Stille, M. (2018). Arabic rhetoric and Islamic Homiletics in 20th century South Asia. Zeitschrift... more Stille, M. (2018). Arabic rhetoric and Islamic Homiletics in 20th century South Asia. Zeitschrift für Indologie und Südasienstudien, 35, 169-216.
Scholarship on 'Islamic sermons' has in recent years increasingly emphasised the importance of va... more Scholarship on 'Islamic sermons' has in recent years increasingly emphasised the importance of various kinds of sermons, held not only in mosques but at religious gatherings outside the mosque, or transmitted by cassettes, television, or other, newer media (Howarth 2005, Hirschkind 2006, Scholz et al. 2010, Saetren 2010). Nevertheless, many forms of Islamic sermons have not yet been included in the literature, and many aspects remain unexplored. This is true particularly for Islamic sermons in South Asia, and even more so for Islamic sermons in Bangladesh. The genre in question here, denominated most often as sermon congregation (wa'z mahfil), has so far been mentioned only in passing in some historical studies of the region as well as in an article focusing on more recent shifts in gender dynamics (Shehabuddin 2008). The discussion here aims to expand these inquiries by considering the sermons as an example of a universal human phenomenon-of rhetoric and poetics influencing convictions and evoking pleasure for the listeners-which can, however, only be studied in its specificity; in its embeddedness in expectations, references and social realities of a specific time and place. While Islamic sermons have long since developed a mixture of education, exhortation, salvation and drama (Hartmann 1987: 339), the workings and composition of this mixture certainly vary over the course of time and space, as well as between different kinds of sermons. How do we, then, encounter the sermon congregations in contemporary Bangladesh?
This chapter analyses a rhetorical technique that is decisive for the aesthetic experience of Isl... more This chapter analyses a rhetorical technique that is decisive for the aesthetic experience of Islamic sermons in contemporary Bangladesh. I show how the performance of narratives in sermons relies on musical-bodily as well as imaginative expectations and expertise to evoke heightened emotions. I furthermore sketch a historical trajectory that demonstrates that the chanting in the sermons is part of the history of Bengali literature-from epics performed at regional courts to folk ballads-and of the history of South-Asian melodrama. This trajectory interlinks "secular" and "religious" aesthetics and has repercussions for the analytical terms we use to describe rhetorical phenomena. For this conceptual discussion, I take up the often pejoratively used term "melodrama." Rather than cast it as a low variant of excessive emotions juxtaposed with the sublime, I argue that the concept can be useful for historicizing and contextualizing the evocation of religious feelings.
samkeit wenig, die durch die Bemühungen Karims und seiner Nachfolger Dichtern der regionalen Höfe... more samkeit wenig, die durch die Bemühungen Karims und seiner Nachfolger Dichtern der regionalen Höfe Arakans und Gauṛs (insbesondere Alaol 7 und Daulat Kaji 8) gezollt wurde. Eine der thematischen Lücken ist die eingehendere Beschäftigung mit bengalischen Josephsgeschichten, obgleich allein bis zum 18. Jh. mindestens drei Fassungen dieser vorliegen 9 und zumindest eine davon im 19. Jh. sogar den Sprung in die Druckwelt schaffte, 10 die Geschichte kurzum also bei weitem zu populär war "to be ignored in even a preliminary account of the literature." 11 Die wahrscheinlich älteste dieser Geschichten, das ‚Iusuph Jalikha' (auch: ‚Ichuph Jolekha', arab. ‚Yusuf-Zulayḫa') Muhammad Sagirs (im Folgenden abgekürzt mit IJ), das im Mittelpunkt der vorliegenden Arbeit steht, wird häufig auch als ältester Vertreter des gesamten Genres angesehen und dementsprechend in vielen bengalischen Anthologien und Literaturgeschichten aufgeführt. Doch über eine Nennung gehen nur wenige Beiträge hinaus; und ist dies der Fall, wie zuerst in einem 1952 erschienenen Artikel Karims 12 und einigen Artikeln des Herausgebers der Druckausgabe des IJ, Enamul Haq, 13 sowie in einer 1970 erschienenen Forschungsarbeit zu bengalischen Liebesgeschichten, 14 so beschränkt sich die Darstellung meist auf
Th is article argues that conceptual change can be brought about and shaped by communication prac... more Th is article argues that conceptual change can be brought about and shaped by communication practice by approaching emotional experience in a particular strand of Islamic sermons from contemporary Bangladesh. It utilizes an extended rhetorical analysis, pertaining to the intertwining of concepts to be communicated, concepts of communication, and performance patterns of the sermons. It argues that by the juncture of narrative techniques of immediacy and momentarization with a bodily grounding of the voice, the listeners and preacher jointly reach the self-aff ection of the bodily and salvifi c emotions of (com)passion. From this perspective, the role of rhetorical practice is not limited to an ex post facto translation of conceptual change into practice; instead, the rhetorical goal of self-aff ection turns out to be an active factor in shaping concepts decisive for contemporary Islamic religiosity.
