English, motility and Ismaili transnationalism

Bibliographic Data

ID3167294
AuthorsBrook Bolander (0000-0001-7377-0362, University of Freiburg, corresponding author)
Year2017
Volume2017
Issue247
Publication date2017-01-28
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of the Sociology of Language (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0165-2516 • E-ISSN: 1613-3668
PublisherWalter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1515/ijsl-2017-0022
OpenAlexW2513552989
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited13

The transnational Ismaili community is made up of local communities of Ismailis living in over 25 countries around the world. Despite diversity within and between these communities, the 2.5-12 million Ismailis worldwide share a common identity as Ismaili. Various structures and resources are used to construct and maintain the community. These include an official language - English. In this article, I aim to explore the role of English in connection with Ismaili transnationalism. Drawing on ethnographic data collected during fieldwork in Northern Pakistan and Eastern Tajikistan, and on data taken from digital spaces, I will focus on the movement of local Ismailis away from Northern Pakistan and Eastern Tajikistan, and on the movement of people and ideas to Northern Pakistan and Eastern Tajikistan. I will thereby argue for the importance of including non-mobile individuals in conceptualizations of Ismaili transnationalism. In doing so, I will apply the concept of "motility", which points to interconnections between social and spatial mobility, and highlights the potential for mobility; and I will underline the role local settings play for transnational processes. In the course of the article, I also demonstrate that Ismaili transnationalism is not homogeneous. Instead, certain people, places and spaces emerge as more relevant to its construction and maintenance. This becomes coupled with access to English and has implications for this issue's focus on the relationship between South and Central Asian spaces

Aesthetics · Ethnography · Homogeneous · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Transnationalism · Anthropology · Diaspora, migration, transnational identity · Gender Studies · Law · Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy · Migration, Refugees, and Integration

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