Modern Muslim Identities

Negotiating Religion and Ethnicity in Malaysia

• Author(s): Gerhard Hoffstaedter,
• Publisher: NIAS Press
• Pages: 272
• ISBN_10: 8776940802
  ISBN_13: 9788776940805
  
• Language: en
• Categories: History / Asia / General , History / Asia / Southeast Asia , Philosophy / Religious , Political Science / Religion, Politics & State , Religion / Eastern , Religion / Islam / General , Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural & Social , Social Science / Ethnic Studies / General , Social Science / Islamic Studies ,

Description:... This book explores a central tension in identity politics: how the state, civil society, and people want to create and maintain cultural, religious, and social cohesion while paradoxically their everyday practices often run counter to this. Malaysia is no exception, with a political elite maintaining control and cultural dominance but juggling many political pressures. At the heart of this study is the conjuncture between Malay ethnicity and Islamic faith, a state discourse on "civilized Islam," but other areas are also examined, resulting in a study that combines philosophical and social theory with anthropological insights.