Everyday Shi''ism in South Asia - An Introduction

The first textbook to focus on the history of lived Shi'ism in South Asia
 
Everyday Shi'ism in South Asia is an introduction to the everyday life and cultural memory of Shi'i women and men, focusing on the religious worlds of both individuals and communities at particular historical moments and places in the Indian subcontinent. Author Karen Ruffle draws upon an array primary sources, images, and ethnographic data to present topical case studies offering broad snapshots Shi'i life as well as microscopic analyses of ritual practices, material objects, architectural and artistic forms, and more.
 
Focusing exclusively on South Asian Shi'ism, an area mostly ignored by contemporary scholars who focus on the Arab lands of Iran and Iraq, the author shifts readers' analytical focus from the center of Islam to its periphery. Ruffle provides new perspectives on the diverse ways that the Shi'a intersect with not only South Asian religious culture and history, but also the wider Islamic humanistic tradition. Written for an academic audience, yet accessible to general readers, this unique resource:
* Explores Shi'i religious practice and the relationship between religious normativity and everyday religious life and material culture
* Contextualizes Muharram rituals, public performances, festivals, vow-making, and material objects and practices of South Asian Shi'a
* Draws from author's studies and fieldwork throughout India and Pakistan, featuring numerous color photographs
* Places Shi'i religious symbols, cultural values, and social systems in historical context
* Includes an extended survey of scholarship on South Asian Shi'ism from the seventeenth century to the present
 
Everyday Shi'ism in South Asia is an important resource for scholars and students in disciplines including Islamic studies, South Asian studies, religious studies, anthropology, art history, material culture studies, history, and gender studies, and for English-speaking members of South Asian Shi'i communities.

List of contents

Acknowledgments xii
 
Transliteration Note xvi
 
Introduction 1
 
Everyday Shi¿ism 6
 
Center and Periphery Reconsidered 8
 
The Hyper-visible "Invisible" Community 13
 
Redefining Norms: Shi¿i/South Asia/Everyday 15
 
Representing Shi¿ism 20
 
Contributions 31
 
The Scope of Everyday Shi¿ism 32
 
References 34
 
Recommended Readings 38
 
Theoretical Lessons 38
 
1 South Asian "Lovers" of the Ahl-e Bait: Hindu and Non-Shi¿i Muslim Traditions of Devotion 39
 
Muharram beyond Shi¿ism: The "Composite Culture" of Commemorating Karbala in South Asia 40
 
The Husaini Brahmins: Hindu Devotees of Imam Husain 42
 
Pirla-Panduga: "The Festival of Pirs" among Hindus and Sunnis in South India 48
 
Devotion to Piru-Swami 51
 
Dulha! Dulha!: Sunni and Hindu Possession Rituals for the Bridegroom Qasem 56
 
The Shrine of Bibi Pak Daman in South Asian Muslim Cultural Memory 63
 
Conclusion 68
 
References 70
 
Recommended Readings 72
 
Theoretical Lessons 73
 
2 "Come, and Cry, Because ¿Ashura Is Today": Shi¿i Literary Aesthetics 74
 
Tears of a Horse: Sufi Metaphors in Shi¿i Devotional Narratives of Birds and Horses 76
 
The Female Voice and the Development of Shi¿i Devotional Literature 82
 
A Solace for the Heart, a Source of Religious Guidance: Multiple Perspectives on the Nauhah 84
 
'Why not Beat My Head in Lamentation?': Gender and Voice in the Nauhah 86
 
'Karbala: Come to the Best of Deeds': The Nauhah and Normative Discourse 88
 
Hearing the Miraculous: A Different Kind of Love Story 92
 
Human Rights and Communal Harmony: Re-Visioning Karbala in South Asian Literary Prose 106
 
References 109
 
Recommended Readings 111
 
Theoretical Lessons 111
 
3 In the House of the Tenth: Spaces of Shi¿i Devotion 113
 
Mosques 115
 
Case Study-Microscopic 3.1: Toli Mosque, Hyderabad 120
 
Case Study-Snapshot 3.2: ¿Ashurkhanah wa Masjid-e Ahl-e Bait: A Mosque-¿Ashurkhanah in Hyderabad 124
 
