The cult of saints in Islam. The social space of mazar

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the study of the cult of saints in Islam, by the example of a mazar in accordance with the theory of Bourdieu, which allows to bridge the gap between the objective and subjective approaches in the study of the cult of saints. The article describes the key social positions of agents of the field of the cult and determines the level of their involvement in the production and reproduction of the cult practices. The process of transformation of the field of religion into the field of power apparatus is shown using the real people stories. Geographical names and names of agents are omitted, especially since the plot of the struggle for a monopoly on the legitimate exercise of religious authority is very typical for different historical eras. The author calls our agents according to the position taken in the structure of the cult of a renowned Saint: Imam, Folbin, Shih, Grandson of Shih, Mulla, Devon. The place of action is a kishlak (a village) Kishlak.