The 'Ulamā' and the State: Negotiating Tradition, Authority and Sovereignty in Contemporary Pakistan
[Thesis]
Mashal Saif
Moosa, Ebrahim
Duke University
2014
367
Committee members: Hassan, Mona; Ho, Engseng; Lawrence, Bruce
Place of publication: United States, Ann Arbor; ISBN=978-1-321-29982-3
Ph.D.
Religion
Duke University
2014
This dissertation is an account of how contemporary Pakistani 'ulamā' grapple with their political realities and the Islamic state of Pakistan. The central conceptual question that scaffolds my dissertation is: How do Pakistani 'ulamā' negotiate tradition, authority and sovereignty with the Islamic Republic of Pakistan? In engaging with this issue, this dissertation employs a methodology that weds ethnography with rigorous textual analysis. The 'ulamā' that feature in this study belong to a variety of sectarian persuasions. The Sunnī 'ulamā' are Deobandī and Barelvī; the Shī'a 'ulamā' in this study are Ithnā 'Asharī.
Religion
Philosophy, religion and theology;Islam;Pakistan;Political theology;State;Ulama