Islam as a Lived Tradition: Ethical Constellations of Muslim Food Practice in Mumbai

Abstract

This thesis argues for the notion of Islam as a lived tradition as a theoretical and methodological contribution to the anthropology of Islam. The argument departs from the literature on Islam on piety towards a consideration of Muslim practice outside of the mosque and prayer group. Focusing on Muslim food practices in Mumbai it calls attention to the importance of debate, difference and change as integral to the practice of Islam. A key question is to understand how divergent practices of Islam in Mumbai all sustain the claim to the good Muslim life? Through ethnographic investigation of different times and places for the production and consumption of food it shows how Muslims engage in innovative practices through which to lay claim to the good. Bringing the anthropology of Islam into conversation with the anthropology of ethics the thesis argues for a reconsideration of the way that rules and texts are linked to practice. Following Wittgenstein it suggests that the rules of the Islamic discursive tradition are not boundaries to be crossed, but rather signposts that guide conduct, leaving open room for interpretation and debate. The argument draws attention to the importance of niyyat (intention) in the Islamic legal tradition, where the intention of another human being is considered ultimately opaque yet continues to be a source of social interpretation and criticism. Divergent practices may thus remain unresolved as different individuals and groups devise different routes for practice. The thesis is divided into five ethnographic chapters. The second chapter offers an overview of halal practice in Mumbai. It shows how divergent bases of trust are linked to very different conceptions of how halal should be practiced. In Mumbai the documentary and procedural focus of the newly emerging halal certification industry is perceived as an affront to the inter-personal practice of halal. The third chapter shifts to an ethnography of an inner-city butcher as a node for the production of halal in the city. Here packaged chicken competes for market share with freshly slaughtered meat. The ethical practices of a Muslim butcher in Mumbai include concealment and imitation as attempts to maintain customer interest and respectability for fresh chicken production. The fourth chapter investigates owner narratives and material practices of two Muslim restaurants in Mumbai. Through comparison it shows how different subject positions, language and material practice are expressions of Muslim business ethics. The fourth chapter presents an ethnography of the practices entailed in the performance of sacrifice that include human-animal intimacy, bargaining, and boasting through which the notion of sacrifice performed with love and feeling is produced. The final chapter presents the practices of Ramadan in the city to understand the importance of fasting and feasting, celebration and prayer as different routes through which to commemorate the auspicious month. Each ethnographic chapter illustrates how an Islamic discursive tradition is relevant for understanding Muslim ethical practice. However, texts and rules do not merely define practice but rather act as signposts that guide conduct without precluding the possibility for innovation and reformulation.