Ever since the military takeover of 1952, the post-monarchic political system of Egypt has been dependent upon a variety of mechanisms and structures to establish and further consolidate its powerbase. Among those, an intertwined web of what could be described as ‘patronage politics’ emerged as one of the main foundations of these tools and was utilized by the regime to establish the fundamentals of its rule. Throughout the post-1952 era, political patrons and respective clients were existent in Egyptian politics, shaping, to a great extent, the policies implemented by Egypt's rulers at the apex of the political system, as well as the tactics orchestrated by the populace within the middle and lower echelons of the polity. This study aims at analyzing the factors that ensured the durability of patronage networks within the Egyptian polity, primarily focusing on the sort of social structural reconfiguration that has been taking place in the popular communities of Egypt in the beginning of the 21st Century. Dissecting the area of Misr Al Qadima as an exemplar case study of Cairo’s popular quarters, the research mainly focuses on examining the role of the lesser notables, those middle patrons and clients that exist on the lower levels of the Egyptian polity within the ranks of the National Democratic Party and the Muslim Brotherhood. Henceforth, the sociopolitical agency of these lesser notabilities shall constitute the prime concern of the writing and, in doing so; this research also attempts to draw some linkage between the micro-level features of the popular polities of Cairo and the macro-level realities of the Egyptian polity at large, in the contemporary period.

La traduction culturelle, indispensable pour la communication entre les peuples, est une tâche complexe en raison de la subjectivité de ceux qui sont impliqués et des différents aspects qu´interviennent à la présentation de la culture d'origine pour la culture de la réception. La littérature est un moyen privilégié de faire la médiation entre cultures. Léon, l'Africain et A incrível e fascinante história do Capitão Mouro, de Amin Maalouf et Georges Bourdoukan, respectivement, sont des romans historiques qui présentent la culture arabo-musulmane au lecteur occidental. À travers l'Histoire, la langue, la conception d'espace, les relations interpersonnelles, les coutumes et les rituels, ils donnent la parole à une culture traditionnellement étouffée dans l'Occident, et contribuent pour la médiation de conflits. / A tradução cultural, fundamental para a comunicação entre os povos, é uma tarefa complexa, devido à subjetividade dos agentes envolvidos e aos vários aspectos que interferem na apresentação da cultura de origem para a cultura de recepção. A literatura é uma forma privilegiada de fazer esta mediação entre culturas. Léon, l´africain e A incrível e fascinante história do Capitão Mouro, de Amin Maalouf e Georges Bourdoukan, respectivamente, são romances históricos que apresentam a cultura árabe-muçulmana ao leitor ocidental. Exploram a História, a linguagem, a construção espacial, o relacionamento interpessoal, os costumes e os rituais, dando voz a uma cultura tradicionalmente sufocada no Ocidente, e com isso contribuindo para a mediação de conflitos. / The cultural translation, essential for communication between peoples, is a complex task due to the tranlator´s subjectivity and the various aspects involved in the presentation of the culture of origin for the culture of reception. The literature is a privileged way of doing this mediation between cultures. Léon, l'africain and A incrível e fascinante história do Capitão Mouro, from Amin Maalouf and Georges Bourdoukan, respectively, are historical novels that present the Arabic-Muslim culture to the Western reader. They explore the History, language, design space, interpersonal relationships, customs and rituals, giving voice to a culture traditionally smothered in the West, helping to mediate conflicts.

Interest in Muslim and Arab societies has been on the rise in South Korea, especially since 2001, with many books and various documentaries being published on the subject. Since 2005 there have been a number of television shows and documentaries that include Muslim, and sometimes Arab characters. This study will examine how images of Muslims and Arabs are presented in Korean popular culture through the analysis of various dramas and variety shows, as well as how these images fit into the context of Korean ethno-nationalism and the history of Islam in East Asia. In addition to this analysis this study will also be exploring how these images have been changing from negative to a more sympathetic or realistic depiction of Muslims and Arabs, as well as explore which groups are responsible for this change.

