Islam in a Zongo

Muslim Lifeworlds in Asante, Ghana
Erscheinungsjahr 2024
ISBN: 978-1-108-82054-7
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, Band 62, 287 Seiten, Format (B × H): 229 mm x 152 mm, Gewicht: 428 g

Reihe: The International African Library

Zongos, wards in West Africa populated by traders and migrants from the northern savannahs and the Sahel, are a common sight in Ghana's Asante region where the people of these wards represent a dual-minority as both foreigners and Muslims in a largely Christian area, facing marginalisation as a result. Islam provides the people of the zongos with a common ground and shared values, becoming central to their identity and to their shared sense of community. This detailed account of Islamic lifeworlds highlights the irreducible diversity and complexity of 'everyday' lived religion among Muslims in a zongo community. Benedikt Pontzen traces the history of Muslim presence in the region and analyses three Islamic phenomena encountered in its zongos in detail: Islamic prayer practices, the authorisation of Islamic knowledge, and ardently contested divination and healing practices. Drawing on empirical and archival research, oral histories, and academic studies, he demonstrates how Islam is inextricably bound up with the diverse ways in which Muslims live it.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Pontzen, Benedikt

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Afrikanische Geschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Islam & Islamische Studien Islam: Leben & Praxis
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Religionssoziologie
• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Ethnologie Kultur- und Sozialethnologie: Allgemeines

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction; 1. A History of Muslim Presence in Asante; 2. Muslim Presence and Zongos in Asante: The Current State; 3. Those Who Pray Together; 4. Speaking for Islam: 'Ilm and Religious Authority; 5. 'Boka:' on Islamic Discourses, Imaginaries, and Incommensurability; Conclusion; Appendixes.

Über Autor(innen)

Pontzen, Benedikt
Benedikt Pontzen is an anthropologist and writer who has been carrying out ethnographic and historiographic research in Asante since the early 2000s. Besides his research on Islam, he also works on so-called 'African Traditional Religions', religious encounters, and lived religious diversity in the region. His work has been published in journals, including Africa and the Journal of Religion in Africa, and in edited volumes.