This book explores Muslim communities in Southeast Asia and the integration of Islamic culture with the diverse ethnic cultures of the region, offering a look at the practice of cultural and religious coexistence in various realms. The volume traces the origins and processes of adoption, transmission, and adaptation of Islam by diverse ethnic communities such as the Malay, Acehnese, Javanese, Sundanese, the Bugis, Batak, Betawi, and Madurese communities, among others. It examines the integration of Islam within local politics, cultural networks, law, rituals, education, art, and architecture, which engendered unique regional Muslim identities. Additionally, the book illuminates distinctive examples of cultural pluralism, cosmopolitanism, and syncretism that persisted in Islamic religious practices in the region owing to its maritime economy and reputation as a marketplace for goods, languages, cultures, and ideas. As part of the Global Islamic Cultures series that investigates integrated and indigenized Islam, this book will be of interest to students and researchers of theology and religion, Islamic studies, religious history, political Islam, cultural studies, and Southeast Asian studies. It also offers an engaging read for general audiences interested in world religions and cultures.

This book delves into decolonial saga of Malabar through the eyes of a native chronicler and uncover the hidden truth behind the 'Musaliar King,' the media moulded monarch by colonial misnomers. This richly woven narrative illuminates inter-community alliances amidst turmoil and exposes calculated colonial stratagems that obscured sacrifices made by natives. The narrative serves as a corrective lens, shedding light on the valiant deeds often overshadowed by colonial narratives. Readers are taken on a transformative journey, where historical understanding is reshaped, and the vernacular valour embedded in the history of Malabar comes to the forefront. Navigate the contours of a contentious issue surrounding a photograph, as the author masterfully challenges its authenticity. This eloquent journey transcends the mere exploration of historical facts; it is a symphony of identity, sacrifice, and community resilience. A literary gem for aficionados of history, this monograph invites readers to savour the beauty of Malabar's tumultuous past, promising a profound understanding of the events that have shaped its captivating history. This book debunks controversial narratives and confronts the misidentified, reshaping historical understanding and revealing the spirit within Malabar's untold stories of solidarity and sacrifice.

Around the world, Islamic cultures have developed distinctive matrilineal, matrifocal, matrilocal, or matriarchal natures as a result of how they have been practised by integrated and indigenised Muslim communities. In matrilineal descent systems, in contrast to the more common mosaic of patrilineal patterns, children belong to the mother’s ancestry group. Matrilineal Muslims therefore follow a social system in which people are identified with their mother's lineage, and the inheritance of property as well as succession are transferred through the matriline. This volume focuses on matrilineal, matrifocal and matriarchal Muslims and their unique folk natures, integrated social structures, adopted legal systems, and so on. It provides a unique perspective for understanding global Muslim communities that have succeeded in integrating the matrilineal tenets of local practices with religion, adhering to essential Islamic values in a way that makes traditional women-centred cultures acceptable to mainstream Islam.

"World Without Men" is a pioneering non-fiction book that embarks on an exploratory journey into the hypothetical scenario of a society entirely devoid of men. This thought-provoking work delves into various disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, and gender studies to offer a comprehensive analysis of the profound implications such an absence would have on our social structures, economies, politics, and familial setups. Through meticulous research and an engaging narrative style, the author challenges readers to reconsider entrenched beliefs about gender roles and societal organization. The book provides an in-depth examination of historical matriarchal societies and communities where women have predominated, offering insights into alternative societal models. It scrutinizes potential shifts in political systems, laws, and social norms that could emerge in a man-less society, including changes in leadership styles and decision-making processes. The economic impact is also considered, with discussions on how ...

From the stone age to the cyber age, women and men have experienced the world differently. Out of a cosmos of goddesses and she-devils, earth mothers and madonnas, witches and queens, saints and whores, a vast body of women's folklore has come into bloom. International in scope and drawing on more than 130 expert contributors, this encyclopedia reviews the myths, traditions, and beliefs central to women's daily lives. More than 260 alphabetically arranged entries cover the lore of women across time, space, and life. Students of history, religion and spirituality, healing and traditional medicine, literature, and world cultures will value this encyclopedia as an indispensable guide to women's folklore. In addition, there are entries on women's folklore and folklife in 15 regions of the world, such as the Caribbean, Central Asia, the Middle East, and Western Europe. Entries provide cross-references and cite works for further reading, and the encyclopedia closes with a selected bibliography of print and electronic resources. Students learning about history, world cultures, religion and spirituality, healing and traditional medicine, and literature will welcome this companion to the daily life of women across time and continents.

Illustrated with photographs representing all the world's major religious traditions, this is a unique and innovative account of the role of religion in our lives.

Drawing from all major religious traditions in the world, as well as a variety of non-religious disciplines such as psychology, philosophy and sociology, Momen’s study is an innovative, thematic presentation of the role of religion in society, covering everything from art and history to theology and the World Wide Web.

This handbook investigates the current state and future possibilities of African Philosophy, as a discipline and as a practice, vis-à-vis the challenge of African development and Africa’s place in a globalized, neoliberal capitalist economy. The volume offers a comprehensive survey of the philosophical enterprise in Africa, especially with reference to current discourses, arguments and new issues—feminism and gender, terrorism and fundamentalism, sexuality, development, identity, pedagogy and multidisciplinarity, etc.—that are significant for understanding how Africa can resume its arrested march towards decolonization and liberation.

Prometheus and Gaia examines the ideological positions of Futurism and Eco-Pessimism. While these are rarely spoken about in mainstream discourse, they do have strong resonances in today’s popular politics and culture. In light of existential threats posed by climate change, disruptive technologies and economic crises, many have grown weary of the “small fixes” offered by mainstream policy-makers. Radical change thus appears necessary, as Futurism and Eco-Pessimism emerge as two fundamental challenges to the status quo. The Futurist claims that the current dynamism of technology is incompatible with human limitations, while the Eco-Pessimist sees the climate crisis as symptomatic of a broader human domination over nature. What these seemingly opposite currents have in common is a shared rejection of the human frame as grounding politics; each seeks to subordinate the human in favor of a wholly alien other, either in the form of an anarchic nature or a dynamic technology. To transcend this strange coincidence of opposites, Prometheus and Gaia makes the positive case for a humanism that is rationalist without being anthropocentric.