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Book and Film Reviews

Vol. 32 No. 2 (2025): Arts Grappling With the Local and the Global: What are the Political Issues in the Public Sphere?

Book Review.: Divine Money: Islam, Zakat, and Giving in Palestine. Emanuel Schaeublin. 2023. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press.

Submitted
May 9, 2025
Published
2026-05-20

Abstract

Zakat, one of Islam's fundamental pillars, is a form of giving that requires every Muslim who qualifies based on wealth to support those in need materially. In his book Divine Money, Emanuel Schaeublin examines the relationships and practices surrounding zakat in Nablus, a city in Palestine. In the context of political and economic repression, the absence of social welfare programs, and military occupation, the book shows how giving is conceptualized – understood and given meaning – and practiced by invoking the presence of God.

References

  1. Asad, Talal. 1986. The Idea of Anthropology of Islam. Occasional Papers Series. Washington DC: Centre for Contemporary Arab Studies.
  2. Foucault, Michel. 1997. “Technologies of the Self.” In Ethics: Subjectivity, Truth – Essential Works of Foucault, 1954–1984, edited by Paul Rabinow, 223–51. New York: New York Press.
  3. Goffman, Erving. 1959. The Presentation of the Self in Everyday Life. London: Allen Lane.
  4. Kochuyt, Thierry. 2009. “God, Gifts and Poor People: On Charity in Islam.” Social Compass 56 (1): 98–116. https://doi.org/10.1177/0037768608100345.
  5. Mauss, Marcel. 2016. The Gift. Expanded edition. Chicago, IL: HAU Books.
  6. Mittermaier, Amira. 2014. “Beyond Compassion: Islamic Voluntarism in Egypt.” American Ethnologist 41 (3): 518–31. https://doi.org/10.1111/amet.12092.