The Politics of the Hajj from a Comparative Perspective States, Entrepreneurs, and Pilgrims

This book analyzes the contemporary politics of the Hajj in countries of Africa, the Near East, and Southeast Asia. States must organize the mobility of approximately two million pilgrims every year. States also manage the flow of vast amounts of financial resources related to the Hajj, as well as the transmission of religious and political ideas about how the world ought to be governed. The contributions in this volume investigate how states attempt to manage the Hajj and the power relations they develop with pilgrims, religious leaders, and entrepreneurs of various types. They also examine the Hajj organization from the viewpoint of pilgrims: how they make sense of the bureaucratic apparatus they encounter, how they navigate the constraints imposed upon them, and how they seize opportunities to fulfill their religious, economic, and social aspirations. The Politics of the Hajj from a Comparative Perspective closely analyzes political interactions between states, pilgrims, religious actors and entrepreneurs, and the extent to which they have evolved over time.

Introduction.- Chapter 2: The Last Muslim Empire? The Hajj in French Colonial Africa on the Eve of Decolonization.- Chapter 3: King Faisal’s Hajj Policy: Making Mecca a Forum for Pan-Islamic Thought (1964-1975).- Chapter 4: Hajj Management in Malaysia Since 1969.- Chapter 5: Managing the Hajj in Contemporary Ghana.- Chapter 6: Performing Hajj from Palestine: Beyond Barriers to Spiritual Fulfillment.- Chapter 7: Nationalizing the Nigerian Hajj: Politics, Citizenship, and Emotions (1950-1965).- Chapter 8: Saudi Hajj Management through Moroccan Pilgrims’ Eyes.- Chapter 9: Management and Pilgrims’ Encounters with the State in Contemporary Indonesia.

Muriel Gomez-Perez is Full Professor in the Interdisciplinary Research Center on Africa and the Middle East (CIRAM), Department of Historical Sciences, Université Laval, Canada.

Cédric Jourde is Associate Professor in Political Studies at the University of Ottawa, Canada.

Marie Brossier is Full Professor in the Interdisciplinary Research Center on Africa and the Middle East (CIRAM), Department of Political Science, Université Laval, Canada.