Paper Worlds. A Nesrani Ethnographer Entering the Manuscript Trade in Morocco

“… all men, or most men, wish what is noble but choose what is profitable; and while it is noble to render a service not with an eye to receiving one in return, it is profitable to receive one. One ought therefore, if one can, to return the equivalent of services received, and to do so willingly; for one ought not to make a man one’s friend if one is unwilling to return his favours.” Aristotle First steps Fez, Sunday morning 19 June 1988, the weekly book market in the courtyard of the Qarawiy..

La polygamie au quotidien. Notes d’un observateur dans une maison pleine de femmes

La polygamie dans le monde musulman est un sujet qui excite depuis des siècles l’imaginaire occidental. Force est de constater que cette fascination se manifeste beaucoup moins dans la littérature scientifique. C’est à peine si l’on sait comment les hommes marocains vivaient et vivent encore avec plus d’une femme. La polygamie ne se laisse pas facilement observer, ne serait-ce que parce qu’elle est rare. En 1992, 5,1 % des femmes marocaines faisaient partie d’un mariage polygame (Moulay Rchid..

Authoritative landscapes: The making of Islamic authority among Muslims in Europe: An introduction

This special issue deals with Islamic authority-making among Muslims of migrant background in predominantly Western Europe. Religious authority is persuasive power in religious matters, regarding issues of knowledge and institutional competence, and of truth, authenticity, legitimacy, trust, and ethics. The seven articles in this special issue address some of the manifold ways in which Islamic authority comes about. They show that authority should not be reduced to the leadership or personal status of religious scholars and other religious professionals; it can also be attributed to bodies of knowledge, to institutions, to legal, ethical and material matters, and to events. Islamic authority is a crucial element in shaping Islamic landscapes in all their diversity. Keyword