Constructing the Private/Public Distinction in Muslim Majority Societies: A Praxiological Approach

Abstract

Is there any specific meaning to the notions of the “public” and “publicness” in Muslim majority societies? Is there anything that makes a situation characterized as public part of an “Islamic public?” This chapter argues for a multiple shift in perspective to address these questions. We claim that the private/public distinction and the very notion of a “public sphere” need fundamental reexamination, based on our argument that there is no such category as an “Islamic public sphere” outside those imagined and constructed by actors in Muslims majority societies in practice.