Introduction

Since the 1980s, a global Islamic economy has emerged, giving rise to a specific type of Muslim ethics in the areas of consumption and marketisation. The very idea of ‘economy’ has been re-constructed by diverse Muslim groups, ranging from the personal and the national to the global, and Islamic identities are transforming as a result of these entanglements with the economy. The Islamic economy has attracted interest from states/governments, Muslim organisations, businesses and education, and again, the Southeast Asian region is playing a central role in these transformations. This relates to a central characteristic of the relationship between Islam and the economy in Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia: namely, that Islam and the economy are nationalised, that is, national and religious identities are actively fused. Clifford Geertz’s seminal work on Indonesia arguably spearheaded the study of religion and the economy in Southeast Asia. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.