Shari'a, charity, and Minjian autonomy in Muslim China: Gift-giving in a plural world

Journal article

A convergence between the anthropology of Islam and that of ethics affords an opportunity to re-examine Mauss’s notion of the gift. While Mauss’s account assumes a homogenous system of values, different types of normative systems can inhabit the same social field. Through an ethnographic study of charity among Chinese Muslims (Hui), I show that the “freedom” of the gift resides in the giver’s capacity to follow the rules underlying gifting, in this case, shariʿa, a capacity I call minjian autonomy. Whereas “ethnic autonomy” nominally grants minorities self-government, Hui follow shariʿa in pursuit of a good life. However, their practices are influenced by the Chinese gift economy as well as the security state. Hui gifting endeavors to reconcile the demands of Islamic, postsocialist, and gift economies.

Authors: Erie, M

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: American Anthropological Association
• Journal: American Ethnologist
• Volume: 43
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 311-324
• Publication date: 2016-11-24
• EISSN: 1548-1425
• ISSN: 0094-0496
• Keywords: postsocialism; gift economy; autonomy; China; Muslim minorities; charity; shariʿa