Speaker

Dr Davide Pettinato (University of Exeter)

Chair

Dr Belal Abu-Alabbas (University of Bristol)

Abstract

This talk discusses British Muslims’ approaches to socio-environmental responsibility, by using the youth-led charity MADE-Muslim Action for Development and the Environment as a case study. The talk focuses on MADE's 'Ramadan Revolution' campaign (run by the charity on Facebook in 2013 and 2014) to illustrate how this organisation attempted to nurture socio-environmental responsibility among young British Muslims through the lenses of everyday ethics and a commitment to Islam. It did so by deploying diagnostic and prognostic framings that are shared by secular lifestyle movements concerned with socio-environmental issues; whilst also interweaving these with a motivational framing that anchored ethical evaluations in an Islamic worldview and consistently linked socio-environmental responsibility with the performance of Islamic religious practices, both at the outer and at the inner levels. The emergence of this type of discourse a decade ago illustrates British Muslims' increasing will and ability to contribute to debates around socio-environmental sustainability from a distinctively Muslim faith-based perspective.

Bio

Davide Pettinato is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter. His work integrates insights from the anthropology of Islam, human geography, and the environmental humanities, to explore Muslims’ engagement with and contributions to environmental sustainability and climate change issues.
 

*After the seminar talk and Q&A, there will be a short reception with drinks and nibbles.

All are welcome!