La traduction culturelle, indispensable pour la communication entre les peuples, est une tâche complexe en raison de la subjectivité de ceux qui sont impliqués et des différents aspects qu´interviennent à la présentation de la culture d'origine pour la culture de la réception. La littérature est un moyen privilégié de faire la médiation entre cultures. Léon, l'Africain et A incrível e fascinante história do Capitão Mouro, de Amin Maalouf et Georges Bourdoukan, respectivement, sont des romans historiques qui présentent la culture arabo-musulmane au lecteur occidental. À travers l'Histoire, la langue, la conception d'espace, les relations interpersonnelles, les coutumes et les rituels, ils donnent la parole à une culture traditionnellement étouffée dans l'Occident, et contribuent pour la médiation de conflits. / A tradução cultural, fundamental para a comunicação entre os povos, é uma tarefa complexa, devido à subjetividade dos agentes envolvidos e aos vários aspectos que interferem na apresentação da cultura de origem para a cultura de recepção. A literatura é uma forma privilegiada de fazer esta mediação entre culturas. Léon, l´africain e A incrível e fascinante história do Capitão Mouro, de Amin Maalouf e Georges Bourdoukan, respectivamente, são romances históricos que apresentam a cultura árabe-muçulmana ao leitor ocidental. Exploram a História, a linguagem, a construção espacial, o relacionamento interpessoal, os costumes e os rituais, dando voz a uma cultura tradicionalmente sufocada no Ocidente, e com isso contribuindo para a mediação de conflitos. / The cultural translation, essential for communication between peoples, is a complex task due to the tranlator´s subjectivity and the various aspects involved in the presentation of the culture of origin for the culture of reception. The literature is a privileged way of doing this mediation between cultures. Léon, l'africain and A incrível e fascinante história do Capitão Mouro, from Amin Maalouf and Georges Bourdoukan, respectively, are historical novels that present the Arabic-Muslim culture to the Western reader. They explore the History, language, design space, interpersonal relationships, customs and rituals, giving voice to a culture traditionally smothered in the West, helping to mediate conflicts.

Arabic text with English summary / This research comprises a section on preliminary issues, an introduction, four chapters with sub-divisions and a conclusion. Preliminary issues focus on the research proposal. The introduction reviews factors contributing to the concealment of Muslims’ roles in Abyssinia through negligence, selective reportage and duplicitous political dealings. Chapter One tackles the varying definitions of Abyssinia diachronically and then provides valuable social, economic, political, religious and climatic information about the country and its peoples. Chapter Two analyses the varying levels of relations between Abyssinia and the Arabian Peninsula including the ethnic, cultural, linguistic, religious and political ties down the ages. Chapter Three discusses the migration of some of Prophet Muhammad’s companions to Abyssinia and possible reasons for selecting that land for settlement. It details identities of these people, their areas of arrival and domicile; together with a probe into the Christian ruler, Negus’s warm relations with them. Chapter Four overviews Muslim dynasties in Abyssinia: the causes for their formation, prosperity and decline. The bitter conflicts with Christians and followers of traditional religions are also explored; together with outcomes of these for Muslims up to the present. The Conclusion provides a resume of my most important findings. / Religious Studies and Arabic / M.A. (Islamic Studies)

Dans les œuvres des artistes Majida KHATTARI, Shadi GHADIRIAN et Shirin ALIABADI, le corps féminin concentre à lui une large panoplie de conceptions actuelles et traditionnelles des sociétés de culture musulmane. Leurs pratiques artistiques présentent un support où se manifestent des pouvoirs politiques et religieux, de diverses contraintes sociales et de traditions, de publicités, de consumérisme, d’aspirations à un « monde meilleur »... À travers le dispositif plastique et à travers quelques données d’ordre historique et sociologique, cette thèse vise à étudier les formes et les modalités des différentes strates de cette surcharge symbolique dégagée par le corps des femmes, et qui se conjugue à travers certains codes vestimentaires, de parures et de maquillage. / In the works of the artists Majida Khattari, Shadi Ghadirian and Shirin ALIABADI, the female body focuses its broad range of current and traditional conceptions of Muslim societies. Their artistic practices have a medium where appears strong political and religious powers, various social constraints and traditions, advertising, consumerism, aspirations to a « better world »... Through the artistic layout and through some historical and sociological data, this thesis aims to study the forms and modalities of the different layers of this symbolic overload released by the female body, which is combined through certain dress codes, ornaments and make-up.

