Fordham University Press Morality at the Margins: Youth, Language, and Islam in Coastal Kenya

What does it mean to be young, modern, and Muslim? Documenting everyday life in Lamu (Kenya), this book explores the mundane practices of behavior and speech that create moral personhood. In elaborating everyday practices of Islamic pluralism, the book shows how Muslim societies critically engage with change while sustaining a sense of integrity and morality. Review Gesturing to the changing nature of social hierarchies in this historic Swahili town, this book opens up an important discussion on the role of language and materiality in both signifying and complicating social inequities in a conservative Muslim society, while also highlighting new expressions of moral belonging among youth in Lamu. Moreover, the heshima, or respect, that Hillewaert shows her host community and interlocutors makes this work a model for ethical engagement with ethnographic research subjects.-- "African Studies Review" Hillewaert offers a full and rich depiction of social, cultural, and linguistic life in a fast-changing place with a fascinating history. The ethnography is superb, and the focus on youth is especially welcome. ---Susan F. Hirsch, George Mason University, Hillewaert's book furnishes a wonderfully detailed and clear ethnographic and linguistic analysis of a town society long of interest to scholars but sorely in need of updated scholarly work.The ethnographic vignettes and dialogues bring the broader points to life, while the author unpacks theoretical concepts with sensitivity to the needs of the reader new to anthropology. ---Janet McIntosh, Brandeis University, In this gorgeous ethnography, Sarah Hillewaert sketches what it means to be modern in a time of significant transformation. Through elegant prose and well-honed analytical insight, she illustrates how everyday walking, talking, and gesture come to bear on what it means to be a pious and moral young person, both individually and socially. Morality at the Margins offers a vital contribution to localized understandings of Islam, youth, and our changing world. ---Shalini Shankar, Northwestern University, About the Author Sarah Hillewaert is Assistant Professor of Linguistic Anthropology at the University of Toronto.