About the book
The past two decades have witnessed pervasive anxieties in US Muslim communities around a perceived crisis of faith. As Zaid Adhami argues in this richly textured ethnography, these concerns are fundamentally about the pressures and dilemmas of authenticity—what it really means to be a Muslim. While discussions about authenticity in Islam typically focus on maintaining tradition and competing claims to “true Islam,” Adhami focuses instead on the powerful idea of being true to one’s own self and what it means to have genuine belief. Drawing on extensive conversations with American Muslims and careful readings of broader communal discourse, Adhami shows that this drive for personal authenticity plays out in complicated ways. It can produce deep doubt while also serving as the grounds to affirm tradition. It can converge with revivalist modes of piety, but it can also prompt emphatic challenges to communal orthodoxies.
Through vivid storytelling and sensitive analysis, Adhami illuminates why religious doubt is often a source of intense anxiety in today’s world and how people maintain their faith despite such unsettling uncertainty.
Editions of Dilemmas of Authenticity
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9781469685557
- Paperback
- ISBN 9781469685564
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469682037
- PDF
- ISBN 9781469687636
- PDF
- ISBN 9781469687643
Read an Excerpt
The past two decades have witnessed pervasive anxieties in US Muslim communities around a perceived crisis of faith. As Zaid Adhami argues in this richly textured ethnography, these concerns are fundamentally about the pressures and dilemmas of authenticity—what it really means to be a Muslim. While discussions about authenticity in Islam typically focus on maintaining tradition and competing claims to “true Islam,” Adhami focuses instead on the powerful idea of being true to one’s own self and what it means to have genuine belief. Drawing on extensive conversations with American Muslims and careful readings of broader communal discourse, Adhami shows that this drive for personal authenticity plays out in complicated ways. It can produce deep doubt while also serving as the grounds to affirm tradition. It can converge with revivalist modes of piety, but it can also prompt emphatic challenges to communal orthodoxies.
Through vivid storytelling and sensitive analysis, Adhami illuminates why religious doubt is often a source of intense anxiety in today’s world and how people maintain their faith despite such unsettling uncertainty.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Dilemmas of Authenticity about?
The past two decades have witnessed pervasive anxieties in US Muslim communities around a perceived crisis of faith. As Zaid Adhami argues in this richly textured ethnography, these concerns are fundamentally about the pressures and dilemmas of authenticity—what it really means to be a Muslim. While discussions about authenticity in Islam typically focus on maintaining tradition and competing claims to “true Islam,” Adhami focuses instead on the powerful idea of being true to one’s own self and what it means to have genuine belief. Drawing on extensive conversations with American Muslims and careful readings of broader communal discourse, Adhami shows that this drive for personal authenticity plays out in complicated ways. It can produce deep doubt while also serving as the grounds to affirm tradition. It can converge with revivalist modes of piety, but it can also prompt emphatic challenges to communal orthodoxies.
Through vivid storytelling and sensitive analysis, Adhami illuminates why religious doubt is often a source of intense anxiety in today’s world and how people maintain their faith despite such unsettling uncertainty.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Dilemmas of Authenticity?
Philosophy and Religion > Religion and beliefs > Islam
Where can I read a sample of Dilemmas of Authenticity?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781469685557
How long is Dilemmas of Authenticity and how many pages does it have?
Dilemmas of Authenticity has 318 page(s)
Is Dilemmas of Authenticity part of a series, and can it be read as a standalone?
Yes it is a part of series Where Religion Lives
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Dilemmas of Authenticity?
Zaid Adhami
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Dilemmas of Authenticity is available as hardcover(ISBN 9781469685557) and paperback(ISBN 9781469685564) and ebook(ISBN 9781469682037) and pdf(ISBN 9781469687636) and pdf(ISBN 9781469687643)
Where can I buy Dilemmas of Authenticity online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Dilemmas of Authenticity from below
Where can I buy Dilemmas of Authenticity?