Islam Observed: Religious Development in Morocco and Indonesia
by Clifford Geertz
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Mr. Geertz begins his argument by outlining the problem conceptually and providing an overview of the two countries. He then traces the evolution of their classical religious styles which, with disparate settings and unique histories, produced strikingly different spiritual climates. So in Morocco, the Islamic conception of life came to mean activism, moralism, and intense individuality, while in Indonesia the same concept emphasized aestheticism, inwardness, and the radical dissolution of show more personality. In order to assess the significance of these interesting developments, Mr. Geertz sets forth a series of theoretical observations concerning the social role of religion. -- Back cover. show lessTags
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Very interesting study of Islam in two vastly different forms. Based on historical studies and the author's own fieldwork, Geertz describes an Indonesian Islam that is contemplative and aesthetic, overlaid onto Hindu-Buddhist traditions, and a Moroccan Islam that is charismatic and moralistic, shaped by the country's tribal social structure. This is illustrated partly in entertaining narratives of the lives of historical figures: legendary heroes from important transitional periods (Kalidjaga in Indonesia, Lyusi in Morocco), and the 20th century leaders of both countries' anti-colonial movements (Sukarno and Mohammad V). All this leads to a very interesting discussion of religion more generally, how it should be conceptualized and studied.
En esta obra, Geertz compara dos contextos islámicos muy distintos (Marruecos y Java/Indonesia) para mostrar las estrategias religiosas y los estilos culturales que definen el Islam desde su práctica comunitaria, argumentando que más allá de la estructura religiosa, lo que importa son los “estilos” de religión inscritos en el cuerpo cultural.
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36+ Works 3,802 Members
Clifford Geertz, an American anthropologist, is known for his studies of Islam in Indonesia and Morocco and of the peasant economy of Java. But he is also the leading exponent of an orientation in the social sciences called "interpretation". Social life, according to this view, is organized in terms of symbols whose meaning we must grasp if we are show more to understand that organization and formulate its principles. Interpretative explanations focus on what institutions, actions, customs, and so on mean to the people involved. What emerges from studies of this kind are not laws of society, and certainly not statistical relationships, but rather interpretations, that is to say, understanding. Geertz taught for 10 years at the University of Chicago and has been the Harold F. Linder professor of social science at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
Terry Lectures (1967-1968)
Common Knowledge
Classifications
- Genres
- Anthropology, Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, General Nonfiction, History
- DDC/MDS
- 300 — Society, government, & culture Social sciences, sociology & anthropology Social sciences
- LCC
- BP64 .M6 .G4 — Philosophy, Psychology and Religion Islam. Bahaism. Theosophy, etc. Islam. Bahai Faith. Theosophy, etc. General History
- BISAC
Statistics
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- 276
- Popularity
- 117,207
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.87)
- Languages
- 5 — English, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 7
- ASINs
- 2
