X. Muslim minorities in Kraków

Muslim minorities in Krakow - interview with dr Magdalena Pycinska

Please read the two texts by Rogers Brubaker, they will help you in answering quiz questions.

Presentation focuses on main current theoretical frameworks of religion studies, centring Islam and Muslims. The analysis is mainly based on Rogers Brubaker’s notions of categorization of Muslims and the problem of ethnicity and identity.

In *"Categories of Analysis and Categories of Practice: A Note on the Study of Muslims in European Countries of Immigration"* (2013), Rogers Brubaker argues that the study of Muslims in European immigration contexts must carefully distinguish between "categories of analysis" and "categories of practice." He defines **categories of analysis** as the conceptual frameworks scholars use to interpret social phenomena, and **categories of practice** as the terms and classifications people in everyday life use to make sense of the world. Brubaker critiques the tendency of social scientists to adopt everyday categories of identity, such as "Muslim," uncritically as analytical tools. He warns that this can essentialize complex identities and obscure the diversity within groups. By doing so, researchers risk reinforcing the very social divisions they seek to analyze. Brubaker thus advocates for an analytical approach that recognizes the fluidity and contingency of identities, urging scholars to approach "Muslim" as a constructed category rather than a fixed, homogenous group.

In *Ethnicity without Groups* (2004), Brubaker expands his critique of essentialism and reification in social science, particularly with respect to ethnicity, race, and nationalism. In **Chapter 1**, he questions the assumption that ethnic groups are solid, bounded entities. He argues that social scientists tend to "groupism," treating ethnic groups as real, unitary actors with stable, clear-cut boundaries. Brubaker proposes a shift away from thinking in terms of groups and towards an understanding of ethnicity, race, and nationalism as **processes**—dynamic interactions and discourses that shape and reshape identity over time. He calls for a focus on **categories**, events, and practices that produce groupness rather than assuming the existence of fixed groups.

In **Chapter 2**, Brubaker continues his critique by examining how ethnicity, race, and nationalism are **produced and mobilized** in different contexts. He emphasizes the role of **political entrepreneurs** and institutions in fostering a sense of groupness among populations, often for strategic reasons. He critiques scholars for reinforcing this dynamic by using reified categories that obscure the contingency and fluidity of social identities. Instead, Brubaker encourages an approach that is more **event-centered**, focusing on moments and contexts where group boundaries are drawn, questioned, or redrawn, rather than assuming those boundaries are permanent.

In the *Afterword* of *Ordinary Lives and Grand Schemes: An Anthropology of Everyday Religion* (2012), Robert Orsi reflects on the themes explored in the volume, particularly the tension between the grand narratives or theological systems of religion and the lived, everyday religious practices of ordinary people. Orsi's central argument is that academic studies of religion should give greater attention to the **everyday lived experiences of religious people** rather than focusing solely on formal doctrines or institutionalized beliefs.