This paper examines the question of heterodoxy and orthodoxy from the point of view of the Yezidis, attempting to consider their place vis-a-vis Islam and at the same time make a valid general characterisation of their form of social life. It is particularly interested in the transition from the rural background to urban European cities by the Yezidi community, and concludes that there is a strong chance that the need to interact with European society will force a codification of doctrine upon the Yezidis, with effects which are not yet clear.
Although few in number, the various Shiite Muslim communities in Germany are highly diversified in terms of their linguistic, national and ethnic backgrounds and ritual practice. In order to come to terms with these multi-local actors and their specific articulations of Shiism, the article aimes at an analytical framework that integrates an open understanding of belonging: employing Leave and Wenger’s concept of “communities of practice”, it argues that a focus on common practice in which heterogeneous actors engage, enables us to grasp, on the one hand, the varying specific characteristics of different groups and, on the other, their mutual belonging to the wider Shiite field.
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