Building a House in Heaven: Pious Neoliberalism and Islamic Charity in Egypt

(Paperback)

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In Building a House in Heaven, Mona Atia makes the connection between Islam and capitalism to examine the surprising relations between charity and the economy, the state, and religion in the transition from Mubarak-era Egypt. She draws on interviews with key players, exploring the geography of Islamic charities through multiple neighborhoods, ideologies, sources of funding, projects, and wide social networks.

Reviews

"Mona Atia has given us a grand tour of the landscape of an increasingly Islamic oriented Egypt. She demonstrates how the states attempted control over popular practices of religion may have laid the ground for a subsequent religious revival. Building a House in Heaven uncovers the contradictions of the Islamist-led human development project and shows how older established practices of Islamic charity merge with market-based approaches, resulting in a unique form of pious neoliberalism that is increasingly shaping the future of Egypt."Nezar AlSayyad, University of California, Berkeley

Author Bio

Mona Atia is assistant professor of geography and international affairs at George Washington University.