Sicherheitsgesetze, NRO- und Mediengesetze sowie Antiterrormaßnahmen werden zunehmend als Instrum... more Sicherheitsgesetze, NRO- und Mediengesetze sowie Antiterrormaßnahmen werden zunehmend als Instrumentarien genutzt, um die Handlungsfähigkeit zivilgesellschaftlicher Akteure in Bangladesch einzuschränken. Handlungsspielräume werden nicht nur durch staatliche Maßnahmen eingeschränkt. Auch innergesellschaftliche Polarisierungen führen immer häufiger dazu, dass Aktivisten Opfer von Gewalt werden. Zivilgesellschaft darf sich weder einengen lassen noch selber einengen.
Religious aesthetics have gained increasing importance over the past few years in the fields of R... more Religious aesthetics have gained increasing importance over the past few years in the fields of Religious studies and Islamic studies. This volume highlights the transcultural dimensions of the theoretical foundations of religious aesthetics. It explores aesthetic experience in the religious field through a series of case studies. These include Islamic sermons from the Middle East and South Asia, Islamic religious chanting, a chapter of the Qurʾān, a German performance artist, Indian rasa theory, and Arabic and Bengali literature. Together, the authors demonstrate that the analysis of the aesthetic forms of religious mediation across regions and genres is a fruitful approach to transcultural studies.
Th is article argues that conceptual change can be brought about and shaped by communication prac... more Th is article argues that conceptual change can be brought about and shaped by communication practice by approaching emotional experience in a particular strand of Islamic sermons from contemporary Bangladesh. It utilizes an extended rhetorical analysis, pertaining to the intertwining of concepts to be communicated, concepts of communication, and performance patterns of the sermons. It argues that by the juncture of narrative techniques of immediacy and momentarization with a bodily grounding of the voice, the listeners and preacher jointly reach the self-aff ection of the bodily and salvifi c emotions of (com)passion. From this perspective, the role of rhetorical practice is not limited to an ex post facto translation of conceptual change into practice; instead, the rhetorical goal of self-aff ection turns out to be an active factor in shaping concepts decisive for contemporary Islamic religiosity.
This article examines the challenges posed by combining the categories of religion and emotion in... more This article examines the challenges posed by combining the categories of religion and emotion in historical studies. It analyses two major ways of framing this: religious emotion and emotions in religion. By taking sermons as a case study, both as a religious practice and a genre of historical source, an approach that retains the useful elements of each approach is developed. At the same time, the article explores the potentials of sermons as a source for the history of emotions, noting important consequences in the history of religious communication for the history of emotions and vice versa. In particular, reception history approaches are explored as a way to enrich accounts of the emotional aspects of sermons. Further, the article serves as an introduction for the collection of articles: "Preaching and Passions: Sermons and the History of Emotions."
The Indian Economic & Social History Review, 2017
Emotions are largely interpersonal and inextricably intertwined with communication; public perfor... more Emotions are largely interpersonal and inextricably intertwined with communication; public performances evoke collective emotions. This article brings together considerations of poetic assemblies known as ‘mushāʿira’ in Pakistan with reflections on sermon congregations known as ‘waʿz mahfil’ in Bangladesh. The public performance spaces and protocols, decisive for building up collective emotions, exhibit many parallels between both genres. The cultural history of the mushāʿira shows how an elite cultural tradition has been popularised in service to the modern nation state. A close reading of the changing forms of reader address shows how the modern nazm genre has been deployed for exhorting the collective, much-expanded Urdu public sphere. Emphasising the sensory aspects of performance, the analysis of contemporary waʿz mahfils focuses on the employment of particular chanting techniques. These relate to both the transcultural Islamic soundsphere and Bengali narrative traditions, and ...
