Description
Book SynopsisThis book shows the results of my doctoral thesis in Social Sciences about the construction of Muslim identities in São Paulo, the state which receives more Muslim immigrants in Brazil. The issue of construction of identities of this religious minority was undertaken in relation to: a) the pressures of Brazilian society, characterized by the strong presence of Catholicism, the growth of Protestantism, the fundamentally Western culture, the secular state, the dependency of the USA and the tradition of welcoming immigrants and absorbing them in a process of Brazilianization; b) the impact of globalization over this minority group, both in the sense of the propagation of negative stereotypes in relation to Islam and its faithful, as a consequence of the influence of the Orientalist media and academia, as well as the sense of strengthening of the bonds of the diaspora with the rest of the Muslim world; c) the internal negotiations between immigrants and converts and between men and women f
Trade ReviewWritten in an accessible style . . . The Construction of Muslim Identities in Contemporary Brazil will fit into university courses in Brazilian or Latin American studies as well as religious studies or the social sciences. In crossing boundaries conventionally upheld by area studies as well as the disciplines, this book will push students and non-specialists in Europe or the United States to learn of these heretofore understudied politics of religious difference across unexpected geographies. * AJISS: The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences *
In this fascinating original study, Cristina Maria de Castro presents an insightful overview of the little-known Muslim communities in Brazil and their at times precarious relationship with majority society in the years of the war on terror and increasing Islamophobia. Extensive fieldwork among these communities has given her access to many of the discussions and debates in these communities. I found her analysis of how ‘born’ Muslim women (of Arab and South African origin) and converts negotiate their gender and religious identities vis-à-vis each other and the non-Muslim majority especially of great interest. The author’s comparative research on the Muslim communities of the Netherlands adds a valuable dimension to this study, bringing out more clearly the specificities of the Brazilian situation. -- Martin van Bruinessen, Department of Religious Studies, Utrecht University and Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore
Table of ContentsIntroduction Methodology used: comments on its limits and advantages Chapter 1: Brief history of Islamic presence in Brazil Chapter 2: The “Muslim identity” and its definition in relation to the Brazilian religious field Chapter 3: Globalization, transnational Islamic networks and their influence in the construction of Muslim identities in Brazil Chapter 4: The negotiation of Muslim identities inside Brazilian Muslim communities Chapter 5: Muslim minorities in Brazil and The Netherlands: a comparative perspective Conclusion
