9319870 Comaroff This project involves the dissertation research of a student in cultural anthropology from the University of Chicago. The student will investigate political conflict in the Maldives. Using ethnographic techniques of participant observation and in- depth interviews, the student will examine how the local state legitimates its actions by claims to religious authority, and how that claim is contested by local religious practitioners of magic and other informal religions. This research is important because political power in many states is legitimated by official claims of religious authorization or legitimacy. Advances in our understanding of how this legitimization comes about, and how it is defended against counter-claims, can help us deal with like situations of political-religious conflict in other places. The project will also advance our scientific capacity by training a student in social science techniques and in regional studies of the important area of South Asia. ***
