Religion as Mediation

Meyer, Birgit

doi:10.46586/er.11.2020.8444

Cited by 21 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…In order to analyze the different types of tensions and ambivalences present between and within these two musical domains, I have combined theories of everyday resistance (Scott 1985(Scott , 1990 with scholarly work on the role of the senses in the formation of religious subjectivities (Hirschkind 2006;Mahmood 2005Mahmood , 2006Meyer 2006Meyer , 2009Meyer , 2020. To conceptualize the sensorium as part of subtle tactics of subversion, I have proposed the notion of 'dissonance': an implicit form of sonic non-compliance, which is not always intentional.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Musical negotiations of a ‘moderate’ versus a ‘radical’ Islam in Morocco: dissonance and the sonic among vocal performers of Islam-inspired music

Laan

2021

Religion

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This article explores how in Morocco, music is used to construct and subvert discourses on a 'moderate' vs. a 'radical' Islam. I focus on experiences and practices of vocal performers of Islam-inspired music, who operate in two different musical domains: statesponsored stages for Sufi music, and non-state-sponsored stages for anashidacapella Islamic songs, generally associated with more orthodox interpretations of Islam. Based on extensive ethnographic fieldwork among these artists, I analyze how the Moroccan response to the War on Terror, and concomitant perceptions of 'radical' versus 'moderate' Islam, affect the ways in which they present themselves and their music. I propose the notion of 'dissonance' to demonstrate how the artists' musical practices, as well as their narratives of performance, ethics, and emotions converge with, yet simultaneously also rub against state discourses on a 'moderate' vs. a 'radical' Islam.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Musical negotiations of a ‘moderate’ versus a ‘radical’ Islam in Morocco: dissonance and the sonic among vocal performers of Islam-inspired music

Laan

2021

Religion

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“…The concept of mediation is used to argue that religion is inextricably tied to media forms that mediate between humans and the transcendent. According to Birgit Meyer (2020, 2), religion is “a set of human ideas and practices with regard to another, non‐empirical sphere—a beyond—which can only be rendered tangible through mediation, and thus requires some sort of media.” Religious practitioners are ultimately concerned with the bridging of the distance between the immanent and the transcendent through the use of media employed for the purpose of making connections between the “here and now” and a “beyond” (Meyer 2020, 23).…”

Section: Sounding Relations Beyond Mediationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Voices of Sorrow and Joy

2022

Cult. Anthropol.

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The Family of the Prophet Muhammad holds a central position in Shiʿi Muslim religiosity. As immaterial beings able to intercede in this world, they are said to be witnessing and co-present in the lives of Muslims. Anthropology has neglected relations with immaterial more-than-human beings like these. Instead of regarding them merely as symbols or moral exemplars, this essay focuses on the cultivation of relations of intimacy with them through the devotional practice of vocal recitation. In eastern Turkey, gatherings of celebration and mourning are held throughout the year to commemorate the earthly deaths and birthdays of these figures. The climax of such occasions is marked by the recitation of various genres of lament or praise. This essay uses audio examples and focuses on these recitations to demonstrate how their vocal and discursive features offer ways for Muslims to cultivate love and intimacy to live life alongside these immaterial more-than-human beings. ÖZET Hazreti Muhammed’in ailesi (Ehl-i Beyt), Şii mezhebi inancında merkezi bir konuma sahiptir. Bu dünyada şefaat edebilecek gayri maddi varlıklar olarak, Müslümanların hayatlarına tanık oldukları ve onlarla birlikte bulundukları söylenir. Ne yazık ki antropolojide, bu gibi gayri maddi ve insan-ötesi varlıklarla ilişkiler ihmal edilmektedir. Bu makale, insan-ötesi varlıkları sadece birer simge veya ahlâki model olarak görmek yerine, onlarla ilahi ve mersiye okumanın aracılığıyla kurulan yakınlık ilişkilerine odaklanmaktadır. Türkiye’nin Doğu Anadolu Bölgesi’nde, Ehl-i Beyt İmamların şehadet ve doğum günlerini anmak için yıl boyunca kutlama ve eza meclisleri düzenlenmektedir. Bu tarz merasimlerin zirvesi ise çeşitli ağıt veya ilahi türlerinin okunmasıyla gerçekleşir. Bu makalede sesli örnekler kullanılmaktadır ve kayıtlara odaklanılmıştır. Bunların yanı sıra mersiyelerin ses ve söylemsel özelliklerinin, Müslümanların Ehl-i Beytin yanında yaşamak, onlarla sevgi ve yakınlık ilişkileri geliştirmek için ne tarz yollar açtığı tartışılmaktadır.

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“…Mediation has always been present in religion (Meyer 2020) as well as in the Islamic history of preaching and teach ing (Stjernholm and Özdalga 2020: 10). A line of research within the study of Islam has investigated the use of media and com munication technologies in religious prac tices, especially those including preach ing and knowledge dissemination.…”

Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digitizing the field of women’s Islamic education

Lyngsøe

2022

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This article builds on fieldwork conducted in 2019 and 2020 and examines the implications of Covid-19 lockdown for the engagement of Danish Muslim women in Islamic educational activities. Drawing on Deleuze and Guattari (2012) and Larkin (2008b), it displays how technological infrastructure influences religious practice and the constitution of religious space. For the women engaged in Islamic education, the forced use of digital-media technologies unmoored conditions for being at activities, reorganized time and space, and changed conditions for relating to communities. As home became the territory from where the women conducted all religious practices, including educational activities, classes and seminars were accessed on more individualized terms and became more easily integrated with other everyday activities. This made room for expanding engagement and accessing more diverse educational opportunities. At the same time, it withdrew the women from spaces of bodily and sensory togetherness, where feelings of community and connection would usually be nurtured.

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Religion as Mediation

Cited by 21 publications

References 10 publications

Musical negotiations of a ‘moderate’ versus a ‘radical’ Islam in Morocco: dissonance and the sonic among vocal performers of Islam-inspired music

Musical negotiations of a ‘moderate’ versus a ‘radical’ Islam in Morocco: dissonance and the sonic among vocal performers of Islam-inspired music

Voices of Sorrow and Joy

Digitizing the field of women’s Islamic education

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