ISLAM AS AN OBJECT OF STUDY OF ANTHROPOLOGY – INCONGRUENCIES AND DIFFICULTIES
ISLAM AS AN OBJECT OF STUDY OF ANTHROPOLOGY – INCONGRUENCIES AND DIFFICULTIES

Summary/Abstract: This article provides a selective overview of the most important studies on the anthropology of Islam published to date. From my point of view, the anthropology of Islam should be thoughtfully constructed at the juncture of social-cultural anthropology (I also include here the economic anthropology) and the anthropology of religion, by making use of pluritopical hermeneutics and the intercultural discourse and by establishing a balance between how the Muslims’ many-sided and heterogeneous ways to live and give meaning to their lives are outlined and the emphasis on the similarities and common contexts the different „Islamic worlds” share together. I believe this is the only solution to the difficult task to locate the social structures and norms that concur to the construction of the generic Muslim identity, without sacrificing the individuality and the actions of the real human being who is assuming an Islamic background.

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