Shi’a Minorities in the Contemporary World

New comparative perspectives on Shi’a minorities outside the Muslim world

Key features

• Provides comparative insights into Shi’a Muslim communities across the globe, set in Muslim minority contexts
• Makes an important contribution to understanding the global dynamics of contemporary Shi’a Islam
• Illustrates how transnational Shi’a networks operate in Muslim minority contexts
• Discusses the impact of events in the Middle East on Shi’a Muslim minorities across the world
• Case studies include an in-depth ethnographic study of the Shi’a community in Buenos Aires; insights into the unique challenges of Shi’a Muslims in Sri Lanka; the connections of Shi’a Muslims in Cambodia to Iran; and the limits of sectarian differences among Shi’a Muslims in Germany

Global migration flows in the 20th century have seen the emergence of Muslim diaspora and minority communities in Europe, North America and other parts of the world. This book offers a set of new comparative perspectives on the experiences of Shi’a Muslim minorities outside the so-called ‘Muslim heartland’ (Middle East, North Africa, Central and South Asia). It looks at Shi’a minority communities in Europe, North and South America, Sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia and discusses the particular challenges these communities face as ‘a minority within a minority’.

Notes on Contributors

Roswitha Badry, University of Freiburg, Germany.

Emanuelle Degli Esposti, University of Cambridge, UK.

Chiara Formichi, Cornell University, USA.

Mari-Sol García Somoza, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Mara A. Leichtman, Michigan State University, USA.

Arun Rasiah, Holy Names University in Oakland, USA.

Piro Rexhepi, Northampton Community College, UK.

Oliver Scharbrodt, University of Birmingham, UK.

Yafa Shanneik, University of Birmingham, UK.

Emiko Stock, Cornell University, USA.

Mayra Soledad Valcarcel, University of Buenos Aires, Argentine.

Benjamin Weineck, Bayreuth University, Germany.

Noor Zehra Zaidi, University of Maryland Baltimore County, USA.