In the light of Tradition
My interest in the socio-anthropology of Islam grew stronger as I observed how the experience of existential vulnerability was understood by my interlocutors from a religious perspective. Consequently, my doctoral research revolved around the changing interpretation of the Islamic tradition within working-class immigrant communities living in the outskirts of Paris. My curiosity was driven by a desire to explore the moral and religious framework that underpinned concepts of solidarity, hope, and utopia in what I referred to as the religious reaffiliation among postcolonial immigrants and their children in the cité. One of my main research questions is how religious reaffiliation was intertwined with renewed notions of kinship amongst immigrants and their children.
My doctoral research consisted primarily in an extensive ethnographic work at the cité des Bosquets in Clichy-sous-Bois. I immersed myself in the life of the Abu Bakr mosque, a place known for its significance during the urban upheavals of 2005. As Abu Bakr was founded by immigrant workers, I was interested in the moral significance for my interlocutors of such an existential effort.
I also worked with the Brothers of the Effort, who are preachers from la cité des Bosquets working to 'make the call'. By actively participating to their weekly preaching and teaching gatherings, accompanying them on visits to the elderly and other people from la cité, and joining them on preaching retreats held in increasingly distant mosques, my research embarked on an innovative exploration of the pietistic approach to the Islamic tradition. The Brothers' understanding of what is it to be pious explicitly departed from the scholarly and legal modes of the Sunni Islamic tradition, as aptly expressed by a renowned preacher from the nearby town of Chelles who stated to me that "we don't want fatwa [legal ruling], we want taqwa [piety]."
Lastly, my research endeavors included fieldwork among French emigrants to Syria and their families, spanning interviews in France, the Syrian-Turkish border, and northern Iraq. My objective was to delve into the intricate dynamics of utopia and counter-utopia within the process of religious reaffiliation.
My PhD was defended on May 31st, 2021. Patrick Michel (supervisor, EHESS/CNRS), Bruno Karsenti (co-supervisor, EHESS), Stefania Pandolfo (UC Berkeley), Sonia Dayan-Herzbrun (Université Paris 7) Souleymane Bachir Diagne (Columbia University), Jean-Philippe Heurtin (IEP Strasbourg), and Alain Bertho (Université Paris 8) sat at the defense jury.
Since then, I went on to work as a postdoctoral researcher at KU Leuven (supervised by Nadia Fadil).
My doctoral research consisted primarily in an extensive ethnographic work at the cité des Bosquets in Clichy-sous-Bois. I immersed myself in the life of the Abu Bakr mosque, a place known for its significance during the urban upheavals of 2005. As Abu Bakr was founded by immigrant workers, I was interested in the moral significance for my interlocutors of such an existential effort.
I also worked with the Brothers of the Effort, who are preachers from la cité des Bosquets working to 'make the call'. By actively participating to their weekly preaching and teaching gatherings, accompanying them on visits to the elderly and other people from la cité, and joining them on preaching retreats held in increasingly distant mosques, my research embarked on an innovative exploration of the pietistic approach to the Islamic tradition. The Brothers' understanding of what is it to be pious explicitly departed from the scholarly and legal modes of the Sunni Islamic tradition, as aptly expressed by a renowned preacher from the nearby town of Chelles who stated to me that "we don't want fatwa [legal ruling], we want taqwa [piety]."
Lastly, my research endeavors included fieldwork among French emigrants to Syria and their families, spanning interviews in France, the Syrian-Turkish border, and northern Iraq. My objective was to delve into the intricate dynamics of utopia and counter-utopia within the process of religious reaffiliation.
My PhD was defended on May 31st, 2021. Patrick Michel (supervisor, EHESS/CNRS), Bruno Karsenti (co-supervisor, EHESS), Stefania Pandolfo (UC Berkeley), Sonia Dayan-Herzbrun (Université Paris 7) Souleymane Bachir Diagne (Columbia University), Jean-Philippe Heurtin (IEP Strasbourg), and Alain Bertho (Université Paris 8) sat at the defense jury.
Since then, I went on to work as a postdoctoral researcher at KU Leuven (supervised by Nadia Fadil).
