Michael G. Peletz Ordre des livres

Dynamics of gender and sexuality -- Bodies, pleasures, and desires : transgender practices, same-sex relations, and heteronormative sexualities -- Bodies on the line

Few symbols in today’s world are as laden and fraught as sharia—an Arabic-origin term referring to the straight path, the path God revealed for humans, the norms and rules guiding Muslims on that path, and Islamic law and normativity as enshrined in sacred texts or formal statute. Yet the ways in which Muslim men and women experience the myriad dimensions of sharia often go unnoticed and unpublicized. So too do recent historical changes in sharia judiciaries and contemporary strategies on the part of political and religious elites, social engineers, and brand stewards to shape, solidify, and rebrand these institutions. Sharia Transformations is an ethnographic, historical, and theoretical study of the practice and lived entailments of sharia in Malaysia, arguably the most economically successful Muslim-majority nation in the world. The book focuses on the routine everyday practices of Malaysia’s sharia courts and the changes that have occurred in the court discourses and practices in recent decades. Michael G. Peletz approaches Malaysia’s sharia judiciary as a global assemblage and addresses important issues in the humanistic and social-scientific literature concerning how Malays and other Muslims engage ethical norms and deal with law, social justice, and governance in a rapidly globalizing world.

Exploring the workings of Islamic courts, the book delves into the cultural insights that influence judicial processes and litigant strategies, particularly regarding women's claims. It examines the role of these courts in promoting social tolerance and their use by states to consolidate power and shape modern citizenship. By providing ethnographic, historical, and transnational perspectives, the text enhances the understanding of diversity within Muslim communities and offers insights into contemporary Islam within a strategically significant region.