“Just Admit it Man, You’re a Spy!”

Fieldwork Explorations into the Notion of Salafi “Oppositionality”

Authors

  • Richard Gauvain The British University in Egypt

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/firn.37640

Keywords:

Salafism, ethnography, oppositionality, Egypt, da‘wa, al-wala’ wa’l-bara’, maslaha

Abstract

This article addresses two related problems in the current ethnographic study of Salafism. First, it draws attention to the lack of positionality exhibited by many commentators on Salafism; second, and more crucially, it highlights the reluctance of scholars to engage with what is here labelled Salafi "oppositionality". By oppositionality, I refer to a set of attitudes (non-compliance, defiance, hatred) which are formally prescribed to, and informally generated by, Salafis in their dealings with non-Muslims and very often with lapsed and/or errant Muslims. Through two case studies in pre-Arab Spring Cairo, I explore the workings of Salafi oppositionality in practice. By so doing, I highlight the often fragile and ephemeral nature of relationships that can be formed between a Western-trained ethnographer and his/her Salafi respondents, and demonstrate the ways in which instances of opposition are mutually constituted. Both the researcher and the Salafi, I argue, present each other with a dilemma. In my experience, Salafis have no problem identifying the essence of this dilemma; it is time for Western ethnographers to exhibit a similar degree of transparency.

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Author Biography

  • Richard Gauvain, The British University in Egypt

    Richard Gauvain is Associate Professor of Political Science at the British University in Egypt. He is the author of Salafi Ritual Purity: In the Presence of God (2013) and, since 2002, has divided his time living and working between Egypt and the UAE.

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Published

2018-12-20

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Gauvain, R. (2018). “Just Admit it Man, You’re a Spy!” : Fieldwork Explorations into the Notion of Salafi “Oppositionality”. Fieldwork in Religion, 13(2), 203-230. https://doi.org/10.1558/firn.37640