Project muse dreaming and historical consciousness in. Vincent crapanzano remarked about amira mittermaiers book that it is a sensitive, intellectually challenging, indeed a courageous, investigation of the psychological, ontological, and ethical assumptions that lie behind dreams, visions, and dreamvisitations in contemporary egyptwhere the dream is a vibrant site of political, religious, and. Amira mittermaier guides the reader through landscapes of the imagination that feature muslim dream interpreters who draw on freud, reformists who dismiss all forms of divination as superstition, a sufi devotional group that keeps a diary of dreams related. Dreams, poetry, and prophecy in contemporary egypt it was a warm november night in 2003 when i first heard about the book of visions. Amira mittermaier is an anthropologist who studies islam in egypt. Dec 06, 2012 vincent crapanzano remarked about amira mittermaier s book that it is a sensitive, intellectually challenging, indeed a courageous, investigation of the psychological, ontological, and ethical assumptions that lie behind dreams, visions, and dreamvisitations in contemporary egyptwhere the dream is a vibrant site of political, religious, and. Gashes on the mountains show where emery mining has taken place since ancient times. Dreams that matter by amira mittermaier is the 2011 recipient of the clifford geertz book. It fosters innovative research, nurtures new generations of social scientists, deepens how inquiry is practiced within and across disciplines, and mobilizes necessary knowledge on important public issues. Shaykh al qusi is a self appointed leader and established his community through from anth 277 at bard college. Dreaming and historical consciousness in island greece has a beautiful cover illustration. Egyptian landscapes of the imagination kindle edition by mittermaier, amira.
Rather than focusing on what i thought would just be an interpretation of symbols within dreams, the interlocutors dreamstories can open up critical spaces and possibilities 2. Dreams, poetry, and prophecy in contemporary egypt volume 39 issue 2 amira mittermaier skip to main content we use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Shaykh alqusi and his followers were holding a ramadan gathering on a large parking lot in one of cairos more. Dec 16, 2010 dreams that matter explores the social and material life of dreams in contemporary cairo.
Dream visions and their interpretation have a long tradition and great impor tance in both the history and the present practice of islam, and yet. Kerr dissertation awards wadad kadi travel fellowships for doctoral students mesa. It is also a study of the ways in which muslims give and receive aid, how these acts fit into islamic concepts of divine justice in the world, and the role that charity played in peoples visions of the uprisings in tahrir square. Dreams, imagination and other slippery stuff ethnography of.
This is precisely what amira mittermaier accomplishes in her absorbing and thoughtprovoking book on the dream landscapes of. Dreams, poetry, and prophecy in contemporary egypt volume 39 issue 2 amira mittermaier. Amira mittermaier guides the reader through landscapes of the imagination that feature muslim dream interpreters who draw on freud, reformists who dismiss all forms of divination as superstition, a sufi devotional group that keeps a diary of dreams related to its shaykh, and ordinary believers who speak of moving encounters with the prophet muhammad. Can a nonhumanitarian ethics address economic inequality. Currently she is working on a book that examines islamic practices of giving against the. Amira mittermaier guides the reader through landscapes of the imagination that feature muslim dream interpreters who draw on freud, reformists who dismiss all. The ssrc is an independent, international, nonprofit organization. Her book is a provocative examination of how presentday muslims encounter and engage the divine that offers a different perspective on the islamic revival. Amira mittermaier abstract resala, egypts largest volunteerdriven charity organization, engages in a range of activities, from distributing food in slums to visiting orphanages. Dec 04, 2012 dreams that matter egyptian landscapes of the imagination amira mittermaier question 1. Dreams that matter egyptian landscapes of the imagination amira mittermaier question 1.
Islamic charity in revolutionary times is not simply a book about the practice of zakat charity within islamic perspectives of social justice. Bacharach service award mesa academic freedom award roger owen book award houshang pourshariati iranian studies book award malcolm h. Amira mittermaier is an associate professor in the department for the study of religion and the department of anthropology. Amira mittermaier guides the reader through landscapes of the imagination that feature muslim dream interpreters who draw on freud, reformists who dismiss all forms of divination as superstition, a sufi devotional group that keeps a diary of dreams related to its shaykh, and ordinary.
