From the Publisher
“This book is an important contribution to the literature on Tabligh Jama’at, one of the most important Islamic revivalist movements of the modern period. The authors provide an excellent analysis of the context in which the Jama’at emerged, its key ideas and approaches to preaching, and the resonance of its ideas and practices among Muslims. One of the most interesting contributions of this book is the application of frame theory to the study of the Jama’at, thus enriching our understanding of why the Jama’at is so effective in attracting many to its brand of Islamic revivalism. This is a timely, well-researched and highly readable work, a must-read for scholars and students of contemporary Islamic thought and movements.”
—Professor Abdullah Saeed, Sultan of Oman Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies & Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor, The University of Melbourne, Australia
“This is not the first publication on the Tabligh Jama’at, but certainly new in its approach. The authors offer a fresh perspective on the study of Islamic movements in the age of digital globalisation. Based on ethnographic fieldwork and the analysis of material written by the movement, they critically take issue with the implicit motivation of much of the work on revivalist movements in the Islamic world, namely to understand “how dangerous they are for the rest of the world”. The authors ask why Tabligh Jama’at is attractive to (potential) followers. They refute the common assumption that followers are deluded by leaders and lured into the movement with misleading information and false expectations. As the authors show, followers’ choices are much more thought-through than is often assumed.”
—J. Thijl Sunier, Emeritus Professor in the Faculty of Social Sciences, Social and Cultural Anthropology Vrije Universiteit, The Netherlands
“This book offers rare insights into the workings of Islamic revivalism, using Tabligh Jama‘at as a case study. By applying Frame Theory, the authors produce a conceptually engaging and empirically rich study that probes into the internal dynamics of revivalism and opens up important avenues for further research. This is an important contribution to the fields of sociology of religion and Islamic studies.”
—Shahram Akbarzadeh, Research Professor of Middle East & Central Asian Politics, Deakin University, Australia
