Susanna Olsson
Biographic Data
| ID | 198156 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Susanna Olsson |
| GIVEN NAMES | Susanna |
| FAMILY NAME | Olsson |
| SIGNATURE | OLSSON S |
| AFFILIATIONS | Stockholm University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-4855-389X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 24 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 15 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1998 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2022 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
One of the most important questions that human beings have to understand: Salafism as Islamic deferentialist fundamentalism
In the present article, the authors argue that the study of Salafism as a contemporary Islamic new religious movement could benefit from an analytical perspective separating fundamentalism into the modes of inferentialism and deferentialism. The basics of these concepts are outlined and discussed in relation to different aspects of contemporary Salafism as well as in relation to previous tendencies in Islamic history. As a case study, the authors…
Den fiktive Aguéli – Identifikationsobjekt och projektionsyta för unga manliga konvertiter till islam
Den fiktive Agueli : Identifikationsobjekt och projektionsyta for unga manliga konvertiter till islam
The Radical Need of a Critical Language: On Radical Islam
This article is concerned with the academic use and definitions of terms such as "radical" and "extreme" as well as "Islam" and "Muslim(s)". Some scholars hold that such terms ought to be avoided, but the author argues to the contrary. The article probes into effects that our usage of such terms may have in society at large. As scholars of religion, we need to keep the relational aspects of our terminology in mind, and the author argues that a cl…
Hizb ut-Tahrir's Caliphal Counter-Narrative
The article has a history of religions approach, and analyzes the "counter-narrative" of Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is a global political Islamist group which aims to establish a universal caliphate. It is a "vocal radical" radical group, rejecting the use of violence. The group is against democracy, secularization and liberal values, and promotes a return to "true Islam", which obliges Muslims to establish a caliphate, ruled by divine will. The analy…
Salafism Goes Global: From the Gulf to the French Banlieues by Mohamed-Ali Adraoui
True, Masculine Men Are Not Like Women: Salafism between Extremism and Democracy
Whether we should understand Salafism in general as a security threat, as extremist, and as un-democratic and of concern to authorities is a debated question. In the article, this policy-oriented objective is addressed through an analysis of a specific non-violent Salafi ideology in Sweden, which is compared to the Swedish government's definition of gender equality. The basic argument in this article is that we can use words like "extreme" as rel…
Contemporary Puritan Salafism: A Swedish Case Study
This volume addresses issues of authority and authenticity related to contemporary interpretations of Islam in a minority setting. Salafism is a contemporary multifaceted and global phenomenon that represents a fundamentalist interpretative stance which appears to be growing among minority Muslims. This book studies a Salafi group in Sweden that is puritan in the sense of avoiding political participation and rejecting jihadism. They strive to imi…
Shia as Internal Others: A Salafi Rejection of the ‘Rejecters’
Conflict and polemic between Sunni Muslims and Shiites have a long history. In the contemporary era, this polemic has been accentuated by the conflictual situation in the Middle East, and it is also colouring the minority Muslim situation. This article is concerned with Islamic interpretations related to ‘othering’, taking as its main focus an analysis of publications on a Swedish Sunni website, ‘Maktabah Dâr-ul-Hadîth’, which has clear Salafi le…
Engaging the history of religions – from an Islamic studies perspective
The future and relevance of the history of religions discipline in the Swedish context has been discussed lately. This article is a response to this debate from an Islamic studies perspective. The authors argue that the history of religions discipline may become more relevant if a more self-critical approach is adopted, an interdisciplinary attitude upheld, and if there is an openness to learn from other disciplines studying religion such as Isla…
The Islamic Framing in Donald Moffitt’s Science Fiction Series The Mechanical Sky
American author Donald Moffitt’s science fiction (SF) series The Mechanical Sky, consisting of two books, Crescent in the Sky (1989) and A Gathering of Stars (1990), portrays a universe where various religious denominations exist, and where an Islamic caliphate is established, aiming at universal Islamic dominance. The purpose of this article is to analyze the series pertaining to its representations of Islam and Muslims, and to explain the Islam…
Proselytizing I slam — Problematizing “ S alafism”
This article discusses the contemporary E uropean setting pertaining to Islamic interpretations, mainly so called S alafi I slam. The empirical material is based on publications by a S wedish group that conducts street da ̔wa , aiming to proselytize among non‐ M uslims. The ideology, as presented in official publications to be used for da ̔wa , is described and analyzed as part of a larger da ̔wa ‐movement with S alafi‐inclinations in E urope. Th…
