Shi’a Minorities In The Contemporary World (migration, Transnationalism And Multilocality)

Edited by Scharbrodt Oliver; Edited by Shanneik Yafa
Short description/annotation:
Offers a set of new comparative perspectives on the experiences of Shi’a Muslim minorities outside the ‘Muslim heartland’ (Middle East, North Africa, Central and South Asia) and discusses the challenges these communities face as ‘a minority within a minority''.
Description:
Global migration flows in the 20th century have seen the emergence of Muslim diaspora and minority communities in Europe, North America and other parts of the world. This book offers a set of new comparative perspectives on the experiences of Shi''a Muslim minorities outside the so-called ''Muslim heartland'' (Middle East, North Africa, Central and South Asia). It looks at Shi''a minority communities in Europe, North and South America, Sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia and discusses the particular challenges these communities face as ''a minority within a minority''.
Description:
Global migrations flows in the 20th century have seen the emergence of Muslim diaspora and minority communities in Europe, North America and other parts of the world. While there is a growing body of research on Muslim minorities in various regional contexts, the particular experiences of Shi’a Muslim minorities across the globe has only received scant attention. This book offers new comparative perspectives of Shi’a minorities outside of the so-called ‘Muslim heartland’ (the Middle East, North Africa, Central and South Asia). It includes contributions on Shi’a minority communities in Europe, North and South America, Sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia that emerged out of migration from the Middle East and South Asia in the 20th and 21st centuries in particular. As a ‘minority within a minority’, Shi’a Muslims face the double challenge of maintaining as Islamic as well as a particular Shi’a identity in terms of communal activities and practices, public perception and recognition.
Table of contents:
Introduction 1. ‘My Homeland is Husayn’: Transnationalism and Multilocality in Shi’a ContextsOliver Scharbrodt and Yafa Shanneik Part I: Localising Global Shi’a Minority Spaces 2. Performing Shi’ism between Java and Qom: Education and RitualsChiara Formichi 3. Mi corazón late Husayn: Identity, Politics and Religion in a Shi’a Community in Buenos AiresMari-Sol García Somoza and Mayra Soledad Valcarcel 4. Bektashism as a Model and Metaphor for ‘Balkan Islam’Piro Rexhepi 5. Living Najaf in London: Diaspora, Identity, and the Sectarianisation of the Iraqi-Shi’a SubjectEmanuelle Degli Esposti Part II: Transnational Shi’a Trajectories 6. Global Networks, Local Concerns: Investigating the Impact of Emerging Technologies on Shi’a Religious Leaders and ConstituenciesRobert J. Riggs 7. ‘Still We Long for Zaynab’: South Asian Shi’ites and Transnational Homelands under AttackNoor Zehra Zaidi 8. From a Marginalised Religious Community in Iran to a Government-sanctioned Public Interest Foundation in Paris – Remarks on the ‘Ostad Elahi Foundation’Roswitha Badry Part III: ‘Alid Piety and the Fluidity of Sectarian Boundaries 9. Ideas in Motion: The Transmission of Shi’a Knowledge in Sri LankaHarun Rasiah 10. Limits of Sectarianism: Shi’ism and ahl al-bayt Islam among Turkish Migrant Communities in GermanyBenjamin Weineck 11. ‘For ‘Ali is Our Ancestor’: Cham Sayyids’ Shi’a Trajectories from Cambodia to Iran Emiko Stock Epilogue 12. Shi’a Cosmopolitanisms and ConversionsMara A. Leichtman
Review quote:
This edited volume provides unique empirical research on the usually under studied Shi''a minorities in different contexts, from Europe to Latin America and Cambodia. It is an important contribution to the fields of immigration,　 transnational and religious studies.
Review quote:
The volume is a valuable contribution to Shi‘a studies that challenges some of the preconceived notions about the Shi‘a diaspora, such as