This chapter analyses a rhetorical technique that is decisive for the aesthetic experience of Isl... more This chapter analyses a rhetorical technique that is decisive for the aesthetic experience of Islamic sermons in contemporary Bangladesh. I show how the performance of narratives in sermons relies on musical-bodily as well as imaginative expectations and expertise to evoke heightened emotions. I furthermore sketch a historical trajectory that demonstrates that the chanting in the sermons is part of the history of Bengali literature—from epics performed at regional courts to folk ballads—and of the history of South-Asian melodrama. This trajectory interlinks “secular” and “religious” aesthetics and has repercussions for the analytical terms we use to describe rhetorical phenomena. For this conceptual discussion, I take up the often pejoratively used term “melodrama.” Rather than cast it as a low variant of excessive emotions juxtaposed with the sublime, I argue that the concept can be useful for historicizing and contextualizing the evocation of religious feelings.
Stille, M. (2018). Arabic rhetoric and Islamic Homiletics in 20th century South Asia. Zeitschrift... more Stille, M. (2018). Arabic rhetoric and Islamic Homiletics in 20th century South Asia. Zeitschrift für Indologie und Südasienstudien, 35, 169-216.
Scholarship on 'Islamic sermons' has in recent years increasingly emphasised the importance of va... more Scholarship on 'Islamic sermons' has in recent years increasingly emphasised the importance of various kinds of sermons, held not only in mosques but at religious gatherings outside the mosque, or transmitted by cassettes, television, or other, newer media (Howarth 2005, Hirschkind 2006, Scholz et al. 2010, Saetren 2010). Nevertheless, many forms of Islamic sermons have not yet been included in the literature, and many aspects remain unexplored. This is true particularly for Islamic sermons in South Asia, and even more so for Islamic sermons in Bangladesh. The genre in question here, denominated most often as sermon congregation (wa'z mahfil), has so far been mentioned only in passing in some historical studies of the region as well as in an article focusing on more recent shifts in gender dynamics (Shehabuddin 2008). The discussion here aims to expand these inquiries by considering the sermons as an example of a universal human phenomenon-of rhetoric and poetics influencing convictions and evoking pleasure for the listeners-which can, however, only be studied in its specificity; in its embeddedness in expectations, references and social realities of a specific time and place. While Islamic sermons have long since developed a mixture of education, exhortation, salvation and drama (Hartmann 1987: 339), the workings and composition of this mixture certainly vary over the course of time and space, as well as between different kinds of sermons. How do we, then, encounter the sermon congregations in contemporary Bangladesh?
This chapter analyses a rhetorical technique that is decisive for the aesthetic experience of Isl... more This chapter analyses a rhetorical technique that is decisive for the aesthetic experience of Islamic sermons in contemporary Bangladesh. I show how the performance of narratives in sermons relies on musical-bodily as well as imaginative expectations and expertise to evoke heightened emotions. I furthermore sketch a historical trajectory that demonstrates that the chanting in the sermons is part of the history of Bengali literature-from epics performed at regional courts to folk ballads-and of the history of South-Asian melodrama. This trajectory interlinks "secular" and "religious" aesthetics and has repercussions for the analytical terms we use to describe rhetorical phenomena. For this conceptual discussion, I take up the often pejoratively used term "melodrama." Rather than cast it as a low variant of excessive emotions juxtaposed with the sublime, I argue that the concept can be useful for historicizing and contextualizing the evocation of religious feelings.