Cette étude doctorale présente une analyse des identités musulmanes et de leurs multiples compréhensions dans un contexte d’immigration, de globalisation et de multiculturalisme en Finlande et au Québec, Canada. Elle porte sur les auto-identifications d’étudiantes universitaires issues de l’immigration qui ont un attachement personnel à l’identité musulmane – cette identité peut être considérée, entre autres, comme religieuse, culturelle ou faisant partie de l’héritage familial. Ainsi, elle peut être vécue comme acquise, choisie, adorée, mais aussi imposée, rejetée ou ignorée. Étant donné que dans plusieurs contextes européens et nord-américains l’identité musulmane est devenue « le symbole de l’Autre », les rapports de pouvoir locaux et globaux sont mis en relief dans notre étude. Nous supposons que quelle que soit la manière dont les participantes s’identifient comme musulmanes, elles ne peuvent pas échapper aux hiérarchies de pouvoir discriminatoires qui participent à la définition de leur « groupe ». Notre thèse interdisciplinaire est au croisement des disciplines des sciences des religions, de l’approche discursive de l’identité et des études critiques sur le multiculturalisme et sur les rapports de pouvoir. Nous appuyant sur un corpus de 30 entrevues effectuées en milieu universitaire à Helsinki, à Turku et à Montréal, nous proposons d’analyser les identités musulmanes des participantes dans le cadre méthodologique et théorique de la théorie du soi dialogique et des pragmatiques discursives à partir d’une conception d’un sujet hétérogène et multivocal. Ce cadre nous permet de cerner l’identité comme négociée et instable qui est, en même temps, à la recherche d’une certaine cohérence. L’objectif de notre recherche est de proposer une nouvelle analyse des identités musulmanes à partir des interactions complexes entre les identifications, les désidentifications et les confusions en tant que « types de négociation » identitaires. Ces négociations s’ancrent dans différents contextes discursifs : elles se réalisent à partir des rapports de pouvoir globaux et locaux, de divers repères spatiaux et temporels ainsi que de multiples positions et voix du soi et des autres, auxquels nous nous intéressons. Ainsi, les résultats de notre recherche confirment la complexité de la construction identitaire musulmane. Ils reflètent des manières multiples de considérer cette identité comme contextuellement construite et négociée en relation avec l’altérité et avec plusieurs points d’identifications saillants. Notre recherche contribue donc à dépasser certaines simplifications des définitions de l’identité musulmane : elle propose des moyens de s’éloigner de certaines tendances actuelles théoriques qui ne soulignent pas suffisamment la multiplicité qui caractérise la construction de cette identité. / In this doctoral research project I explore the multiplicity of Muslim identity construction in Finland and the province of Quebec, Canada, within the context of immigration, globalization, and multiculturalism. My interest lies in the Muslim self-identifications of female students who have an immigrant background. They can define their Muslim identities in many different ways: as religious, cultural, part of family heritage, and so forth. Thus, these identities can be experienced as given, chosen, or admired, but also imposed, rejected or ignored. As Muslim identity has become “the symbol of the Other” in many European and North American societies, the global and local power relations are also prominent in my research. I assume that in whatever ways the participants identify themselves as Muslims, they cannot wholly escape discriminatory power hierarchies which participates in shaping the definition of their “group”. My interdisciplinary thesis situates itself in the field of religious studies. It engages with a discursive approach to identity and with a critical approach to multiculturalism and power relations. The analysis draws on a corpus of thirty (30) qualitative and semi-structured interviews conducted in university contexts in Helsinki, Turku and Montreal. Dialogical Self Theory and Discursive Pragmatics are used to explore Muslim identities, as these theories draw upon heterogeneous and multivocal subject positions. This framework allows me to conceptualize identity as something negotiated and unstable, but which, at the same time, aims at a certain degree of coherence. In my analysis I propose new ways to analyse Muslim identities by considering the complex interplay of identifications, disidentifications, and confusions as “types” of identity negotiation. I observe the multiple ways these types of negotiations are acted out in various discursive contexts and the ways they are anchored in local and global power relations. I draw especially attention to diverse temporal and spatial reference points and to multiple positions and voices of the self and others. The results of my research confirm the complexity of Muslim identity construction, as they reflect a variety of ways these identities can be contextually negotiated through the self and the other. As such, my research contributes to overcoming some simplifications of the definitions of Muslim identities: it proposes an alternative way to study Muslim identity construction beyond certain theoretical tendencies treating these identities without being able to fully highlight the complexity and the multiplicity that characterises them. / Tutkin väitöskirjassani muslimi-identiteetin monimuotoisuutta monikulttuurisuuden, globalisaation ja maahanmuuton kontekstissa Suomessa ja Québecin provinssissa Kanadassa. Keskityn tutkimukseeni osallistuneiden naispuolisten maahanmuuttajataustaisten korkeakouluopiskelijoiden tapoihin, joilla he määrittelevät itsensä muslimina: he saattavat kokea muslimi-identiteettinsä uskonnollisina, kulttuurisina tai hyväksyttynä osana perheen perintöä. Toisin sanoen heidän muslimi-identiteettinsä voivat olla ennalta annettuja, itse valittuja tai ihannoituja, mutta myös ulkoapäin pakotettuja, torjuttuja tai ignoroituja. Koska muslimi-identiteetistä on tullut ”toiseuden symboli” monessa Euroopan ja Pohjois-Amerikan maassa, myös globaalit ja paikalliset valtasuhteet ovat tutkimukseni keskiössä. Lähtokohtani on, että osallistujat eivät voi täysin välttää syrjiviä valtahierarkioita, jotka osallistuvat heidän “ryhmänsä” määrittelemiseen. Ja tämä huolimatta painoarvosta, jonka he muslimi-identiteetilleen antavat. Tutkimukseni on monitieteellinen ja laadullinen. Se sijoittuu uskontotieteen kenttään. Taustateorioinani käytän diskursiivista lähestymistapaa identiteettiin ja kriittistä lähestymistapa monikulttuurisuuteen sekä valtasuhteisiin. Pääaineistoni koostuu 30 puolistrukturoidusta haastattelusta, jotka on toteutettu yliopistoympäristössä Helsingissä, Turussa ja Montrealissa. Analysoin muslimi-identiteettiä dialogisen itsen (Dialogical Self Theory) ja pragmaattis-diskursiivisesta teoreettis-metodologisesta viitekehyksestä, joka perustuu heterogeenisten subjektipaikkojen moniääniseen ja monipaikkaiseen tarkasteluun. Kyseinen teoreettis-metodologinen viitekehys auttaa minua lähestymään identiteettiä epävakaana ja neuvoteltuna, mutta myös voimana, joka pyrkii luomaan jatkuvuutta. Tutkimukseni tarkoituksena on kehittää uusi lähestymistapa muslimi-identiteetin analysoimiseen useiden erilaisten samaistumisen ja epäsamaistumisen tapojen sekä hämmentyneiden positioiden kautta. Nämä identiteetin ”neuvottelutyypit” rakentuvat useissa eri diskursiivisissa konteksteissa ja ajan ja paikan kiinnekohdissa. Ne kiinnittyvät täten globaaleihin ja paikallisiin valtasuhteisiin sekä itsen ja toisten positioihin ja ääniin. Tutkimukseni tulokset vahvistivat käsitystä muslimi-identiteetin monimuotoisuudesta ja useista erilaisista tavoista, joilla sitä voidaan rakentaa eri diskursiivisissa konteksteissa itsen ja toiseuden kautta. Tulokset edesauttavat kyseenalaistamaan muslimi-identiteetin osittain yksinkertaisia yleisiä määritelmiä sekä nykyajan teoreettisia lähestymistapoja, jotka eivät aina kykene tuomaan esiin sen moninaisuutta.

