Muslims on the Margins - (North American Religions) by Katrina Daly Thompson (Paperback)

About the Book

"Through multi-sited ethnography in face-to-face North American groups and global online communities of the contemporary marginalized Muslims who emerged from the earlier progressive Muslim movement, Thompson examines the role of language, affect, embodiment, queerness, religious pluralism, and futurity in the creation of inclusive communities"--

Book Synopsis

Offers vivid stories of nonconformist Muslim communities

The turn of the twenty-first century ushered in a wave of progressive Muslims, whose modern interpretations and practices transformed the public's perception of who could follow the teachings of Islam. Muslims on the Margins tells the story of their even more radical descendants: nonconformists who have reinterpreted their religion and created space for queer, trans, and nonbinary identities within Islam.

Katrina Daly Thompson draws extensively from conversations and interviews conducted both in person in North America and online in several international communities. Writing in a compelling narrative style that centers the real experiences and diverse perspectives of nonconformist Muslims, Thompson illustrates how these radical Muslims are forming a community dedicated to creative reinterpretations of their religion, critical questioning of established norms, expansive inclusion of those who are queer in various ways, and the creation of different religious futures. Muslims on the Margins is a powerful account of how Muslims are forging new traditions and setting precedents for a more inclusive community-- one that is engaged with tradition, but not beholden to it.

Review Quotes

"Muslims on the Margins is a must-read for undergraduate and graduate students of Islam in North America, Islam, gender/sexuality studies, and anthropology of religion, who will undoubtedly be challenged and enriched for engaging with this text."-- "Journal of Church and State"

"Thompson's book shines when it details...a subject's initial discomfort and eventual embrace of the embodied experiences of gender-expansive prayer, the processes by which understandings of modesty are shifted from one's clothes to one's gaze, and communal interrogations of Sunni normativity embedded in nonconformist Muslim discourse."-- "American Religion"

"Muslims on the Margins stands as a vital and meticulous ethnographic exploration. With an artistic writing style, this work offers an essential perspective for examining the shifting landscape of Muslim identity in North America, extending its reach beyond an academic audience. It illuminates the intricate realities these communities navigate and reveals the transformative possibilities and tangible futures inherent within their stories."-- "Reading Religion"

"If you're looking for books about religious innovation and queer religious people, we have a fascinating book to recommend on LGBTQ Muslims. Katrina Daly Thompson released a new book this year on how queer, transgender, and nonbinary Muslims are transforming Islam. Muslims on the Margins is insightful and filled with important stories."-- "The Revealer"

"Masterfully engages with scholarship from many different disciplines. Muslims on the Margins makes several significant scholarly interventions and is an especially important and necessary addition to the literature on queer Muslims and North American religions."--Ahmed Afzal, California State University, Fullerton

"Timely and beautifully written. An impressive book whose insights are as compelling as they are significant."--Elizabeth Pérez, University of California, Santa Barbara

About the Author

Katrina Daly Thompson is Evjue-Bascom Professor in the Humanities and Professor of African Cultural Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The author of Popobawa: Tanzanian Talk, Global Misreadings, their recent work has appeared in American Anthropologist, Language and Communication, and the Journal of Linguistic Anthropology.