Lost Enlightenment. Central Asia’s Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane
Review by Susanne Olsson of Lost Enlightenment. Central Asia’s Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane, S. Frederick Starr
Religion in the Public Space: ‘Blue-and-Yellow Islam’ in Sweden
This article looks at Islam in contemporary Sweden in relation to civil society and the public space. Forms of Islam that advocate integration (‘Euroislam’) are promoted and accepted more easily by the majority population. The subject is set in the context of the decline of secularisation and of the return of religion. In the long run, this ‘return of religion’ to the public space leads to reinterpretations of religious traditions and also affect…
Apostasy in Egypt: Contemporary Cases of Ḥisbah
Youth, Lifestyles and Society: A Class Issue
This article sets out to consider the role of social class on present-day adolescents' development by briefly examining adolescents' `lifestyles' in western industrial societies. The article goes on to consider empirical evidence about possible social class influences on various aspects of adolescent socialization in Sweden, Germany and Britain within Abel and McQueen's theoretical framework of `resources', `orientations' and `behaviours'. In par…
Proselytizing I slam — Problematizing “ S alafism”
This article discusses the contemporary E uropean setting pertaining to Islamic interpretations, mainly so called S alafi I slam. The empirical material is based on publications by a S wedish group that conducts street da ̔wa , aiming to proselytize among non‐ M uslims. The ideology, as presented in official publications to be used for da ̔wa , is described and analyzed as part of a larger da ̔wa ‐movement with S alafi‐inclinations in E urope. Th…
Shia as Internal Others: A Salafi Rejection of the ‘Rejecters’
Conflict and polemic between Sunni Muslims and Shiites have a long history. In the contemporary era, this polemic has been accentuated by the conflictual situation in the Middle East, and it is also colouring the minority Muslim situation. This article is concerned with Islamic interpretations related to ‘othering’, taking as its main focus an analysis of publications on a Swedish Sunni website, ‘Maktabah Dâr-ul-Hadîth’, which has clear Salafi le…
Engaging the history of religions – from an Islamic studies perspective
The future and relevance of the history of religions discipline in the Swedish context has been discussed lately. This article is a response to this debate from an Islamic studies perspective. The authors argue that the history of religions discipline may become more relevant if a more self-critical approach is adopted, an interdisciplinary attitude upheld, and if there is an openness to learn from other disciplines studying religion such as Isla…
Apostasy in Egypt: Contemporary Cases of Ḥisbah
Youth, Lifestyles and Society: A Class Issue
This article sets out to consider the role of social class on present-day adolescents' development by briefly examining adolescents' `lifestyles' in western industrial societies. The article goes on to consider empirical evidence about possible social class influences on various aspects of adolescent socialization in Sweden, Germany and Britain within Abel and McQueen's theoretical framework of `resources', `orientations' and `behaviours'. In par…
The Radical Need of a Critical Language: On Radical Islam
This article is concerned with the academic use and definitions of terms such as "radical" and "extreme" as well as "Islam" and "Muslim(s)". Some scholars hold that such terms ought to be avoided, but the author argues to the contrary. The article probes into effects that our usage of such terms may have in society at large. As scholars of religion, we need to keep the relational aspects of our terminology in mind, and the author argues that a cl…
Religion in the Public Space: ‘Blue-and-Yellow Islam’ in Sweden
This article looks at Islam in contemporary Sweden in relation to civil society and the public space. Forms of Islam that advocate integration (‘Euroislam’) are promoted and accepted more easily by the majority population. The subject is set in the context of the decline of secularisation and of the return of religion. In the long run, this ‘return of religion’ to the public space leads to reinterpretations of religious traditions and also affect…
Youth, Lifestyles and Society: A Class Issue
This article sets out to consider the role of social class on present-day adolescents' development by briefly examining adolescents' `lifestyles' in western industrial societies. The article goes on to consider empirical evidence about possible social class influences on various aspects of adolescent socialization in Sweden, Germany and Britain within Abel and McQueen's theoretical framework of `resources', `orientations' and `behaviours'. In par…
Apostasy in Egypt: Contemporary Cases of Ḥisbah
Religion in the Public Space: ‘Blue-and-Yellow Islam’ in Sweden
This article looks at Islam in contemporary Sweden in relation to civil society and the public space. Forms of Islam that advocate integration (‘Euroislam’) are promoted and accepted more easily by the majority population. The subject is set in the context of the decline of secularisation and of the return of religion. In the long run, this ‘return of religion’ to the public space leads to reinterpretations of religious traditions and also affect…
