SOAS Research Online

Abstract

This paper examines the opportunities and limitations of the term ‘equality’, and the concepts coalesced around it, in what could broadly be called Muslim subjectivity formation – that is, a set of social and intimate experiences that make an individual or a group feel, see and call themselves ‘Muslim’. My focus is primarily on one’s self-designation, rather than that employed by external agents such as the state, religious leaders or other social actors. What I’m particularly interested in here are the dynamics of power that make or break one’s personal connection with one’s Muslim self that may or may not be in harmony with official interpretations of the law, including Islamic law. My intent is to demonstrate certain spatial effects of such power dynamics and the resulting social relations. This, then, could be called a spatial analysis of Muslim self-designation.