Muslim Preaching in the Middle East and Beyond: Historical and Contemporary Case Studies
Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press (2020), x, 214 pp.
ISBN 978-1-4744-6749-0 (ebook); 978-1-4744-6747-6 (print)
"Preaching has been central to Muslim communities throughout the centuries. The liturgical Friday sermon is a prime example, although other genres that are less commonly known also serve important functions. This book addresses the ways in which Muslims relate various forms of religious oratory to authoritative tradition in 21st-century Islamic practice, while striving to adapt to local contexts and the changing circumstances of politics, media and society. This is the first book of its kind to look at homiletics beyond a specific country focus. Taking into consideration the historical developments of Muslim preaching, it offers a collection of thoroughly contextualised case studies of oratory in Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bosnia, Sweden and the USA. The analyses presented here show shared emphasis on struggles for legitimacy, efforts to speak authoritatively, as well as discursive opportunities and constraints." (Publisher description)
Introduction / Simon Stjernholm and Elisabeth Özdalga, 1
PART I. RITUAL AND PERFORMANCE
1 The Framework of Islamic Rhetoric: The Ritual of the Khu†ba and its Origin / Jan Retsö, 19
2 The Khu†ba Scene in Arab Religious Films and TV Dramas / Jakob Skovgaard-Petersen, 30
3 Instructive Speech among Bosnian Muslim Women: Sermons, Lessons or Guidance? / Catharina Raudvere, 48
PART II. POWER AND AUTHORITY
4 Preaching and the Problem of Religious Authority in Medieval Islam / Jonathan P. Berkey, 67
5 Friday Sermons in a Secular State: Religious Institution-building in Modern Turkey / Elisabeth Özdalga, 83
PART III. MEDIATION
6 Going Online: Saudi Female Intellectual Preachers in the New Media / Laila Makboul, 107
7 Brief Reminders: Muslim Preachers, Mediation and Time / Simon Stjernholm, 132
PART IV. IDENTITIES
8 Advising and Warning the People: Swedish Salafis on Violence, Renunciation and Life in the Suburbs / Susanne Olsson, 155
9 Discourses on Marriage, Religious Identity and Gender in Medieval and Contemporary Islamic Preaching: Continuities and Adaptations / Linda G. Jones, 173
Epilogue / Simon Stjernholm and Elisabeth Özdalga, 201
PART I. RITUAL AND PERFORMANCE
1 The Framework of Islamic Rhetoric: The Ritual of the Khu†ba and its Origin / Jan Retsö, 19
2 The Khu†ba Scene in Arab Religious Films and TV Dramas / Jakob Skovgaard-Petersen, 30
3 Instructive Speech among Bosnian Muslim Women: Sermons, Lessons or Guidance? / Catharina Raudvere, 48
PART II. POWER AND AUTHORITY
4 Preaching and the Problem of Religious Authority in Medieval Islam / Jonathan P. Berkey, 67
5 Friday Sermons in a Secular State: Religious Institution-building in Modern Turkey / Elisabeth Özdalga, 83
PART III. MEDIATION
6 Going Online: Saudi Female Intellectual Preachers in the New Media / Laila Makboul, 107
7 Brief Reminders: Muslim Preachers, Mediation and Time / Simon Stjernholm, 132
PART IV. IDENTITIES
8 Advising and Warning the People: Swedish Salafis on Violence, Renunciation and Life in the Suburbs / Susanne Olsson, 155
9 Discourses on Marriage, Religious Identity and Gender in Medieval and Contemporary Islamic Preaching: Continuities and Adaptations / Linda G. Jones, 173
Epilogue / Simon Stjernholm and Elisabeth Özdalga, 201
