Enduring Otherwise

Muslim Queer and Trans Worldmaking in Indonesia

By Ferdiansyah Thajib | Publisher: NYU Press

About the book

Explores Muslim queer and trans experiences in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country

Many gender and sexual minorities in Indonesia remain practicing Muslims, but they face violence stemming from Muslim society’s rejection of their sexual and gender identities. With their faith often pitted against their desires and ways of living, many are confronted with a forced choice between two seemingly irreconcilable ways of being.

Drawing on ethnographic research in multiple locations in Indonesia, Enduring Otherwise examines how Muslim individuals and communities grapple with the challenges and possibilities of inhabiting queer and trans religiosity. Some distance themselves from religious tenets because of the harms implicated in them, while others immerse themselves in religious practices and spiritual values, seeking to reimagine them. There are also those who remain caught in tensions, having to navigate a life entrenched in ambivalence. Yet across these varied engagements, they continue to find ways to keep going.

This book showcases how everyday gestures of endurance complicate widely held notions of survival and resilience. Through such actions, Muslim queer and trans subjectivities build complex relationships with faith, piety, and religious norms, while also laying the groundwork to transform the conditions that marginalize them.

Offering a nuanced account of the affective politics of worldmaking at the intersection of sexuality, gender, and religion, Enduring Otherwise highlights how the drawn-out moments of hope, failure, improvisation, and exhaustion experienced by queer and gender non-conforming Indonesians configure efforts to create a world where no one will have to endure the unendurable anymore.

Editions of Enduring Otherwise

Hardcover
ISBN 9781479839322
Paperback
ISBN 9781479839339

Read an Excerpt

Explores Muslim queer and trans experiences in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country

Many gender and sexual minorities in Indonesia remain practicing Muslims, but they face violence stemming from Muslim society’s rejection of their sexual and gender identities. With their faith often pitted against their desires and ways of living, many are confronted with a forced choice between two seemingly irreconcilable ways of being.

Drawing on ethnographic research in multiple locations in Indonesia, Enduring Otherwise examines how Muslim individuals and communities grapple with the challenges and possibilities of inhabiting queer and trans religiosity. Some distance themselves from religious tenets because of the harms implicated in them, while others immerse themselves in religious practices and spiritual values, seeking to reimagine them. There are also those who remain caught in tensions, having to navigate a life entrenched in ambivalence. Yet across these varied engagements, they continue to find ways to keep going.

This book showcases how everyday gestures of endurance complicate widely held notions of survival and resilience. Through such actions, Muslim queer and trans subjectivities build complex relationships with faith, piety, and religious norms, while also laying the groundwork to transform the conditions that marginalize them.

Offering a nuanced account of the affective politics of worldmaking at the intersection of sexuality, gender, and religion, Enduring Otherwise highlights how the drawn-out moments of hope, failure, improvisation, and exhaustion experienced by queer and gender non-conforming Indonesians configure efforts to create a world where no one will have to endure the unendurable anymore.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Enduring Otherwise about?

Explores Muslim queer and trans experiences in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country

Many gender and sexual minorities in Indonesia remain practicing Muslims, but they face violence stemming from Muslim society’s rejection of their sexual and gender identities. With their faith often pitted against their desires and ways of living, many are confronted with a forced choice between two seemingly irreconcilable ways of being.

Drawing on ethnographic research in multiple locations in Indonesia, Enduring Otherwise examines how Muslim individuals and communities grapple with the challenges and possibilities of inhabiting queer and trans religiosity. Some distance themselves from religious tenets because of the harms implicated in them, while others immerse themselves in religious practices and spiritual values, seeking to reimagine them. There are also those who remain caught in tensions, having to navigate a life entrenched in ambivalence. Yet across these varied engagements, they continue to find ways to keep going.

This book showcases how everyday gestures of endurance complicate widely held notions of survival and resilience. Through such actions, Muslim queer and trans subjectivities build complex relationships with faith, piety, and religious norms, while also laying the groundwork to transform the conditions that marginalize them.

Offering a nuanced account of the affective politics of worldmaking at the intersection of sexuality, gender, and religion, Enduring Otherwise highlights how the drawn-out moments of hope, failure, improvisation, and exhaustion experienced by queer and gender non-conforming Indonesians configure efforts to create a world where no one will have to endure the unendurable anymore.

What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Enduring Otherwise?

Philosophy and Religion > Religion and beliefs > Islam

Where can I read a sample of Enduring Otherwise?

You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781479839322

How long is Enduring Otherwise and how many pages does it have?

Enduring Otherwise has 208 page(s)

Is Enduring Otherwise part of a series, and can it be read as a standalone?

Yes it is a part of series Hauntings: Queer/Trans Studies in Religion

Who is/are the Author/s of the book Enduring Otherwise?

Ferdiansyah Thajib

Who is the Publisher of the book Enduring Otherwise?

NYU Press

What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?

Enduring Otherwise is available as hardcover(ISBN 9781479839322) and paperback(ISBN 9781479839339)

Where can I buy Enduring Otherwise online or support local independent bookshops?

You can buy Enduring Otherwise from below

Where can I buy Enduring Otherwise?