Conservative Islam A Cultural Anthropology

Conservative Islam: A Cultural Anthropology by Erich Kolig analyzes the salient characteristics of Islam and contemporary Muslim society from the perspective of traditional cultural anthropology. Gender issues, the headscarf and veiling, alcohol and pork prohibition, the taboo on satirizing religious contents, violence and jihad, attitudes toward rationalism and modernity and other important issues that emanate from Islamic doctrine are discursively highlighted as to their origins, symbolic meanings, and importance in the modern world. By highlighting socio-cultural configurations, the universals they represent, the circumstances of their creation, and their semiotic meaning, Kolig helps the reader gain understanding of Islam in the modern world.

Erich Kolig is an honorary fellow in religion and former senior lecturer (render) in social anthropology at the University of Otago, New Zealand. He is formerly a visiting professor of cultural anthropology at the University of Vienna.