Hijama (bloodletting) in St. Petersburg: at the intersection of Chinese medicine and Islam
Abstract
This study addresses the question of how Muslim therapeutic bloodletting, known as hijama, coexists in both Muslim and non-Muslim contexts. This paper identifies the rhetoric and religious representations associated with the procedure by the hajama specialists, the Hajjam, and how these change as the practice moves out of the Muslim and migrant field during thegentrification of hijama. The Muslim practice of hijama is accompanied by the fulfilment of an intention before the procedure, belief in jinn and hope for divine assistance in healing, and is perceived as a means of healing and religious worship. In contrast, non-Muslims most often practice hijama as part of Chinese medicine, deny the Islamic roots of the procedure, and attempt to distinguish between their own, in their belief, more complex practice and the ‘simplified’ Muslim practice.
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Review
For citations:
Krapivin l.S. Hijama (bloodletting) in St. Petersburg: at the intersection of Chinese medicine and Islam. Islamology. 2025;14(1):22-44. (In Russ.)
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