The Politics of Muslim Identities in Asia

Book excerpt: Approaching religious identity with an emphasis on agency and contestation, this book offers a historical perspective on the development of Muslim identities in Asia. It examines the contingent politics that influence how Muslims constitute themselves as modern subjects. Through 9 country-based case studies, the book analyses how Muslims articulate their religious identity vis-à-vis the state and society in which they live, and how their position relates to specific social and political contexts. The contributors survey how religious affiliation sparks a politics of difference in contexts where Islamic practices, beliefs and aspirations are contested, as well as where Muslims are framed as the 'Other'.