Performing Piety - 9781477302255

Performing PietySingers and Actors in Egypt's Islamic Revival\nAuthor(s): Karin van Nieuwkerk\nFormat: Paperback\nPublisher: University of Texas Press, United States\nImprint: University of Texas Press\nISBN-13: 9781477302255, 978-1477302255\nSynopsis\nIn the 1980s, Egypt witnessed a growing revival of religiosity among large sectors of the population, including artists. Many pious stars retired from art, repented from sinful activities, and dedicated themselves to worship, preaching, and charity. Their public conversions were influential in spreading piety to the Egyptian upper class during the 1990s, which in turn enabled the development of pious markets for leisure and art, thus facilitating the return of artists as veiled actresses or religiously committed performers.\n\nRevisiting the story she began in A Trade like Any Other: Female Singers and Dancers in Egypt, Karin van Nieuwkerk draws on extensive fieldwork among performers to offer a unique history of the religious revival .