Alternative Performativity of Muslimness: The Intersection of Race, Gender, Religion, and Migration

247 Pages·2017·2.18 MB·English

by  Amina Alrasheed Nayel (auth.)

Alternative
Performativity
of Muslimness
The Intersection
of Race, Gender,
Religion, and
Migration
Amina Alrasheed Nayel
Alternative Performativity of Muslimness
Amina Alrasheed Nayel
Alternative
Performativity of
Muslimness
The Intersection of Race, Gender, Religion, and
Migration
Amina Alrasheed Nayel
United Nations Economic and Social
Commission for Western Asia, Beirut & Leeds
ISBN 978-3-319-44050-7 ISBN 978-3-319-44051-4 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-44051-4
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017930192
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017
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To the memories of my beloved parents, my father Alrasheed Nayel and
my mother Laila Ahmed, and to my late sister Zakia Alrasheed. To Loubi
and Mimi, my daughters, who sailed with me through the long journey of
dispersal and exile, and we made it! Didn’t we?
A
cknowledgements
This book would not have been possible without the guidance and the
help of several individuals, who in one way or another contributed and
extended their valuable assistance in the preparation and completion of
this study and inspired the production of this book.
First and foremost, I express my utmost gratitude to Prof. Shirley Tate
and Prof. Zahia Smail Salhi for the encouragement, sincerity, and kind
concern and consideration. They have been a source of inspiration and
great motivators to succeed. I recall their unfailing support, patience and
steadfast encouragement. I will not forget, nor will I be able to replace
the support, sincerity and kindness of my two daughters, brothers and
sisters. I thank them so much for making this possible and for the valuable
insights they shared with me.
I would also like to thank Palgrave Macmillan publisher for willing to
take on the task of publishing this book with their series.
Last but not least, this book is dedicated to all women and in particu-
lar to Sudanese women in their relentless struggle for justice, peace and
equality.
vii
c
ontents
1 Research Area Problem and Methodology 1
Introduction 1
Identity, Diaspora and Otherness: Western Discourses on 
Islam and Gender 2
Islamophobia and ‘the Muslim’ 8
Black Feminist Epistemology: Intersectionality, Performativity,
and Multiple Identities 12
The Feminist Approach to Performativity and Intersectionality
in Identifications 17
Ethnography and Muslim Identity; Hybridity and 
Performativity 22
Methods 26
Sampling, Research Sites and Profile 27
A Brief Account of the Participants 29
Methods of Data Collection 32
Researcher Reflexivity 34
Ethical Considerations 38
Data Analysis: Analysing Performativity 42
Conclusion 43
2 Sudanese Women and the Intersection of Identity and 
Islam in Historical and Contemporary Perspective 45
Introduction 45
Being Muslim in West Yorkshire 46
ix
x CONTENTS
African Muslim Women in Sudan and the UK 48
Sudanese Women and Anti-Colonial Politics 54
The Emergence of the Sudanese Women’s Movement 57
Women in the Public Sphere 60
Sufi Islam, Patriarchy and the African Women 62
Islam and the Continuing Oppression of African Women 70
Chapter Outlines 73
Conclusion 74
3 Reflections on Contested Identities: Investigating
the Narratives of Northern Sudanese Muslim Women
in West Yorkshire 77
Introduction 77
Theme One: The Intersection of Identity Construction
and Muslim Performativities 80
Using Intersectionality to Understand Oppression 86
Theme Two—Practising Islam with a Difference:
Questioning the Veil and Attending the Mosque 88
Sudanese Women and Identity Transformation 96
Sudanese Women Performing Difference: The Veil 97
Sudanese Women Performing Difference: The Church 100
Theme Three: Black Identity and Diaspora 103
Sudanese Identity and Islamic Discourse 105
Becoming Black/Being Muslim; Race and Religion 111
The Politics of Race and Religion in the Diasporic Space 116
Theme Four—Racialized Discourse in West Yorkshire:
Sudanese Politics, UK Identities and Migration 119
Politics of Identity, Muslim Performativities and Othering 123
Conclusion 128
4 Missing the Nile: Melancholic Nostalgia and 
Making Home 131
Introduction 131
The Making of the Nostalgic Context in West Yorkshire 132
Exploring Nostalgia 136
Nostalgia: Identity, Otherness and Belonging 140
Melancholic Nostalgia and Homecoming 143
CONTENTS xi
Melancholic Nostalgia and Narratives 146
Nostalgia: Visioning Home, Return and Alienation 147
Racism, Gender Spatialities and Otherness as Catalysts
for Nostalgia 150
‘Home’, Communities and the Racialized Discourses 153
Nostalgia and the Politics of Race and Ethnicity in the UK 158
Conclusion 164
5 Conclusion: The Politics of Difference, Performativity,
Identities and Belonging 169
Introduction 169
Future Research 183
Appendix I: Questionnaire in English 187
Appendix II: Questionnaire in Arabic 189
Appendix III: Interview Questions in English 191
Appendix IV: Interview Questions in Arabic 193
Appendix V: Table of Participants 195
Appendix VI: Graphs and Tables 197
Bibliography 201
Index 225
A
bbreviAtions
Al-Tawhid: Divine unity
Ansar UMMA party, loyal to al-Mahdi and a religious sect
Awliyaa Friends of God
CPS Communist party of Sudan
Garbawi Westerner: From the West of Sudan
Haqq Truth
Ja’ ali Galleen Tribal group of North Sudan
Janjaweed Arabized Tribal groups in the Western Sudan
JEM Justice and \equality Movement
Katmiya A religious sect and a political party, the National Unionist
party
Tariqa/turuq Sects
Tasawof Being part of Sufi sect
WLUML Organization of women living under Muslim laws
xiii