| ID | 113395 |
| Title Proper | Sayyida Zaynab in the state of exception |
| Other Title Information | Shia sainthood as qualified life in contemporary Syria |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Szanto, Edith |
| Publication | 2012. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | According to Giorgio Agamben, a "state of exception" is established by the sovereign's decision to suspend the law, and the archetypical state of exception is the Nazi concentration camp. At the same time, Agamben notes that boundaries have become blurred since then, such that even spaces like refugee camps can be thought of as states of exception because they are both inside and outside the law. This article draws on the notion of the state of exception in order to examine the Syrian refugee camp cum shrine town of Sayyida Zaynab as well as to analyze questions of religious authority, ritual practice, and pious devotion to Sayyida Zaynab. Though Sayyida Zaynab and many of her Twelver Shi?i devotees resemble Agamben's figure of homo sacer, who marked the origin of the state of exception, they also defy Agamben's theory that humans necessarily become animal-like, leading nothing more than "bare lives" (or zoe) in states of exception. |
| `In' analytical Note | International Journal of Middle East Studies Vol. 44, No.2; May 2012: p.285-299 |
| Journal Source | International Journal of Middle East Studies Vol. 44, No.2; May 2012: p.285-299 |
| Key Words | Nazi Concentration Camp ; Refugee ; Syria ; Sayyida Zaynab |