Book contents
- European Shiʿism
- The Global Middle East
- European Shiʿism
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures and Tables
- Preface
- Introduction
- Chapter 1Contrapuntal Organizations
- Chapter 2European Islam in the Iranian Union
- Chapter 3Occidental Selves and Others
- Chapter 4Outposts of the Seminary System
- Chapter 5Shiʿite-European Encompassment
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
Introduction
Encounters of Shiʿism and Europe
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 May 2026
Book contents
- European Shiʿism
- The Global Middle East
- European Shiʿism
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures and Tables
- Preface
- Introduction
- Chapter 1Contrapuntal Organizations
- Chapter 2European Islam in the Iranian Union
- Chapter 3Occidental Selves and Others
- Chapter 4Outposts of the Seminary System
- Chapter 5Shiʿite-European Encompassment
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
The introduction treats Shiʿite-European encounters; locates them in the social science theory on Muslims in Europe; frames the research question alternatively; and gives chapter outlines. It starts with a sketch of Shiʿite Muslims’ migration to Europe and the development of their communities. The literature review juxtaposes assimilatory approaches to Muslims in Europe that see Europe as a cultural transformer and sceptical perspectives asserting mal-integration or its absence. The alternative hypothesis holds that European Shiʿism has been significantly self-contained, with traditions key to grasping its self-other relations, which range from segregation to assimilation. The (post-)migration context brings self-other relations to the fore, provoking questions of relative order that are answered in more exclusionary fashion by actors closer to high jurisprudential authority. The main themes in this theory of European Shiʿism are mapped on to chapter outlines and case studies.
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- European ShiʿismPeripheral Engagement and Religious Retention, pp. 1 - 33Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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