Inter-religious relations in India are notoriously fraught, not infrequently erupting into violence. This book looks at a place where the conditions for religious conflict are present, but active conflict is absent. Bigelow focuses on a Muslim majority Punjab town (Malkerkotla) where both during the Partition and subsequently there has been no inter-religious violence. With a minimum of intervention from outside interests, Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs have successfully managed conflict when it does arise. Bigelow explores the complicated history of the region, going back to its foundation by a Sufi saint in the fifteenth century. Combining archival and interview material, she accounts for how the community's idealized identity as a place of peace is realized on the ground through a variety of strategies. As a story of peace in a region of conflict, this study is an important counterbalance to many conflict studies and a corrective to portrayals of Islamic cultures as militant and intolerant. This fascinating town with its rich history will be of interest to students and scholars of Islam, South Asia, and peace and conflict resolution.
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1. THE SAINT: SHAIKH SADRUDDIN SADRI JAHAN
An incredibly realistic and appealing volume, combining oral interviews and historical documents along with field research...Sharing the Sacred should be read and shared with much benefit by not only those interested in the study of religion, particularly Sufism and Sikhism, modern South Asian Studies, but also researchers interested in post-conflict scenarios.
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"An incredibly realistic and appealing volume, combining oral interviews and historical documents along with fi eld research. . . Sharing the Sacred should be read and shared with much benefi t by not only those interested in the study of religion, particularly Sufism and Sikhism, and modern South Asian Studies, but also researchers interested in post-conflict scenarios."--South Asia Research "A generously exquisite text that is lovingly yet critically crafted, and as such, it deserves high praise. . . it should be recommended reading not only for all those interested in Sikh studies, South Asian Islam, comparative religious studies, and the history of modern South Asia, but also for journalists who attempt to make sense of the current crises in both Iraq and Afghanistan."--"The Journal of Asian Studies "Sharing the Sacred remains an important contribution to the study of South Asia. It's fine-gained focus on pluralism contrasts with other studies of the region by not focusing on devotional sites as locations for religious antagonism"--Matthew A. Cook, North Carolina Central University "Sharing the Sacred has the rare combination of being broad ranging and subtle"Farina Mir, University of Michigan "Sharing the Sacred remains an important contribution to the study of South Asia. Its fine-grained focus on pluralism contrasts with other studies of the region by not focusing on devotional sites as locations for religious antagonism. This focus is a powerful corrective to view that Muslims are locked in a 'clash of civilizations' with other religions. In contrast to this view, Bigelow's book is a nuanced analysis that--through ethnography and history--shows how devotion, society and politics intersect in a Punjabi pilgrimage town."--Cont Islam
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Selling point: This is an important corrective to the overwhelming majority of coverage of Islam and violence Selling point: In depth-analysis of shared rituals and practices
Anna Bigelow is Assistant Professor of Religion and Philosophy at North Carolina State University.
Selling point: This is an important corrective to the overwhelming majority of coverage of Islam and violence Selling point: In depth-analysis of shared rituals and practices

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9780195368239
Publisert
2010
Utgiver
Vendor
Oxford University Press Inc
Vekt
613 gr
Høyde
243 mm
Bredde
164 mm
Dybde
27 mm
Aldersnivå
U, P, 05, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet
Antall sider
328

Forfatter

Biographical note

Anna Bigelow is Assistant Professor of Religion and Philosophy, at North Carolina State University