Currently she is working on a project, funded by the wennergren. Egyptian landscapes of the imagination by amira mittermaier university of california press, 2010 for years i wondered why dreams are often so dull when related, william burroughs once wrote, and this morning i find the answer, which is very simple like most answers, you have always known it. Shaykh al qusi is a self appointed leader and established his. Dreams that matter by amira mittermaier is the 2011 recipient of the clifford geertz book prize from the society for the anthropology of religion, selected from over 40 submissions. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
Amira mittermaiers study of dream interpretation and the role of. Evans has described him as the nineteenth centurys most influential critic of the death penalty. Islamic visions of christianity, journal of the american academy of religion, volume 72. Three years later, president elsisi promoted economic growth, mega projects, hard work, and citizens sacrifices. Dreams that matter, egyptian landscapes of the imagination. It was a warm november night in 2003 when i first heard about the book of visions. Nov 01, 2011 mittermaiers current research project, the ethics of giving. Awards mesa book awards albert hourani book award nikki keddie book award fatima mernissi book award mesa mentoring award jere l. Chapters in edited books forthcoming amira mittermaier. Though the title seems vaguely reminiscent of a fleetwood mac song, amira mittermaiers dreams that matter. More concretely, my earlier work on dreams and visions in egypt had led to my interest in islamic charity. She is the author of the awardwinning dreams that matter.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading dreams that matter. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. Egyptian landscapes of the imagination is both aptly named and timely. She received her phd in sociocultural anthropology from columbia university and is crossappointed to the anthropology department. Amira mittermaier munk school of global affairs and public. Rua, which elaborates on the themes of dreams and dream interpretation, the issue of the world of dreams became thus more of a controversial discourse. During the 2011 uprising, hundreds of thousands of egyptians took to the streets to call for social justice. Amira mittermaiers dreams that matter describes the fascinating world of dream interpretation in egypt. Amira mittermaier her research focuses on islam in contemporary egypt. Dreams that matter explores the social and material life of dreams in contemporary cairo. Middle east studies association mesa graduate student paper. Mittermaier, amira department for the study of religion.
She was the overall world cup champion in 1976 and a double gold medalist at the 1976 winter olympics. Rosemarie rosi mittermaierneureuther born 5 august 1950 is a retired world cup alpine ski racer from germany. Islamic charity in revolutionary times university of california press, 2019. Shaykh alqusi and his followers were holding a ramadan gathering on a large parking lot in one of cairos more affluent neighborhoods. As a result of several religious and secular organizations cohesively taking charge in the attempt to ban a popular television program in egypt.
Muslim prayer on picture postcards of french algeria, 1900. She also discusses the different ways egyptians understand where dreams come from and how they might even seek to invoke them through techniques of selfcultivation when seeking guidance. This handwritten book of visions contains accounts of hundreds of dreams that he appeared in, from 1973 onwards. The central question of the bookwhat it means to give to god by way of giving to the poorgoes back to my longstanding fascination with all things invisible. Pursuing her overarching interest in the ethical effects of the imaginary, she considers how the afterlife and everyday lived relationships with god impact visible, material acts of distribution. Amira mittermaier guides the reader through landscapes of the imagination that feature muslim dream interpreters who draw on freud, reformists who dismiss all forms of divination as superstition. Drawing on fieldwork since 2010, mittermaier examines the multiple ways in which egyptians go about the religious obligation to give to those in need. The politics of divine intervention the immanent frame. Next, mittermaier offers readers a phenomenology of seeing, ranging from ordinary sight to extraordinary visions of muhammad, the prophet of islam. Dreams, poetry, and prophecy in contemporary egypt.
Egyptian landscapes of the imagination university of california press, 2011 and of giving to god. Rua, which elaborates on the themes of dreams and dream interpretation, the issue of the world of dreams became thus more of a controversial. Amira mittermaier during the 2011 uprising, hundreds of thousands of egyptians took to the streets to call for social justice. She offers a rich account of a postrevolutionary egypt in which mundane encounters with and for the divine invigorate an ethics of charity that challenge our understanding of economic inequality and poverty. What many of the activists and elsisi have in common, despite their radically different visions, is an objection to charity and handoutsto giving a man a fish. Analysis of dreams that matter by amira mittermaier essay. Amira mittermaier guides the reader through landscapes of the imagination that feature muslim dream interpreters who draw on freud, reformists who dismiss all forms of divination as superstition, a sufi devotional group that keeps a diary of dreams related to its shaykh, and ordinary believers who speak. This splendidly written book will be widely discussed and debated by. Bringing together textual analysis and ethnographic fieldwork. Carl joseph anton mittermaier 5 august 1787, in munich 28 august 1867, in heidelberg was a german jurist.
I am reading a wonderful contribution to the anthropology of the imagination by amira mittermaier, a professor of religion at the university of toronto. Islamic charity in revolutionary times university of california press, 2019, amira mittermaier, associate professor of religion and anthropology at the university of toronto, conducts a dazzling and at many times moving ethnography of an islamic economy of giving and charity in egypt. Jan 01, 2010 dreams that matter explores the social and material life of dreams in contemporary cairo. Amira mittermaier is the author of dreams that matter 4. Nov 16, 2014 gyovanna monreal november 17, 2014 at 8. Nov 15, 2016 dreams, imagination and other slippery stuff. Islamic charity in egypt, explores intersections, overlaps, and tensions between religious and secular economic imaginaries in postmubarak egypt. Amira mittermaier is an associate professor in the department for the study of. Amira mittermaier is associate professor in the department for the study of religion and the anthropology department at the university of toronto. Mittermaiers current research project, the ethics of giving. Mittermaier, an anthropologist, is an assistant professor of religion at the university of toronto. Drawing on fieldwork since 2010, mittermaier examines the multiple ways in which egyptians go about the religious obligation to give to.