In the House of the Tenth: ¿Ashurkhanahs in Southern India 130
 
Lions, Arches, and Chains: Visual Representation andSymbolic Meaning in Shi¿i Built Spaces 135
 
Case Study-Microscopic 3.3: Panjah Shah-e Wilayat ¿Ashurkhanah, Hyderabad 141
 
Imambaras: Dwelling in the Court of the Imam 146
 
Case Study-Microscopic 3.4: The Bara Imambara of Lucknow 148
 
Karbala Grounds: Pilgrimage and Burial 151
 
Case Study-Microscopic 3.5: Karbala Kazmain, Lucknow 157
 
Conclusion 160
 
References 161
 
Recommended Readings 163
 
Theoretical Lessons 164
 
4 Metal Hands and Stone Footprints: Shi¿i Material Practice 165
 
Conceptualizing Shi¿i Materiality 168
 
Gazing in the Eyes of a Martyr: Embodiment and Presencing in the ¿Alams of Karbala Heroes 171
 
Na3/4izah 172
 
Bori 174
 
Peta 174
 
Hatheli 175
 
Sharja 179
 
Jibh 180
 
Case Study-Microscopic 4.1: ¿Alam-e Sartauq, Hyderabad 182
 
Case Study-Microscopic 4.2: The ¿Alam of Imam Husain at Dargah Hazrat ¿Abbas, Lucknow 187
 
Ta¿ziya: Karbala on the Move in South Asia 192
 
Ephemeral Ta¿ziya 196
 
Permanent Ta¿ziya 197
 
Case Study-Snapshot 4.3: Permanent Ta¿ziya: Seeing, Embodying, and Making Imam Husain Close 197
 
Zuljanah: Remembering Karbala with Imam Husain's Loyal Horse 203
 
Debating Devotional Representations of the Imams and Ahl-e Bait 208
 
Conclusion 213
 
References 214
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About the author

Karen Ruffle, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Historical Studies and the Study of Religion at the University of Toronto where she specializes in the study of South Asian Shi'ism. Her research and teaching interests focus on Shi'i devotional texts and ritual and material practices in South Asia. She is the author of Gender, Sainthood, and Everyday Practice in South Asian Shi'ism.

Summary

The first textbook to focus on the history of lived Shi'ism in South Asia

Everyday Shi'ism in South Asia is an introduction to the everyday life and cultural memory of Shi'i women and men, focusing on the religious worlds of both individuals and communities at particular historical moments and places in the Indian subcontinent. Author Karen Ruffle draws upon an array primary sources, images, and ethnographic data to present topical case studies offering broad snapshots Shi'i life as well as microscopic analyses of ritual practices, material objects, architectural and artistic forms, and more.

Focusing exclusively on South Asian Shi'ism, an area mostly ignored by contemporary scholars who focus on the Arab lands of Iran and Iraq, the author shifts readers' analytical focus from the center of Islam to its periphery. Ruffle provides new perspectives on the diverse ways that the Shi'a intersect with not only South Asian religious culture and history, but also the wider Islamic humanistic tradition. Written for an academic audience, yet accessible to general readers, this unique resource:
* Explores Shi'i religious practice and the relationship between religious normativity and everyday religious life and material culture
* Contextualizes Muharram rituals, public performances, festivals, vow-making, and material objects and practices of South Asian Shi'a
* Draws from author's studies and fieldwork throughout India and Pakistan, featuring numerous color photographs
* Places Shi'i religious symbols, cultural values, and social systems in historical context
* Includes an extended survey of scholarship on South Asian Shi'ism from the seventeenth century to the present

Everyday Shi'ism in South Asia is an important resource for scholars and students in disciplines including Islamic studies, South Asian studies, religious studies, anthropology, art history, material culture studies, history, and gender studies, and for English-speaking members of South Asian Shi'i communities.

Product details

• Authors: Karen Ruffle, Karen G Ruffle, Karen G. Ruffle, Karen G. (University of Toronto Ruffle, Ruffle Karen G.
• Publisher: Wiley, John and Sons Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.12.2020
• EAN: 9781119357148
• ISBN: 978-1-119-35714-8
• No. of pages: 368
• Series: Lived Religions
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Religion/theology > Other religions; Geschichte, Islam, History, Geschichte des Islams, Religion & Theology, Religion u. Theologie, History of Islam