Borícua Muslims
Book • 2025
Ken Chitwood's 'Borícua Muslims' draws on multi-sited ethnography and digital fieldwork to document the lived experiences of Puerto Rican Muslims on the island and in the United States.
The book examines how historical ties (including Andalusian imaginaries), Arab and Palestinian diasporic communities, and culinary culture shape religious identity and practice.
Chitwood analyzes tensions over authenticity, language, piety, and intra-community tribalism while showing how anti-colonial frameworks and solidarities unite diverse Muslim actors.
He frames Puerto Rican Muslim life through everyday cosmopolitanism and treats Islam as an active practice—'Islam as a verb'—to highlight dynamic, negotiable religious identities.
The work is accessible and journalistically inflected, accompanied by a curated Spotify playlist that complements its cultural analysis.
The book examines how historical ties (including Andalusian imaginaries), Arab and Palestinian diasporic communities, and culinary culture shape religious identity and practice.
Chitwood analyzes tensions over authenticity, language, piety, and intra-community tribalism while showing how anti-colonial frameworks and solidarities unite diverse Muslim actors.
He frames Puerto Rican Muslim life through everyday cosmopolitanism and treats Islam as an active practice—'Islam as a verb'—to highlight dynamic, negotiable religious identities.
The work is accessible and journalistically inflected, accompanied by a curated Spotify playlist that complements its cultural analysis.
Mentioned by
Mentioned in 0 episodes
Mentioned by ![undefined]()
Shobhana Xavier
Ken Chitwood, "Borícua Muslims: Everyday Cosmopolitanism Among Puerto Rican Converts to Islam" (U Texas Press, 2025)
Introduced by host ![undefined]()
Shobhana Xavier
Ken Chitwood, "Borícua Muslims: Everyday Cosmopolitanism Among Puerto Rican Converts to Islam" (U Texas Press, 2025)