The Qatari-funded channel, Al-Jazeera Arabic (AJA) has been subject to criticism as being in favour of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in Egypt. The approach taken by AJA Satellite Television to represent the MB, the Mubarak regime and other political actors in Egypt, during its coverage of four key electoral moments - before and after the 2011‘revolution’- is reviewed in this research. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is applied to study the constructive effects of AJA’s language in an interpretive way (Parker & Burman, 1993). The effect of the language used by two predominant AJA TV programmes, Without Borders بلا حدود and Opposite Direction الاتجاه المعاكس has been investigated and a number of current and former AJA journalists have been interviewed. Van Dijk’s Ideological Square and Pier Robinson’s Framing Model, in conjunction with Chouliaraki’s Three Rhetorical Strategies (Verbal Mode, Agency and Time Space) have been used as analysis tools to study the process of AJA’s representation of different political ideologies: the MB’s Islamic ideology and the Mubarak regime’s secular ideology. Van Dijk’s Ideological Square helps to identify the boundaries between ‘us’ (the good) and ‘them’ (the bad), and to classify people according to their support of specific ideology against another - the ‘in-group’ or the ‘outgroup’. AJA positively framed the Islamic MB movement on the basis that the group and its members were democratic, Islamic and victims, whereas it negatively framed the Mubarak regime and the Military Council in Egypt as repressive, secular and villains. The assigned role of different actors (including; the Egyptian people and opposition parties) in AJA TV programmes changed from one electoral moment to another. While the Mubarak regime, its supporters and the Military Council were represented as the ‘out-group’ at all times, the role allocated to the Egyptian people and the opposition shifted between the ‘in-group’ and the ‘out-group’, depending on the political mood they held towards the MB.