samkeit wenig, die durch die Bemühungen Karims und seiner Nachfolger Dichtern der regionalen Höfe... more samkeit wenig, die durch die Bemühungen Karims und seiner Nachfolger Dichtern der regionalen Höfe Arakans und Gauṛs (insbesondere Alaol 7 und Daulat Kaji 8) gezollt wurde. Eine der thematischen Lücken ist die eingehendere Beschäftigung mit bengalischen Josephsgeschichten, obgleich allein bis zum 18. Jh. mindestens drei Fassungen dieser vorliegen 9 und zumindest eine davon im 19. Jh. sogar den Sprung in die Druckwelt schaffte, 10 die Geschichte kurzum also bei weitem zu populär war "to be ignored in even a preliminary account of the literature." 11 Die wahrscheinlich älteste dieser Geschichten, das ‚Iusuph Jalikha' (auch: ‚Ichuph Jolekha', arab. ‚Yusuf-Zulayḫa') Muhammad Sagirs (im Folgenden abgekürzt mit IJ), das im Mittelpunkt der vorliegenden Arbeit steht, wird häufig auch als ältester Vertreter des gesamten Genres angesehen und dementsprechend in vielen bengalischen Anthologien und Literaturgeschichten aufgeführt. Doch über eine Nennung gehen nur wenige Beiträge hinaus; und ist dies der Fall, wie zuerst in einem 1952 erschienenen Artikel Karims 12 und einigen Artikeln des Herausgebers der Druckausgabe des IJ, Enamul Haq, 13 sowie in einer 1970 erschienenen Forschungsarbeit zu bengalischen Liebesgeschichten, 14 so beschränkt sich die Darstellung meist auf
Th is article argues that conceptual change can be brought about and shaped by communication prac... more Th is article argues that conceptual change can be brought about and shaped by communication practice by approaching emotional experience in a particular strand of Islamic sermons from contemporary Bangladesh. It utilizes an extended rhetorical analysis, pertaining to the intertwining of concepts to be communicated, concepts of communication, and performance patterns of the sermons. It argues that by the juncture of narrative techniques of immediacy and momentarization with a bodily grounding of the voice, the listeners and preacher jointly reach the self-aff ection of the bodily and salvifi c emotions of (com)passion. From this perspective, the role of rhetorical practice is not limited to an ex post facto translation of conceptual change into practice; instead, the rhetorical goal of self-aff ection turns out to be an active factor in shaping concepts decisive for contemporary Islamic religiosity.
Sicherheitsgesetze, NRO- und Mediengesetze sowie Antiterrormaßnahmen werden zunehmend als Instrum... more Sicherheitsgesetze, NRO- und Mediengesetze sowie Antiterrormaßnahmen werden zunehmend als Instrumentarien genutzt, um die Handlungsfähigkeit zivilgesellschaftlicher Akteure in Bangladesch einzuschränken. Handlungsspielräume werden nicht nur durch staatliche Maßnahmen eingeschränkt. Auch innergesellschaftliche Polarisierungen führen immer häufiger dazu, dass Aktivisten Opfer von Gewalt werden. Zivilgesellschaft darf sich weder einengen lassen noch selber einengen.
Religious aesthetics have gained increasing importance over the past few years in the fields of R... more Religious aesthetics have gained increasing importance over the past few years in the fields of Religious studies and Islamic studies. This volume highlights the transcultural dimensions of the theoretical foundations of religious aesthetics. It explores aesthetic experience in the religious field through a series of case studies. These include Islamic sermons from the Middle East and South Asia, Islamic religious chanting, a chapter of the Qurʾān, a German performance artist, Indian rasa theory, and Arabic and Bengali literature. Together, the authors demonstrate that the analysis of the aesthetic forms of religious mediation across regions and genres is a fruitful approach to transcultural studies.
Th is article argues that conceptual change can be brought about and shaped by communication prac... more Th is article argues that conceptual change can be brought about and shaped by communication practice by approaching emotional experience in a particular strand of Islamic sermons from contemporary Bangladesh. It utilizes an extended rhetorical analysis, pertaining to the intertwining of concepts to be communicated, concepts of communication, and performance patterns of the sermons. It argues that by the juncture of narrative techniques of immediacy and momentarization with a bodily grounding of the voice, the listeners and preacher jointly reach the self-aff ection of the bodily and salvifi c emotions of (com)passion. From this perspective, the role of rhetorical practice is not limited to an ex post facto translation of conceptual change into practice; instead, the rhetorical goal of self-aff ection turns out to be an active factor in shaping concepts decisive for contemporary Islamic religiosity.
