Dave,
Here's a quick and dirty list, but I'm sure others will have more to
offer. El-Zein's book is the only recent monograph on the subject that I
know of. I think she relies too much (and somewhat ahistorically) on Ibn
'Arabi's ideas, but it's certainly worth a read. The Badeen and Lory
articles are both good overviews of the discourse on jinn in classical
Islamic sources. Boddy's _Wombs_ is an absolutely fantastic anthro work.
Both It and the Sengers book are both on the modern Zar cult (in Sudan
and Egypt, respectively), and so they investigate a very specific and
modern branch of jinn beliefs. Boddy's is by far the better of the two
books, although not for the 'Theory'-averse.
I'm trying to think of some good primary sources in translation... I'll
let you know if any come to mind.
Best,
Noah
Badeen, Edward, and Birgit Krawietz. "Islamic Reinvention of Jinn:
Status-cut and Success Story", in _Identidades marginales_. Madrid:
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 2003. Pgs. 93-109.
Boddy, Janice. _Wombs and Alien Spirits: Women, Men, and the Zar Cult in
Northern Sudan_. Madison: Univ. of Wisconsin Press, 1989.
El-Zein, Amira. _Islam, Arabs, and the Intelligent World of the Jinn_.
Syracuse: Syracuse UP, 2009
Lory, Pierre. "Anges, djinns et demons dans les pratiques magiques
musulmanes", in _Religion et pratiques de puissance_. Paris: L
Harmattan, 1997. Pgs. 81-94.
Sengers, Gerda. _Women and Demons: Cultic Healing in Islamic Egypt_.
Leiden: Brill, 2002.
On 4/24/2012 11:30 PM, Dr Dave Evans wrote:
> Hello list
>
> I am sure there will be people here who can provide some answers to
> this one
>
> I am after a short reading list that will fill in many gaps in my
> knowledge about djinn (aka genies). I'd be grateful for any suggested
> articles or books that list members could recommend; with any remarks
> about if a named source is considered a top authority, the most recent
> received wisdom, a new or controversial perspective on the subject
> etc. I recently read a fascinating psychology paper about Bangladeshis
> in the UK and (as the author described it) the use of
> djinn-as-metaphor to explain the cause of misfortune encountered when
> immigrating to the UK, especially mental health issues.
>
> That's one perspective, not necessarily one that i consider to be
> inclusive and all-encompassing. Would be very pleased if
> anthropologists here could add comments (especially anthros, but any
> discipline please make comments you have)
>
> many thanks
> Dave E
--
Noah Gardiner
Doctoral candidate, Dept. of Near Eastern Studies
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
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