Dreams and the Miraculous

Abstract

This chapter explains the terms “dreams” and “miraculous” and comments briefly on the methodological challenges posed by these two objects of study. It introduces the reader to some exemplary work on these two topics within the broader context of the anthropology of the Middle East. Most work on dreams in the Middle East focuses on Islam. The chapter highlights three themes in particular: the ordinariness of the extraordinary; dreams, miracles, and politics; and the religious-secular. The chapter also suggests that the existing literature, together with the recent eruption of metaphorical dream-talk, opens up much space for further research and exploration. The author's overarching goal is to show how anthropological literatures on dreams and the miraculous can widen our anthropological lenses by making space for the imagination as an object of inquiry and mode of analysis.

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