This article examines the challenges posed by combining the categories of religion and emotion in... more This article examines the challenges posed by combining the categories of religion and emotion in historical studies. It analyses two major ways of framing this: religious emotion and emotions in religion. By taking sermons as a case study, both as a religious practice and a genre of historical source, an approach that retains the useful elements of each approach is developed. At the same time, the article explores the potentials of sermons as a source for the history of emotions, noting important consequences in the history of religious communication for the history of emotions and vice versa. In particular, reception history approaches are explored as a way to enrich accounts of the emotional aspects of sermons. Further, the article serves as an introduction for the collection of articles: "Preaching and Passions: Sermons and the History of Emotions."
The Indian Economic & Social History Review, 2017
Emotions are largely interpersonal and inextricably intertwined with communication; public perfor... more Emotions are largely interpersonal and inextricably intertwined with communication; public performances evoke collective emotions. This article brings together considerations of poetic assemblies known as ‘mushāʿira’ in Pakistan with reflections on sermon congregations known as ‘waʿz mahfil’ in Bangladesh. The public performance spaces and protocols, decisive for building up collective emotions, exhibit many parallels between both genres. The cultural history of the mushāʿira shows how an elite cultural tradition has been popularised in service to the modern nation state. A close reading of the changing forms of reader address shows how the modern nazm genre has been deployed for exhorting the collective, much-expanded Urdu public sphere. Emphasising the sensory aspects of performance, the analysis of contemporary waʿz mahfils focuses on the employment of particular chanting techniques. These relate to both the transcultural Islamic soundsphere and Bengali narrative traditions, and ...
This chapter analyses a rhetorical technique that is decisive for the aesthetic experience of Isl... more This chapter analyses a rhetorical technique that is decisive for the aesthetic experience of Islamic sermons in contemporary Bangladesh. I show how the performance of narratives in sermons relies on musical-bodily as well as imaginative expectations and expertise to evoke heightened emotions. I furthermore sketch a historical trajectory that demonstrates that the chanting in the sermons is part of the history of Bengali literature—from epics performed at regional courts to folk ballads—and of the history of South-Asian melodrama. This trajectory interlinks “secular” and “religious” aesthetics and has repercussions for the analytical terms we use to describe rhetorical phenomena. For this conceptual discussion, I take up the often pejoratively used term “melodrama.” Rather than cast it as a low variant of excessive emotions juxtaposed with the sublime, I argue that the concept can be useful for historicizing and contextualizing the evocation of religious feelings.
Islamic sermon gatherings are a central form of public piety and public expression in contemporar... more Islamic sermon gatherings are a central form of public piety and public expression in contemporary Bangladesh. Held since the 19th century, waz mahfils became so popular that it is today possible to participate in them on a daily basis in many regions of the country. Despite their significance in the rise of popular politics, the sermons are often disregarded as Islamist propaganda and very little research is dedicated to them. This book provides unprecedented access into these sermon gatherings. Based on fieldwork and interviews, Max Stille analyses an archive of several dozens of sermons. He shows how popular preaching shapes roles and rules of what can be said, imagined, and felt. Waz mahfils are a participatory practice of the labouring classes in which religious, political and poetic consensus overlap. In them, Islamic tenets and morals are part of dramatic narrations, vocal art and affective communication, ranging from immersion and upheaval to laughter about political jokes and parody. Suggesting new ways to interpret musical and performative poetics of Islamic speech, this book calls for expanding conceptions of civic participation and public discourse and rethinking the role of the senses and religious aesthetics in Islam.
Religious aesthetics have gained increasing importance over the past few years in the fields of R... more Religious aesthetics have gained increasing importance over the past few years in the fields of Religious studies and Islamic studies. This volume highlights the transcultural dimensions of the theoretical foundations of religious aesthetics. It explores aesthetic experience in the religious field through a series of case studies. These include Islamic sermons from the Middle East and South Asia, Islamic religious chanting, a chapter of the Qurʾān, a German performance artist, Indian rasa theory, and Arabic and Bengali literature. Together, the authors demonstrate that the analysis of the aesthetic forms of religious mediation across regions and genres is a fruitful approach to transcultural studies.
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