Female religious practitioners in the context of contemporary transformations of Islam in Tajikistan

Female religious practitioners in the context of contemporary transformations of Islam in Tajikistan

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Female religious practitioners in the context of contemporary transformations of Islam in Tajikistan

Bibliographic description

title:	Female religious practitioners in the context of contemporary transformations of Islam in Tajikistan
author:	Cieślewska Anna
editor:	Krasnowolska Anna , Rusek-Kowalska Renata
book title:	Studies on the Iranian World
title of volume:	Medieval and modern
volume:	2
date of publication :	2015
place of publication : name of publisher:	Kraków : Jagiellonian University Press
pages:	129-148
ISBN:	978-83-233-3955-7
notes:	Bibliogr. s. 147-148. Recenzowane materiały z konferencji: 7th European Conference of Iranian Studies (ECIS 7); 2011-09-07; 2011-09-10; Kraków; Polska. Strona wydawcy: https://www.wuj.pl
language:	English
book language:	Polish
abstract in English:	This paper analyses the issue of the place of the female informal religious practitioners termed bibi otun/bibi khalifa1 within the social landscape of Tajikistan. These women play the role of spiritual leaders primarily among the female part of the traditionally sedentary population of Central Asia.2 Otuns deal with a variety of issues related to spiritual life, teaching children and women religion, and performing rituals and prayers for the female part of the community. They are trained in Arabic as well as Islamic texts. Sometimes otuns, apart from religious activities, assist women in various social matters. In spite of the widespread opinion about the subordinate role of women in Central Asia, otuns have a high social status as religious authorities, and their informal influences often go beyond just the women’s domain. Dynamic and continual changes within the social and political life in Tajikistan have also left their mark on the place and role of these religious practitioners.
number of pulisher's sheets:	1,38
affiliation:	Wydział Filologiczny : Instytut Orientalistyki
type:	chapter
subtype:	academic paper