Muslim has coloured the life of these female Muslims. The young female Muslims are not united by certain strict religious groups. They are individuals who maintain relative autonomy and are eager to self-fashion themselves as true ethical Muslims.

Paper short abstract:

This paper explores negotiations and contestations of 'being pious' and searching for 'moral role model' among British Muslims. I am problematizing the notions of piety as mere 'ethical self-fashioning' and extending these notions to their wider social, economic and political implications.

Paper long abstract:

This paper aims at exploring the everyday life struggle, negotiations and contestations about 'being pious' and searching for 'moral role model' among British Muslims. The paper will focus on how and why the projection of self righteousness and morality-led lives becomes pivotal for British Muslims whenever they encounter each other at any social gathering or assemble at any public place. The paper argues that giving public performance of pious and moral lives not only generate personal credibility and economic success for British Muslims, but also the personal credibility and economic success advances the public expressions of pious and moral selves amongst themselves. The ethnography focuses on how British Muslims learn and reorient themselves with piety and morality led lives through practicing Islam in everyday life; how the search for the moral role models encourages the display of piety among its members and how it becomes integral element of their collective social and political lives. This paper is based on ethnographic fieldworks conducted in Birmingham with Sunni Muslims and in London with Shia Muslims. In this paper, I am problematizing the notions of piety as mere 'ethical self-fashioning' in anthropological debates and extending these notions by exploring the wider social, economic and political implications of piety and morality led lives of Muslims. The lives of British Muslims provide interesting insights for anthropological inquiry regarding their yearnings for demonstration of a utopian morality and piety led life styles and their negotiations while facing challenges over piety exhibitionism.

Paper short abstract:

This paper examines the views of Muslim employees working for Islamic Savings and Credit Cooperatives (BMTs) in Indonesia. It explores how Islamic morality guides their code of conduct. It argues that their work provides an opportunity to cultivate their ethical self in risky and insecure circumstances.

Paper long abstract:

Small and medium businesses account for 90 percent of employment opportunities in contemporary Indonesia (Tambunan 2011), but funding sources for the sector have been relatively limited. Since the mid-1990s Islamic Savings and Credit Cooperatives, commonly known as BMTs, have grown rapidly in urban Indonesia to fill the gap left by the formal banking sector. Their financial products are based on Islamic jurisprudence and cater for the business needs of urban small traders. The study of the Islamic economy has focused on Islamic financial products because they represent an example of the 'moral economy', or ethnically correct transactions in line with Islamic teaching. This paper, however, brings attention to the views of employees who work for BMTs. BMTs use exclusively Muslim employees and their professional training involves participation in Islamic study sessions. BMTs use few security precautions, contrary to the practice of the formal banking sector. For example, BMT marketing officers often carry large amounts of cash despite the fact that theft and corruption are rife. Based on anthropological fieldwork in the BMT sector in Indonesia, this paper will explore how Islamic morality guides the code of conduct of BMT employees. It will argue that working for BMTs assists them to become a better Muslim in their everyday life.This paper argues that work at BMTs is perceived by the employee as an opportunity to cultivate their ethical self in highly insecure and risky circumstances with the help of God.

Paper short abstract:

Authoritative analyses of media developments in the Muslim world disembed Muslims from the constraints within which ongoing communications routines take place.

Paper long abstract:

Julian Millie's research into Islamic oratory in West Java made him aware of how orators shape their sermons in accordance with the needs of situation. This is apparent even in oratorical mediations taking place within the emerging contexts associated with the Islamic resurgence. Oratory's continuing compatibility with context encourages reflection on a major trajectory constructed in academic analyses of media in the Muslim world over recent decades. According to this trajectory, of which Dale Eickelman is the major author, mass education and new media technologies have enabled Muslims to move out of the hierarchical modes of Islamic learning and into communicative forms that free them from those hierarchies. The new media forms enable them to challenge the exercise of state authority in networks that resemble abstractions such as the public sphere and civil society. These new technologies transform listeners and memorisers into deliberative, critical and autonomous user of communications media.

In this paper, Millie critically reflects on the value of this trajectory as a construction of media in the contemporary Muslim world. Specifically, he notes that Muslims continue to encounter oratory in embodied preaching routines that affirm hierarchical and disciplinary structures. The resurgence has no doubt created mediated relations that reflect novel abstractions of political life, but at the same time, Islamic media continue to affirm hierarchies and relations that reveal subjects constrained by social and political realities. What is needed, Millie argues, is a revised trajectory that re-embeds users of Muslim media in ongoing place-oriented regimes of religious performance.

Paper short abstract:

This exploratory paper rethinks development as an opportunity for the enactment of Muslim moralities. It inquires into the way development inflects these moralities, and how Muslim moralities influence local development practices in Medan, Indonesia.

Paper long abstract:

The volunteers of a local social welfare organisation in Medan, Indonesia have an in-house joke that they receive 'gaji sejuta' (salary of one million): senyum (smile) jujur (honesty) and taqwa (Godly). What they receive rather than payment is an opportunity to conduct themselves in a particular manner, thereby actualising an understanding of self through virtuous action. For many volunteers, their actions are tied with ambitions of becoming a good Muslim. They conduct their work with ikhlas (sincerity), as ibadah (a form of worship), in the hope, but not expectation, that they will receive pahala (reward for moral conduct). Such moral framings of their work is particularly prevalent among women, indicating perhaps the desire to express publicly their piety in a context where such opportunities are differentiated by gender.

This exploratory paper seeks to make sense of Muslim moralities in a community driven development program in Medan, Indonesia. It rethinks the scene of development as an opportunity for the enactment of Muslim moralities, and to satisfy one's soul (jiwa). It inquires into the way development inflects these moralities, and how Muslim moralities influence local development practices.