Sensing Islam: Engaging and Contesting the Senses in Muslim Religiosity

How have practices and imaginaries of sensing been religiously engaged and contested by Muslims? How do contemporary Muslim practices and debates concerning religious sensing relate to historical precedents?

Analysing examples dealing with contemporary Sufism and Muslim religious oratory, this book explores how the senses have been engaged and contested in Muslim religiosity. Combining the research fields of Islamic Studies, anthropology of Islam, material religion and sensory studies, this book covers a range of materials, including writings by Muslim religious authorities, ethnographic material, audio recordings and videos.

Focusing on Western contexts, this book provides an innovative approach by foregrounding the piety practices of Western Muslims. Synthesising existing research with his own original analyses, Simon Stjernholm provides a fresh perspective on Islamic tradition, religiosity and sensing.

Simon Stjernholm is Associate Professor of the History of Religions at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.