Moral Atmospheres: Islam and Media in a Pakistani Marketplace

Lahore's Hall Road is the largest electronics market in Pakistan, once known for film and media piracy. Traders there reconcile their secular trade with their responsibilities as devoted Muslims by evaluating the moral "atmosphere" (mahaul) of film and media. Timothy P. A. Cooper's book "Moral Atmospheres" explores the diverse and coexisting moral atmospheres surrounding media in Pakistan, examining public understandings of ethical life and their influence on economic behavior. It considers the preservation and censorship of film, heritage and urban infrastructure, and the production and circulation of sound and video recordings among religious minorities. The book offers a fresh perspective on moral experience and the relationship between religion and media.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 27 February 2024
Publisher: Columbia University Press

Lahore's Hall Road is the largest electronics market in Pakistan, once known for its involvement in film and media piracy in South Asia. However, it has since specialized in smartphones and accessories. For the traders on Hall Road, the conflicts between the economic opportunities and the moral dangers of film loom large. To navigate their secular trade while fulfilling their responsibilities as devoted Muslims, they often seek to determine the moral "atmosphere" (mahaul) that can attach to film and media.

In his book "Moral Atmospheres: Media in Pakistan," Timothy P. A. Cooper delves into the diverse and coexisting moral atmospheres surrounding media in Pakistan. He explores public understandings of ethical life and how they influence economic behavior. Through extensive ethnographic work among traders, consumers, collectors, archivists, cinephiles, and cinephobes, Cooper examines varied views on what the relationship between film and faith should look, sound, and feel like for Pakistan's Muslim-majority public.

Cooper considers the preservation and censorship of film within and outside the state bureaucracy, the contests surrounding heritage and urban infrastructure, and the production and circulation of sound and video recordings among the country's religious minorities. He argues that a focus on atmosphere offers a way of seeing moral thresholds as mutable and affective, rather than fixed ethical standpoints.

"Moral Atmospheres" is not only a vivid ethnography of a market street but also a generative theorization of atmosphere. It offers fresh perspectives on moral experience and the relationship between religion and media. By examining the moral atmospheres surrounding media in Pakistan, Cooper sheds light on the complex dynamics between economic development, cultural values, and ethical dilemmas. This book is a valuable contribution to the field of media studies, anthropology, and religious studies, providing insights into the moral complexities of a nation grappling with the intersection of faith, media, and modernity.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231210416