Continuity and Innovation in Ismaili Transnational Business Culture (original) (raw)
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African and Asian Studies, 2013
The way in which the history of colonialism might link up with the formation of postcolonial migrant identities remains insufficiently examined. Through a comparison between transnational business practices of Khoja Ismaili Muslim settled in the British and Portuguese colonial territories of East Africa and in contemporary Angola, the present paper aims to discuss the impact of colonial experiences in the configuration of postcolonial business cultures. Articulating several guiding empirical questions, we will attempt to show that the continuing centrality of the nation-states in which Ismaili transnational economic activities are embedded, the notion of a disadvantageous network closure, concomitant with the importance of face-to-face contacts, the mutual trust and understanding sustained through personal relations, and the tendency for national loyalty to prevail over religious belonging (whenever any potential conflict between the two exists) constitute crucial dimensions of an a...
The purpose of this article is to understand the starting point of the intention of religious entrepreneurs, that we call "Atypical", for the simple reason that their entrepreneurial intentions include not only the economic aspect but there is also evidence of some foundation walls spiritual view of the context in which operate these entrepreneurs: the Tijanie brotherhood. These religious entrepreneurs create travel agencies specializing in the phenomenon of the "Zyara " 1. To do this, we will focus initially on generalities about highlighted Islam in Africa, and then we will introduce our paper on the emergence of the Tijaniyya brotherhood. In a second step, we will emphasize the economic dimension of the Tijaniyya, which includes both the phenomenon of the «Zyara», and trade which can arise; but also the emergence of atypical entrepreneurs in their entrepreneurial intentions through creative type travel "Zyara ". Our epistemological positioning is interpretative; that is, we go from the field to interpret the intentions of these entrepreneurs, given the absence of literature dealing with entrepreneurship in a religious context. This means that our mode of reasoning is inductive; what brought us to do in-depth interviews with this type of entrepreneurs in Senegal. This article presents concrete results concerning the entrepreneurial intentions of the religious entrepreneurs object of our present study. These intentions are religious orders, in the context of these entrepreneurs; on a categorized these intentions under five major axes; « Love and Propaganda of the Brotherhood ; Join the useful to the pleasant ; Respect and love of members of the brotherhood ; Self-achievement ; Tribal or family affiliation ».
International Journal of Business and Globalisation, 2015
Brazil is currently one of the top global exporters of Halal poultry to the Middle Eastern Islamic markets. This study focuses on the story of an Islamic certifier, since his initial efforts to his current successful position in the Brazilian export network of Halal poultry. We bring a specific theoretical review considering the separation of the Islamic entrepreneurship conducted by Muslims and the ones oriented to Muslims. A theoretical model with variables that characterise the Islamic entrepreneurship construct was also elaborated.
The African Roots and Transnational Nature of Islam
Journal of Islamic Studies and Culture, 2015
Most works dealing with Islam and Africa trace the roots of their connection to the first Hijra when two groups totaling more than 100 Muslims fled persecution in Mecca and arrived in the Kingdom of Axiom (modern-day Ethiopia) in 614 and 615 AD, respectively. A few works would begin with the story of Bilal ibn Rabah or Bilal al-Habashi, the former enslaved Ethiopian born in Mecca during the late 6 th Century (sometime between 578 and 583 AD) and chosen by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as the first Muezzin (High Priest, or Caller of the Faithful to prayer) of the Islamic faith. More recent sources would add the fact that the African/Black Saudi Arabian Sheikh Adil Kalbani is now the Imam of the Grand Mosque of Mecca. This chronology misses the African roots of Islam: i.e. the story of the Egyptian Hagar or Hājar (in Arabic), the second wife of Abraham or Ibrahim (in Arabic). It also misses the fact that Luqman The Wise, who wrote the 31 st Sura of the Qur'an, was an African. Today, Islam is practiced everywhere and has emerged as the fastest growing din (meaning in Arabic "way of life," as Islam is more than just a religion) in the world. The African flavor to Islamic practices is evident in the Americas, the Caribbean, and many European countries with significant concentrations of African Muslims. Using Transnational Theory, this paper analyzes the challenges African-centered Muslims face in these majority-Christian states in terms of the concept of the sovereign state and the difficulties that this poses. Thus, the following aspects are examined: (a) defining new Africancentered Muslim actors, (b) modes of change African-centered Muslims encounter, (c) factors impacting success of African-centered Muslims, and (d) challenges for the role of the state in dealing with African-centered Muslims. Before doing all this, however, it makes sense to begin with a brief discussion of Transnational Theory, with its attendant concept transnationalism, and Africancentrism for the theoretical grounding of this essay. As I state in my essay titled "A Time Series Analysis of the African Growth and Opportunity Act: Testing the Efficacy of Transnationalism" (Bangura, 2009), transnationalism is defined as the heightened interconnectivity between people around the world and the loosening of boundaries between countries. The concept of transnationalism is credited to Randolph Bourne, an early 20 th Century writer, who used it to describe a new way of thinking about intercultural relationships. Scholars of transnationalism seek to show how the flow of people, ideas, and goods between regions has increased the relevance of globalization. They argue that it makes no sense to link specific nation state boundaries with, for instance, migratory labor forces, transnational corporations, international
The Making of a Diasporic Muslim Family in East Africa
Diversity and Daily Life, 2014
ABSTRACT Gujaratis are renowned for their mobility and it is therefore not surprising that they enjoy a ubiquitous presence in the global Indian diaspora. The setting up of British and German administrations in eastern Africa during the late 19th century led to increased migration from Gujarat. Those migrating included both Hindus from various caste groups and Muslims belonging to different religious communities. Among the Muslims, individuals belonging to the Khoja Ismaili community had a prominent role in trade even before the setting up of British administration on the mainland. This book chapter examines how trade, community, and empire provided the channels for social and economic mobility in the case of a Khoja family that migrated to eastern Africa from Kathiawad (Gujarat) in the late 19th century. Based partly upon biographical and autobiographical accounts, this family narrative mirrors the engagement of the Khoja community with modernity in the context of colonial and post-colonial eastern Africa. [Published in Robin Jeffrey and Ronojoy Sen (eds) 2014. 'Being Muslim in South Asia. Diversity and Daily Life'. New Delhi: Oxford University Press]
Islamic business and Muslim Entrepreneurs networks
This paper intends to describe new forms of national and transnational solidarity based on individual commitments to Islamic ethics and morality. This process is studied through the practices of young Muslim entrepreneurships that have emerged in the mid-2000s in Europe, promoting and distributing Bislamized^ conventional products in the fields of leisure, fashions, communication, in line with the cultural globalization as well as creating professional networks. This new market reflects on European Muslim’s desire for social mobility, using Islamized economic opportunities as a response to their marginalization, but also to create new forms of political pressure and religious codes through consumption that are adequate to their western environment.