Lahore University of Management Sciences

ANTH 360 Anthropology of Religion: Islam and Christianity

Spring 2010-11

Instructor: Dr. Sadaf Ahmad

Office: 213 New Social Sciences Wing
Office hours: 2-4pm, Tuesdays & Thursdays
E-mail: sadafah@lums.edu.pk

Course Description
Ethnographic research on people’s religious beliefs and practices is fraught with challenges:
How do you observe unobservable religious phenomenon? How do you analyze people’s
spiritual experiences? How do you deal with your own set of beliefs when you’re undertaking
research about people who uphold a different set of beliefs? On the other hand, can having a
similar set of beliefs necessarily lead to ‘objective’ research? This course will provide students
with an opportunity to explore these questions within the larger context of anthropological work
done on Muslim and Christian communities. Students will be provided with discipline based
theoretical tools so that they are able to critically engage with and analyze ethnographic case
studies that bring forth the voices of Muslims and Christians in diverse cultural and political
contexts across time, and be in a position to identify and reflect over the issues—both
methodological and theoretical—that anthropologists face when they study religion.

The process of examining a series of ethnographies will also result in students getting answers to
questions that anthropologists studying Muslims and Christians have asked in the past, such as:
How do Muslims or Christians in different parts of the world manifest their faith? What role do
religious symbols play in their lives? How do they conceptualize their religion, and what impact
does that conceptualization have on their lived experience of religion and on the “dailyness” of
their lives?

Course Aims & Objectives

 Familiarize students with an anthropological way of studying religion and the issues involved in
such a venture.
 Explore the global diversity of Islamic and Christian beliefs, rituals, and practices within an
anthropological framework
 Bring forth the varied manner in which religion works in the everyday lives of people
 Facilitate critical and analytical thinking
 Develop skills for effective communication: listening, reading, writing, speaking.

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This course aims to achieve goals 3 and 4 as outlined in the learning goals (LOA) identified by
the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences.

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Required Reading
The readings for this course are largely ethnographic pieces, but there are also some theoretical
works and readings that bridge both theory and ethnography. All of these readings can be found
in the course reader, which will be available at the photocopier and on LMS.

Grade Distribution
 Class participation 9%
 Attendance 6%
 Assignments 10 %
 Presentation & leading a class discussion 15 %
 Research Project 40 %
 Mid Term 20 %

Please note that there will be absolute grading in this course.

A+ 90 and above
A 85-89.5
A- 80-84.5
B+ 75-79.5
B 70-74.5
B- 65-69.5
C+ 60-64.5
C 55-59.5
C- 50-54.5
D 40-49.5
Fail Below 40

Student Responsibilities

 Attend the lectures

 Be in class on time. If you are more than ten minutes late, or if you leave class before it
is over, you will get an “absent” for that class.

 Do the readings: It is essential for you to do all the assigned readings. Careful and
thoughtful reading will be crucial to your performance in the course.

 Hand in your work when it is due. Late work will NOT be accepted.

 Turn your cell phones OFF before entering the classroom.

Plagiarism & Cheating Policy

I trust in the integrity of each and every one of you, yet if I’m convinced of a case of plagiarism
the matter will be immediately referred to the Disciplinary committee. Read the guidelines
regarding how to avoid plagiarism on page 6 very carefully. If you have any questions regarding
how to cite material in your work, ask me BEFORE the work is due.

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Attendance
There will be 28 sessions of 110 minutes each.

Please note that more than two unexcused absences will result in your losing your attendance
points (where 2 points will be taken off for every subsequent unexcused absence). Remember
that coming to class late will also result in an absent.

Excused absences are only given to students if they are ill and can provide a note from the
LUMS doctor or if they have represented LUMS in an activity and can provide the relevant
official paperwork.

The two unexcused absences that are allowed with no penalty are for occasions such as
weddings, family emergencies, etc. As students shall not be given excused absences for such
occasions, they are encouraged not to ‘waste’ the leeway they are given.

Class Participation (CP)

This course will be conducted as a seminar, which means that students are expected to actively
participate in class discussions. The readings are extensive and in order to have a fruitful
discussion, it is essential that students come to each class having done the readings for that day
and be prepared to discuss them.

The CP score will be based on your participation in class room discussions. Points scored
through any in-class writing assignments based on the readings and/or lecture for that day will
also be added to the CP score.

Written Assignments
You are required to write two papers.

The first one is to be a reflection paper on Abdul Hamid el-Zein’s “Beyond Ideology &
Theology…” and it is to be sent to me via email before class begins on the 7th of February. The
paper must articulate the author’s thesis and summarize the key points and arguments he makes
(note that you are not being asked to present a descriptive summary of the entire article).
However, the bulk of the paper must be used to reflect upon the reading. Your paper will be
assessed on the basis of it being clearly and logically written, and in its serious engagement with
the ideas in the reading. Word length: 300-500 words

The second paper will require you to answer a question that will be primarily based on the
readings under the section “Identity Matters II” and it is to be sent to me via email by no later
than 12pm on April 13th (Fri). Word length: 400-600 words

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Presentation and leading a class discussion
You will be asked to make a short presentation on a specific reading during the course of the
semester. Your presentation must revolve around highlighting the thesis and the key
points/central arguments that the author makes in his/her work. You will conclude your
presentation by leading the class into a discussion (for instance, by posing questions that the
reading has raised for you, sharing your critical analysis of the reading with the class and asking
them to comment upon it, etc), and then facilitate that discussion/respond to their comments
within a larger context that is informed by the concepts and perspectives you have been exposed
to in the course.