Spiritual care in hospitals is a well-established practice in Sweden that is justified by religious freedom. Contemporary Sweden is a multicultural society with a culturally and religiously diverse population. Since 2006, a Muslim spiritual care organization has been established in co-operation with the Swedish state. This interview study with Muslim spiritual caregivers examines how Islam is being interpreted and how Muslim spiritual care in Swedish hospitals is apprehended by the informants. By approaching Islam as a discursive tradition and combining historical and ethnological methods, this study sheds light on what aspects of Islam are considered relevant in the hospital context and it examines why that is the case. The study shows that Muslim spiritual care is regarded to be a complement to other healthcare practices. To a large extent, the care is provided by supportive conversations, Islamic counseling, as well as help with religious practices and rituals. To manage a patient’s various wants and the denominational diversity, the Muslim representatives hold that they put the patient’s and the relatives’ needs and interpretations of Islam first. The study concludes that the representatives are spiritual care professionals that are loyal to the state and the secular institutions they serve. This involves staying true to ideals of cultural and religious pluralism and equality but also knowing that these principles are subordinated to the hospital’s rules. This constructs boundaries regarding how Islam is interpreted and has to be negotiated in the efforts of making Islam a natural part of the institution.

Diploma thesis Islam in Tatarstan in the nineties of 20th century presents an analysis of Islam and Muslim community in the Republic of Tatarstan at the end of 20th century. During this period Tatarstan not only gained its statehood, but the Islamic revival started thanks to the restoration of religious freedom. This diploma thesis is divided into five chapters. After the short historical excursus, the Islamic revival and its connection with Tatar national movement are presented. Consequently, the relation between Muslim clerics and politics and also the regime's attitude towards Islam is analyzed. This analysis leads to a conclusion that even though Islam was not a good instrument for electors' mobilization and clerics could not influence the politics, we can consider Islam as being unofficial state religion. Next two chapters focus on Tatar Muslim community. First the development of Muslim community in the nineties is analyzed. The influence of the Middle East charitable funds and Islamic education is investigated in more detail. The fifth chapter emphasizes the world-view of Muslims, their perception of religion, their own ethnicity and politics. Different trends of Islam, which appeared in the nineties, are presented too. The analysis demonstrates that Islam in Tatarstan was an important...