Giving to God

Islamic Charity in Revolutionary Times
1. Auflage 2019
ISBN: 978-0-520-30082-8
Verlag: University of California Press

Buch, Englisch, 248 Seiten, Cloth Over Boards, Format (B × H): 236 mm x 160 mm, Gewicht: 476 g

Giving to God examines the everyday practices of Islamic giving in post-revolutionary Egypt. From foods prepared in Sufi soup kitchens, to meals distributed by pious volunteers in slums, to almsgiving, these acts are ultimately about giving to God by giving to the poor. Surprisingly, many who practice such giving say that they do not care about the poor, instead framing their actions within a unique non-compassionate ethics of giving. At first, this form of giving may appear deeply selfish, but further consideration reveals that it avoids many of the problems associated with the idea of “charity.” Using the Egyptian uprising in 2011 and its call for social justice as a backdrop, this beautifully crafted ethnography suggests that “giving a man a fish” might ultimately be more revolutionary than “teaching a man to fish.”

Autoren/Hrsg.

Mittermaier, Amira

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Islam & Islamische Studien Islam: Leben & Praxis
• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Ethnologie Religionsethnologie
• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Ethnologie Kultur- und Sozialethnologie: Materielle Kultur, Wirtschaftsethnologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Illustrations
Note on Transliteration
Acknowledgments

Introduction

during the revolution
1 • Revolutions Don’t Stop Charity

giving
2 • Divine Minimum Wage
3 • Caravan to Paradise
receiving
4 • Performances of Poverty
5 • All Thanks Belong to God

after the revolution
6 • Tomorrow Is Better

Postscript
Notes
Glossary
Bibliography
Index

Über Autor(innen)

Amira Mittermaier is Associate Professor of Religion and Anthropology at the University of Toronto. She is the author of Dreams That Matter: Egyptian Landscapes of the Imagination.