Reliving Karbala
Subtitle: martyrdom in South Asian memory
By: Syed Akbar Hyder.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2006
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 261
ISBN-13: 9780195189308
Subjects: Shīʻah -- India; Karbalāʼ, Battle of, Karbalāʼ, Iraq, 680; Shīʻah -- Customs and practices; Martyrdom
Description: "In Reliving Karbala, Syed Akbar Hyder examines the myriad ways that the Karbala symbol has provided inspiration in South Asia, home to the world's largest Muslim population. Rather than a unified reading of Islam, Hyder reveals multiple, sometimes conflicting, understandings of the meaning of Islamic religious symbols like Karbala. He ventures beyond traditional, scriptural interpretations to discuss the ways in which millions of very human adherents express and practice their beliefs. By using a panoramic array of sources, including musical performances, interviews, nationalist drama, and other literary forms, Hyder traces the evolution of this story from its earliest historical origins to the beginning of the twenty-first century." "Today, Karbala serves as a celebration of martyrdom, a source of personal and communal identity, and even a tool for political protest and struggle. Hyder explores how issues related to gender, genre, popular culture, class, and migrancy bear on the cultivation of religious symbols. He assesses the manner in which religious language and identities are negotiated across contexts and continents."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.