Claiming space in civil society. Young Muslim moral personhoods in Bangladesh and Italy

ABSTRACT

In this article we analyze the multi-layered engagements of young Muslim activists in Dhaka (Bangladesh) and in the ‘Bangladeshi community’ in Rome (Italy), illustrating how, despite the local factors shaping a problematic relationship between Islamic activism and civil society in the two contexts, the young people share an attitude that points to the manifestations of a public Islam on a global level. This attitude aims at transcending the sectarianism and isolationism of previous generations, giving rise to civic engagements that rely on a concept of moral personhood, and strive to achieve change in society through modalities that depart from the clichés of political Islam. By considering these varied modalities, we highlight the existence of unconventional links between politics and civil society, and between ‘new’ and ‘old’ forms of civil society, contributing to the deconstruction of a Eurocentric and religion-averse understanding of the concept. At the same time, by analyzing the role played by the ‘individual’ in our interlocutors’ engagements, we shed light on counterintuitive convergences between Muslim moral economy and that of neoliberal governmentality, and on the emergence of a ‘liquid civil society’.

KEYWORDS:

• Civic Islam
• governmentality
• liquid society
• morality
• public Islam

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The research project ‘(Un-)typical Utopias. Visions of the Future from Adolescents at Islamic Schools in Bangladesh and Italy’ took place between 2018 and 2022, and produced 43 semi-structured interviews, 16 focus group discussions, together with a wide range of other data (e.g., informal conversations and ethnographic observations recorded in field diaries, audio recordings of public speeches and sermons, pictures, and videos). Abantee Harun and Andrea Priori conducted the ethnographic research in Bangladesh and Italy respectively. The three authors contributed in equal proportions to writing the article and analyzing data.

2 Madrasahs play different roles in Bangladesh and Italy. In Bangladesh they constitute an alternative to public secondary school although there has been a considerable recent shift towards favouring mainstream education, in Italy madrashas are not recognized as an equivalent to mainstream education and students also attend public schools.

3 In Bangladesh, the term 'war criminals' designates collaborationists, generally belonging to Islamic organisations, who supported the Pakistani repression during the war of liberation in 1971.

4 All the names of people and madrasahs in this article are pseudonyms.

5 The Tabligh Jamaat is a transnational Islamic movement extremely popular in Bangladesh.

6 The Chhatra League is the student wing of the Bangladesh Awami League, the ruling political party, and dominates the university union which decides upon the allocation of hostel places.

7 The word ‘hujur’ literally means 'sir' or 'lord', addressed towards someone in a position of higher power, often a man. In everyday language, religious leaders are addressed as 'hujur'. Those who appear or dress like them are also sometimes (casually or humorously) addressed as 'hujur'.

8 Mangal Shobhajatra is a parade which takes place on the first day of the Bengali New Year and is considered to be linked to a ‘secular identity’. In this passage the expression is used to signify what are seen as futile activities.

Additional information

Funding

This work was kindly supported by the Gerda Henkel Foundation.