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Bild på Monika Lindbekk av Emma Lord.

Monika Lindbekk

Affiliated researcher

Bild på Monika Lindbekk av Emma Lord.

Introduction

Author

  • Susanne Dahlgren
  • Monika Lindbekk

Summary, in English

This article focuses on adjudication of Muslim family law in countries that range from the Middle East and North Africa to South-East Asia. It begins by shortly summarizing the development of shari'a in pre-modern times, up until the 19th century. We discuss the basic features of marriage among classical jurists and argue that the close connection known today between the family and Islamic law can be traced to the emergence of modern nation states and centralizing state structures. We then provide a description of important personal status reforms during the 20th and 21st centuries and consider the growing body of scholarship that engages with adjudication of Muslim family law in action and in context. Finally, we consider the contribution that the articles contained in the special double issue make to the field of research, including the questions of gender and judicial authority, religion-based judicial activism, and the courts' involvement in larger socio-political processes.

Department/s

  • Department of Sociology of Law

Publishing year

2020

Language

English

Pages

117-142

Publication/Series

Hawwa

Volume

18

Issue

2-3

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Brill

Topic

  • Law and Society

Keywords

  • Ethnography
  • Family
  • Gender
  • Islamic law
  • Legal history
  • Marriage
  • Middle East
  • Shari'a
  • South-East Asia

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1569-2078