Research Project
The research project is made up of three components: i) writing a short research proposal (as a
group), ii) conducting primary research and sharing the research process with the rest of the class
through a presentation (as a group), and iii) writing an ethnographic paper based on your
research (individually).

The goal of this project is to give students an opportunity to see how the concepts and
perspectives (both theoretical and methodological) that they will be exposed to in this course
come to life as they conceptualize, carry out and analyze research that revolves around religion.
Each of the components mentioned above will facilitate the application of the knowledge the
students will have gained in the course, assist them in increasing their self reflexivity and critical
thinking skills, and provide them with an opportunity to learn how to write in a manner that is
very disciplinary based.

Mid Term
Your mid-term examination will require you to demonstrate your comprehension of and your
ability to engage with the course content in a variety of ways—through critically analyzing it,
reflecting upon it, drawing upon it to construct arguments, etc.

Note:-
- It is the students responsibility to get in touch with the instructor if they find they are
having any problems in the course or if they are working under any special conditions—
which may be physical (e.g. hearing difficulties), academic (e.g. probation), etc—and
require special or extra assistance. Providing suitable assistance, be it extra coaching, a
seating change and so forth, will not be a problem. But please remember that problems
are best resolved when they are shared in a timely manner (and that means not towards
the end of the semester).

- Scores and final grades are never changed (barring a miscalculation). Each and every
paper and exam shall be carefully read and graded on the basis of a particular pre-set
criterion that shall be shared with the class in advance. While students are welcome to
come and discuss their work with the instructor to find out how they can improve,
requests to alter the final score shall not be addressed, no matter what the reason (please
see the previous bullet point in this context).

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- There are certain norms of behaviour that students are expected to display in the class
room. Talking to each other during class time and using mobile phones are examples of a
violation of these norms and the instructor reserves the right to take appropriate action if
such behaviour is displayed.

- The holiday schedule and the final class size may result in minor changes in the class
schedule. The instructor reserves the right to make these change if/when the need arises.

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There is a zero tolerance policy for plagiarism and cheating in this course. Students caught
engaging in these behaviours will be immediately sent to the Disciplinary Committee.

Plagiarism

What is it?
Plagiarism is defined as “the representation of another’s words, ideas…opinions, or other
products of work as one’s own either overtly or by failing to attribute them to their true
source.”1 In other words, it is drawing upon other people’s work without giving them credit for
it.

Plagiarism is the use without citation of:

 another person’s written words
 a paraphrase of another person’s written words

Avoiding Plagiarism
In order to avoid plagiarism, make sure that you acknowledge the source of your ideas:
 You must use quotation marks around all material that you are quoting exactly, and
immediately follow it with a citation to the source in your text.
 You must cite all ideas and materials from other authors (including web pages) that you
are paraphrasing or referring to in you work.

A Common Mistake to Avoid

 Sometimes students put down the original text, but substitutes similar or equivalent terms
throughout. You should instead write the ideas completely in your own words/format,
and then cite the source from which you derived the ideas

Citing Sources
Citing sources in your text means providing the reader with
 the author’s last name,
 the year of publication of his or her work,
 and the page number from which the quote is taken (in case of a quote)

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Syracuse University Rules and Regulations, Section 1.0

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 Class Schedule
Week 1 Introduction to the Course

The anthropological approach to studying religion: Theory & Methods

Jan 31 - Sean McLoughlin’s “Islam(s) in context: Orientalism and the anthropology of
Muslim societies and cultures,” in Journal of Beliefs and Values, 28(3): 273-
296, 2007.

Feb 2 - Katherine Ewing’s “Dreams from a Saint: Anthropological Atheism & the
Temptation to Believe.” American Anthropologist, 96(3): 571-83, 1994.

- Richard Tapper’s “ ‘Islamic Anthropology’ and the ‘Anthropology of Islam’” in

Anthropological Quarterly, 68(3): 185-193, 1995

Anthropology of Islam: An Overview of the Issues

Feb 7 - Abdul Hamid el-Zein’s “Beyond Ideology & Theology: The Search for
an Anthropology of Islam” Annual Review of Anthropology, 6:227-254, 1977
Reflection Paper 1 due via email before class begins

Feb 9 - Brian Morris’s “Islam and Popular Religion,” in Religion & Anthropology: A
Critical Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2006. Pgs.77-
111.

Ethnographies Through Time

Feb 14 - Aubrey O’Brien’s “The Mohammedan Saints of the Western Punjab” The
Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain & Ireland,
41:509-520, 1911

- Joyce B. Flueckiger’s “Introduction: Called to Amma’s Courtyard,” “Setting the

Stage” and “The Healing System” in Amma’s Healing Room: Gender and
Vernacular Islam in South Asia. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. 2006.
Pgs. 1-105.

