An Islamic Court in Context

Stiles utilizes in-depth ethnographic study of judicial reasoning and litigant activity in Islamic family court in Zanzibar, Tanzania to draw new and important conclusions on how people understand and use Islamic legal ideas in marital disputes.

“One aspect of this book that I appreciated was the style of writing which made the content both accessible and relatable. ... Stiles explains all and is inclusive throughout. This broadens the appeal of her book and allows readers and researchers from non-social science fields to appreciate the intricacies of law, religion, community and life in Unguja, Zanzibar.” (Ann Black, Manchester Journal of Transnational Islamic Law & Practice, Vol. 16 (1), 2020)

"An Islamic Court in Context contributes new case studies to support established theoretical claims regarding the situated process of Islamic legal reasoning and the importance of attending to gender roles and performance in Islamic family courts . . . Erin Stilespresents some useful points of analysis and observation of the situated meaning of judicial reasoning in an Islamic court, and this reader looks forward to more from Stiles in the future." - Islamic Africa

"Through richly detailed and beautifully narrated cases Stiles presents a deeply humanistic account of a contemporary Islamic legal system. Concentrating on Zanzibar, she demonstrates how women in particular navigate a religiously affiliated system, and in the process she brings an entire society to life. With her insightful interpretation of a legal environment that governs one-fifth of the planet and about which Westerners continue to posses far too simplistic a view she makes a signal contribution to the literature." - Lawrence Rosen, Cromwell Professor of Anthropology, Princeton University, USA, and author of Varieties of Muslim Experience

"Stiles provides one of the few in-depth looks at how a contemporary Islamic judge deals with divorce. She describes in vividdetail how women and men negotiate in a Zanzibar court, and the way an ordinary judge must draw on his study of the Qur'an, his knowledge of state law, and his keen sense of the complexities of social life to resolve often bitter disputes. This book is at once a major work in legal anthropology and a rich example of the very best in social studies of contemporary Islam." - John R. Bowen, Dunbar-Van Cleve Professor in Arts and Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, USA

ERIN E. STILES is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at California State University, USA.