The Culture of Islam: Changing Aspects of Contemporary Muslim Life

by Lawrence Rosen

Book Overview

Having worked for several decades in North Africa, anthropologist Lawrence Rosen is uniquely placed to ask what factors contribute to the continuity and changes characterizing the present-day Muslim world. In The Culture of Islam , he brings his erudition and his experiences to illuminating key aspects of Muslim life and how central tenets of that life are being challenged and culturally refashioned. Through a series of poignant tales--from the struggle...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226726134
• ISBN13: 9780226726137
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 246 Pages
• Weight: 1.16 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

An interesting, well-informed view

Lawrence Rosen is one of the most thoughtful anthropological voices writing about the Middle East. In "The Culture of Islam" he attempts something which is almost impossible: concisely describe and write about a dogmatically and culturally diverse religion with a depth of understanding that permeates how religion is actually lived. I was sympathetic to much of what he wrote, which comes mainly from Arab examples (and even there from an exceptional case, Morocco), although I did not necessarily agree with all of his conclusions. He is well-versed in Islamic jurisprudence and Arab social organization, and this primer goes farther than most in conveying a palpable understanding of a fascinating system of thought, meaning-making and cosmology. Because his experience is mainly in Morocco, as mentioned before many of the examples come from there. That does not detract from his main points which most definitely have resonance across the entire region.