Oral Presentation Session

Reviewed by: Society for Linguistic Anthropology

Of interest to: Practicing and Applied Anthropologists, Students

Primary Theme: Identity and Equity

Secondary Theme: Inclusivity

(3-0890) Muslims through Language, Discourse, and Semiotics: Linguistic Ethnographic Work in Muslim Communities

For the past thirty years or so, anthropologists have argued for approaching Islam as a discursive tradition, conceptualizing discourse(s) in Foucault’s (1980) sense—particular ways of representing social life (e.g. Asad 1986; Bowen 1993; Deeb 2006). In this panel, we shift the focus toward a linguistic anthropology of Islam via discourse analysis, examining language use as social practice. The panel addresses two broad questions: (1) How can linguistic data help us better understand Muslims’ social worlds? (2) How do individuals use language to project Muslim identifications and contest other possible identifications? Through detailed analysis of local action and interaction embedded in the wider social world, this panel examines the linguistic, discursive, and semiotic practices of Muslim individuals and communities in diverse settings, including prayer spaces, online discussion groups, schools, seated gatherings, tent-making, homes and workplaces. Concerned with how Muslims categorize themselves and others, conceptualize their own belonging in settings where they are often perceived as Others, and interact with one another and with non-Muslims in both religious and secular spaces, we focus on ethnographic work conducted in North America, Germany, France, Oman, and Spain. We consider issues of gender and sexuality in communal prayer; the relationship between language, religion, and belonging in diaspora; code choice and clothing as communicative resources; the ethics of daily activity, sociality, and privacy; and how proselytizing across everyday interactions shapes religious affiliation. Zane Goebel will serve as a discussant.

Presenter(s)

• Sara Farsiu

  University of Wisconsin-Madison

• Guillermo Martín-Sáiz

  Graduate Student
  Washington University in St Louis

• Sandrine Pell

  PhD candidate in Second Language Acquisition
  University of Wisconsin Madison

• Kamala Russell

  University of California, Berkeley

Organizer(s)

• Katrina Thompson

  Professor
  University of Wisconsin, Madison

Chair(s)

• Katrina Thompson

  Professor
  University of Wisconsin, Madison

Presenter(s)

• Katrina Thompson

  Professor
  University of Wisconsin, Madison

Discussant(s)

• Zane Goebel

  The University of Queensland

Presentations:

• 2:00 PM - 2:15 PM

  Discourses of Racism and Experiences of Belonging in Iranian Refugees’ Narratives
  Sara Farsiu – University of Wisconsin-Madison
• 2:15 PM - 2:30 PM

  Islamic Movements, Proselytizing, and the Boundaries of Religious Affiliation
  Guillermo Martín-Sáiz – Washington University in St Louis
• 2:30 PM - 2:45 PM

  Points of contention: Franco-Maghrebi Muslim students’ experiences within the French education system
  Sandrine Pell – University of Wisconsin Madison
• 2:45 PM - 3:00 PM

  Doubt and withdrawal: Ethical sociality in Dhofar, Oman
  Kamala Russell – University of California, Berkeley
• 3:00 PM - 3:15 PM

  Gender & Sexuality in Community: Praying as a Progressive
  Katrina D. Thompson – University of Wisconsin, Madison
• 3:15 PM - 3:30 PM

  Discussion
  Zane M. Goebel – The University of Queensland