The Near Orient? The Transfer of “Otherness” to European Contexts

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60076658%3A12260%2F18%3A43898823" target="_blank" >RIV/60076658:12260/18:43898823 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

—

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

—

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

The Near Orient? The Transfer of “Otherness” to European Contexts

Original language description

The issue of minorities and majorities is of high relevance for the research of the presence of Islam in Europe, which has became a key issue not only for the media after 2001. Also due to the attention given to the manifestations of extremism in public spaces Islam has become a characteristics of “them”. Within evaluating comparison the definition of “them” is an important step for the definition of “us”. Originally “the Muslim” was imaginary and located in the distant Orient. However, later this homogeneity was destroyed by a deeper understanding of non-European cultures and non-Christian religions. Recently the tool of “the imaginary Muslim” has been returning to use and has been replacing the real Muslim belonging to a certain branch of Islam, a specific cultural interpretation etc. The “imaginary Muslim” has become a mask hiding individual characteristics both of new generations that were born in Europe as well as those who have been arriving recently within the migration crisis. Europe has been using traditional interpretations to deal with the presence of otherness within its centre. The interest in individual branches of Islam in Europe is important to avoid restricting the research to the normative level of religion and thus limiting its interest to the general Muslim. It is essential to draw attention to the lived religion, since the displays of specific cultural interpretations of Islam are much more differentiated. They often do not even fit the elementary criteria of the normative forms. However, the media and individual segments of the majority population rarely show interest in the daily life of integrated Muslims, yet only a part of them shows interest in an intensive religious life. They rather view Islam as a cultural phenomenon or limit religious life to the extent of the closest family, thus keeping their religious activities, their contents and forms within the borders of the private sphere. The reactions of various minority groups which tend to experience tensions with the Sunni majority in the Middle East to the declared religious freedom is and intriguing field of research for Religious studies. Another interesting topic of research is the strengthening religious identity of Shia communities and activities enhancing this process. Examples of minorities can be included within a widely formulated research of the role of institutionalized religion in a pluralistic society. This role is closely linked to the issue of maintaining and handing over a live cultural identity. These issues offer a wide area for an academic research of the ways in which existing institutionalization helps the integration of newcomers. Another interesting topic of research is the application of strategies of survival, which was developed on the basis of research of new religious groups, on the institutionalized Muslim scene of Western Europe. This is another motive supporting the comparative research of new religious movements and the institutionalization of Muslim communities in Europe.

Czech name

—

Czech description

—

Type

C - Chapter in a specialist book

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

60304 - Religious studies

Project

<a href="/en/project/GP14-00089P" target="_blank" >GP14-00089P: Contemporary Islamic architecture in the Germany, Austria and Switzerland</a><br>

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Publication year

2018

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Book/collection name

Contested Minorities of the Middle East and Asia

ISBN

978-1-5275-0772-2

Number of pages of the result

18

Pages from-to

33-50

Number of pages of the book

161

Publisher name

Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Place of publication

Newcastle upon Tyne

UT code for WoS chapter

—