Issues

“Big” and “Small” Moroccan Islam Tradition: Problems of Distinction and Socio-Cultural Context

Vladimir Orlov

Religiia i obshchestvo na Vostoke, Issue I (2017), p. 202-220.

 
The article is focused on theoretical and methodological settings for detection of «high» and «popular» traditions in Islamic culture. Based on various sources, the paper explores economic, cultural, demographic, ethical and psychological factors which determined the differences in the social context of Islamic institutions’ functioning in Morocco (XVI–XIX centuries). Specific features and differences in the ritual complex and manifestation of piety in urban and rural milieu of the Far Maghrib are examined. Much attention is paid to the problem of applicability of «two-level» pattern of phenomenon of religious belief in Islamic studies. Different approaches to the qualification of internal organization of Islamic religious complex in Morocco, which were developed in Russian, Western and Arab historiography, are also covered in the article.

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Keywords: Morocco, Islamic institutions, «popular Islam», ulama, Sufi brotherhoods, murabits, ritualism, piety, everyday lifestyle

Volume: 202-220