The Islamic Framing in Donald Moffitt’s Science Fiction Series The Mechanical Sky
American author Donald Moffitt’s science fiction (SF) series The Mechanical Sky, consisting of two books, Crescent in the Sky (1989) and A Gathering of Stars (1990), portrays a universe where various religious denominations exist, and where an Islamic caliphate is established, aiming at universal Islamic dominance. The purpose of this article is to analyze the series pertaining to its representations of Islam and Muslims, and to explain the Islam…
Proselytizing I slam — Problematizing “ S alafism”
This article discusses the contemporary E uropean setting pertaining to Islamic interpretations, mainly so called S alafi I slam. The empirical material is based on publications by a S wedish group that conducts street da ̔wa , aiming to proselytize among non‐ M uslims. The ideology, as presented in official publications to be used for da ̔wa , is described and analyzed as part of a larger da ̔wa ‐movement with S alafi‐inclinations in E urope. Th…
Lost Enlightenment. Central Asia’s Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane
Review by Susanne Olsson of Lost Enlightenment. Central Asia’s Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane, S. Frederick Starr
Engaging the history of religions – from an Islamic studies perspective
The future and relevance of the history of religions discipline in the Swedish context has been discussed lately. This article is a response to this debate from an Islamic studies perspective. The authors argue that the history of religions discipline may become more relevant if a more self-critical approach is adopted, an interdisciplinary attitude upheld, and if there is an openness to learn from other disciplines studying religion such as Isla…
Shia as Internal Others: A Salafi Rejection of the ‘Rejecters’
Conflict and polemic between Sunni Muslims and Shiites have a long history. In the contemporary era, this polemic has been accentuated by the conflictual situation in the Middle East, and it is also colouring the minority Muslim situation. This article is concerned with Islamic interpretations related to ‘othering’, taking as its main focus an analysis of publications on a Swedish Sunni website, ‘Maktabah Dâr-ul-Hadîth’, which has clear Salafi le…
Contemporary Puritan Salafism: A Swedish Case Study
This volume addresses issues of authority and authenticity related to contemporary interpretations of Islam in a minority setting. Salafism is a contemporary multifaceted and global phenomenon that represents a fundamentalist interpretative stance which appears to be growing among minority Muslims. This book studies a Salafi group in Sweden that is puritan in the sense of avoiding political participation and rejecting jihadism. They strive to imi…
Salafism Goes Global: From the Gulf to the French Banlieues by Mohamed-Ali Adraoui
True, Masculine Men Are Not Like Women: Salafism between Extremism and Democracy
Whether we should understand Salafism in general as a security threat, as extremist, and as un-democratic and of concern to authorities is a debated question. In the article, this policy-oriented objective is addressed through an analysis of a specific non-violent Salafi ideology in Sweden, which is compared to the Swedish government's definition of gender equality. The basic argument in this article is that we can use words like "extreme" as rel…
Den fiktive Aguéli – Identifikationsobjekt och projektionsyta för unga manliga konvertiter till islam
Den fiktive Agueli : Identifikationsobjekt och projektionsyta for unga manliga konvertiter till islam
The Radical Need of a Critical Language: On Radical Islam
This article is concerned with the academic use and definitions of terms such as "radical" and "extreme" as well as "Islam" and "Muslim(s)". Some scholars hold that such terms ought to be avoided, but the author argues to the contrary. The article probes into effects that our usage of such terms may have in society at large. As scholars of religion, we need to keep the relational aspects of our terminology in mind, and the author argues that a cl…
Hizb ut-Tahrir's Caliphal Counter-Narrative
The article has a history of religions approach, and analyzes the "counter-narrative" of Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is a global political Islamist group which aims to establish a universal caliphate. It is a "vocal radical" radical group, rejecting the use of violence. The group is against democracy, secularization and liberal values, and promotes a return to "true Islam", which obliges Muslims to establish a caliphate, ruled by divine will. The analy…
One of the most important questions that human beings have to understand: Salafism as Islamic deferentialist fundamentalism
In the present article, the authors argue that the study of Salafism as a contemporary Islamic new religious movement could benefit from an analytical perspective separating fundamentalism into the modes of inferentialism and deferentialism. The basics of these concepts are outlined and discussed in relation to different aspects of contemporary Salafism as well as in relation to previous tendencies in Islamic history. As a case study, the authors…
Philosophy (13 works) · Sociology (11 works) · Islam (10 works) · Political science (9 works) · Theology (9 works) · Islamic Studies and History (8 works) · Law (7 works) · Epistemology (6 works) · History (6 works) · Philosophy (6 works)