Haqq Saniya Ahmad

In this episode, we talk to Dr. Amira Mittermaier whose book, ‘Giving to God: Islamic Charity in Revolutionary Times’ is set against the backdrop of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution and Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi’s rise to power. The book draws upon Dr. Mittermaier’s ethnographic fieldwork in Egypt’s Cairo that oscillates between seemingly apolitical spaces of charity and highly politicized spaces of protest. Mittermaier comes to recognize that despite their apparent disparity, these two fields share a dedication to justice and communal engagement, both of which hold ethical and political importance. Therefore, her exploration of Islamic acts of generosity navigates between these two realms, each carrying distinct concepts of justice and the definition of an ideal society.



In this conversation, Dr. Mittermaier talks about how her interlocutors provide and accept assistance, how these actions align with Islamic ideas of divine fairness in the world, and how charity influenced people's perceptions of the Tahrir Square uprisings. Mittermaier's anthropological method enables us to comprehend the intricacies of charity as a multifaceted practice among Muslims. By exploring the relationship between donors, recipients, and God,, Dr. MIttermaier offers an alternative framework to conceptualize an Islamic ethics of giving. 

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Produced By Ergo Studios

Hosted By Saniya Ahmad

Production and edited By Abhay

In this conversation on her book, ‘The Politics of Women’s Rights in Iran’ , Dr. Arzoo Osanloo  delves into the politicization of 'rights talk' and women’s subjectivities in post-revolutionary Iran. She talks about how following the 1979 revolution, Iran underwent a transformation into an Islamic republic, during which the country's leaders employed a renewed discourse on women's rights to signify a departure from Western liberalism's perceived excesses. Dr. Osanloo's research reveals that the post-revolutionary republic combined elements of a liberal republic with principles of equality derived from Islam. Through ethnographic study, she illustrates how women's assertions of rights arise from a blend of ideas that draw from both liberal individualism and Islamic ideals.

In this episode, she walks us through various settings where rights are being shaped, such as Qur'anic reading groups, Tehran's family court, and law offices. In these contexts, she highlights the fluid and constructed nature of women's understandings of their rights. By doing so, Dr. Osanloo dismantles oversimplified dichotomies between so-called liberal, universal rights and the perceived insularity of local culture. She sheds light on a contemporary non-Western perspective on the essence of liberal rights and prompts questions about the often misunderstood relationship between modernity and Islam.

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We invite you to engage with us on social media, share your thoughts and experiences, and join the conversation. You can write to us on ⁠ergostudiosin@gmail.com⁠ Your support is invaluable, so please consider leaving a review or feedback for us.

Email: ⁠ergostudiosin@gmail.com⁠

Website : ⁠www.ergostudios.net⁠

Insta : @ergo_studios Twitter: @ergo_studios
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Produced By Ergo Studios

Hosted By Saniya Ahmad

Production and edited By Abhay

In this episode, Dr. Nadia Guessous invites us to think about feminism in non-teleological ways by drawing upon her genealogical and ethnographic research with a particular generation of Leftist feminists in Morocco, often known as bnat al yassar (daughters of the Left).

She dissects what requires her interlocutors to reject a traditional way of life that, paradoxically, is also acknowledged by them as the source of inspiration for their leftist feminist politics. She then probes how this first conundrum is connected to the challenge faced by leftist feminists in welcoming a new generation of young hijabi women into their organizations, despite their professed dedication to creating an all-encompassing women's movement. She refers to the leftist feminist issues surrounding tradition and the hijab as conundrums to question the notion of their inherent "naturalness."

Although paradoxes and conundrums are commonly assumed to be self-evident descriptions, Dr. Guessous proposes that we view them as contextually specific, arising from distinct historical circumstances, and influenced by individual perspectives and subjectivity. Thus, through an examination of the dilemmas and contradictions informing the landscape of Moroccan leftist feminist politics, her research aims to engage in a nuanced exploration of modernity and feminism, avoiding linear and deterministic perspectives. Furthermore, it seeks to make a valuable contribution to the field of anthropology by shedding light on the dynamics of power within modern society and the formation of progressive political subjectivity.

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We invite you to engage with us on social media, share your thoughts and experiences, and join the conversation. You can write to us on ⁠ergostudiosin@gmail.com⁠ Your support is invaluable, so please consider leaving a review or feedback for us.

Email: ⁠ergostudiosin@gmail.com⁠

Website : ⁠www.ergostudios.net⁠

Insta : @ergo_studios Twitter: @ergo_studios
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Produced By Ergo Studios

Hosted By Saniya Ahmad

Production and edited By Abhay

In this episode with Dr. Anand Vivek Taneja, we dissect how Indian Muslims are bringing their religious tradition in conversation with the everyday lived realities of marginalization. The episode deals with Islam as a 'discursive tradition' as argued by the anthropologist, Talal Asad to understand how the ethical lives of Indian Muslims have transformed in response to the political reality of contemporary India.

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We invite you to engage with us on social media, share your thoughts and experiences, and join the conversation. You can write to us on ⁠ergostudiosin@gmail.com⁠ Your support is invaluable, so please consider leaving a review or feedback for us.

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Website : ⁠www.ergostudios.net⁠

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Produced By Ergo Studios

Hosted By Saniya Ahmad

Production and edited By Abhay

Artwork Credits: Coffeehouse by Safia Latif @safialatifpaintings

Muslims and the Making of Modern Europe by Dr Emily Greble show that Muslims were citizens of modern Europe from its beginning and, in the process, rethinks Europe itself. Muslims are neither newcomers nor outsiders in Europe. In the twentieth century, they have been central to the continent's political development and the evolution of its traditions of equality and law. From 1878 into the period following World War II, over a million Ottoman Muslims became citizens of new European states. Greble uncovers Muslims' negotiations with state authorities--over the boundaries of Islamic law, the nature of religious freedom, and the meaning of minority rights. Muslims and the Making of Modern Europe offers a striking new account of the history of citizenship and nation-building, the emergence of minority rights, and the character of secularism.

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We invite you to engage with us on social media, share your thoughts and experiences, and join the conversation. You can write to us on ⁠ergostudiosin@gmail.com⁠ Your support is invaluable, so please consider leaving a review or feedback for us.

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Insta : @ergo_studios Twitter: @ergo_studios
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Produced By Ergo Studios

Hosted By Omer Haq

Production and edited By Abhay

The life and legacy of one of Mohammad's closest confidants and Islam's patron saint: Ali ibn Abi Talib is arguably the single most important spiritual and intellectual authority in Islam after the prophet Mohammad. Through his teachings and leadership as the fourth caliph, Ali nourished Islam. But Muslims are divided on whether he was supposed to be Mohammad's political successor-and he continues to be a polarizing figure in Islamic history. Hassan Abbas through his book The Prophet`s Heir provides a nuanced, compelling portrait of this towering yet divisive figure and the origins of sectarian division within Islam. While Ali's teachings about wisdom, justice, and selflessness continue to be cherished by both Shia and Sunni Muslims, his pluralist ideas have been buried under sectarian agendas and power politics. Today, Abbas argues, Ali's legacy and message stand against that of ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and the Taliban.

To deliberate on all this and more catch our conversation with Dr Hassan Abbas

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Email: ⁠ergostudiosin@gmail.com⁠

Website : ⁠www.ergostudios.net⁠

Insta : @ergo_studios Twitter: @ergo_studios
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Produced By Ergo Studios

Hosted By Omer Haq

Production and edited By Abhay