Anthropology of Christianity: An Overview

Feb 16 No readings

Feb 21 - Harvey Whitehouse’s “Appropriated and Monolithic Christianity in Melanesia,”

in The Anthropology of Christianity, Fenella Cannell (Ed.). Durham: Duke
University Press. 2006. Pgs. 295-306

-David Mosse’s “Affiliation and Sacred Power in Colonial and Contemporary

Catholic South India,” in The Anthropology of Christianity, Fenella Cannell
(Ed.). Durham: Duke University Press. 2006. Pgs. 99-127.

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Analytical Frames I: Knowledge, Rituals and Performance
Feb 23 - Eva Keller’s “Scripture Study as Normal Science,” in The Anthropology of
Christianity, Fenella Cannell (Ed.). Durham: Duke University Press. 2006.
Pgs. 273-292

Feb 28 - Tanya Luhrmann’s “Metakinesis: How God Becomes Intimate in Contemporary

U.S. Christianity,” in American Anthropologist 106(3): 518-28

- Mathew Engelke’s “Text and Performance in an African Church,” in American

Ethnologist 31(1): 76-91

Identity Matters I
Mar 1 - Martin Sokefeld’s “Selves and Others: Representing Multiplicities of
Difference in Gilgit in the Northern Areas of Pakistan,” in Islam and Society in
Pakistan, Magnus Marsden (Ed). Karachi: Oxford University Press. 2010. Pgs.
235-56

Mar 6 - Khalida Saed’s “On the Edge of Belonging,” in Living Islam out Loud.
Saleemah Abdul-Ghafur (Ed). Boston: Beacon Press. 2005. Pgs. 86-94

- Naveed Khan’s “Of Children and Jinns: An Enquiry into an Unexpected

Friendship during Uncertain Times,” in Islam and Society in Pakistan, Magnus
Marsden (Ed). Karachi: Oxford University Press. 2010. Pgs. 1-23

- Roland Platz’s “Buddhism and Christianity in Competition?” in Journal of

Southeast Asian Studies 34(3):473-490

Mar 8 No readings

Research proposal due (via email) by 12pm noon on March 9th (Fri)

Mar 13 Mid Term

Mar 15 No readings

Spring Break

Mar 27 Conversion & Fundamentalism

- Olivia Harris’s “The Eternal Return of Conversion,” in The Anthropology of
Christianity, Fenella Cannell (Ed.). Durham: Duke University Press. 2006. Pgs.
51-73

- Brenda Brasher’s “Joining Up,” in Godly Women. NJ: Rutgers University Press.
1998. Pgs. 30-57

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There will be no classes on March 29th (Thurs) and April 3rd (Tues). The dates of the rescheduled
classes will be announced early on in the semester. The highlighted topics given at the end of the
course schedule will be covered in these classes.

Identity Matters II
Apr 5 - Homa Hoodfar’s “More than Clothing: Veiling as Adaptive Strategy,” in The
Muslim Veil in North America, Sajida Alvi, Homa Hoodfar, and Sheila
McDonough (Eds). Toronto: Women’s Press. 2003. Pgs. 3-39

- Shahnaz Khan’s “Muslim Women: Negotiations in the Third Space,” in Gender,

Politics and Islam. Therese Saliba, Carolyn Allen, and Judith Howard (Eds).
Chicago: University of Chicago Press Journals. 2002. Pgs. 305-334.

Apr 10 - Magnus Marsden’s “All-Male Sonic Gatherings, Islamic Reform, and

Masculinity in Northern Pakistan,” in Islam and Society in Pakistan, Magnus
Marsden (Ed). Karachi: Oxford University Press. 2010. Pgs 201-229

-Thomas Solomon’s “Hardcore Muslims: Islamic Themes in Turkish Rap in

Diaspora and in the Homeland,” in Yearbook for Traditional Music 38: 59-78

Apr 12 - Moira Killoran’s “Good Muslims and ‘Bad Muslims,’ ‘Good’ Women and
Feminists: Negotiating Identities in Northern Cyprus,” in Ethos 26(2): 183-203

Reflection paper 2 due (via email) by 12pm noon on April 13th (Fri)

Apr 17 - Julie Peteet’s “Icons and Militants: Mothering in the Danger Zone,” in Signs,
23(1): 103-129.

April 19 TBA
Apr 24 TBA
Apr 26 Presentations
May 3 Presentations

Readings for rescheduled class:

Analytical Frames II: Knowledge, Rituals and Performance
- Michael Lambek’s “Certain Knowledge, Contestable Authority: Power and
Practice on the Islamic Periphery.” American Ethnologist, 17(1):23-40, 1990

- A Selection of Ginan’s by Tazim Kassam. Songs of Wisdom and Circles of

Dance. Albany: State University of New York Press. 1995.

- Christina Toren’s “Becoming a Christian in Fji” in JRAI 10:221-240

- John R. Bowen’s “On Scriptural Essentialism & Ritual Variation: Muslim

Sacrifice in Sumatra & Morocco.” American Ethnologist, 19(4):656-671, 1992

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