The Body in Islamic Culture

The concept of the body is of special importance in Islamic and Arab societies as much of daily interaction between peoples in these societies is related to the strict Islamic division of the universe into different spaces; the 'feminine' and 'masculine', the 'pure' and the 'polluted', the 'private' and 'public'. This classification affects social, cultural and sexual behaviour. Consequently, the body becomes a tool used to communicate attitudes, desires, doubts and intimacy, but also to define social discourse and mores.

Khuri explores the concept of the body in two phases: Firstly, the different meanings and images related to the body in Islam and how these permeate religious practices and social attitudes among people. Secondly, the numerous ways the body communicates messages, attitudes and feelings through unspoken language.

His incisive exploration of how perceptions of the human body in Arab-Islamic cultures are conditioned by the teachings of the sacred text and how they translate into behavioural terms is both insightful and mind provoking.

Fuad I. Khuri is a leading anthropologist of the Middle East. He has written extensively in English and Arabic on various aspects of Arab culture and society. His works include Tribe and State in Bahrain; Imams and Emirs: State, Religion and Sects in Islam; and Tents & Pyramids: Games and Ideology in Arab Culture. The last two titles are also published by Saqi Books.