Posted at Oct 14/2007 06:03PM:
vgorra: Literally meaning learned ones, the role of the Ulema in Islamic society is that of interpreters of the Shari’a, the Islamic law. The ulema' derive their legitimacy from a ruler or through influences of public opinion, such as madrasas, mosques and other social organizations. The Ulema greatly influence aspects of social and political life, however, they are not a cohesive group with standardize thinking and set ideologies. In fact, their opinions and roles diverge throughout the Muslim world.

Posted at Oct 15/2007 03:44PM:
Ian: In many senses the represent a particular social institution that is often seen as opposed to political authority. I would emphasize the point made above that this was not a homogeneous group but one that provided the intellectual basis for arguments about the nature of the Islamic tradition. For this reason they are of great interest to try to understand archaeologically through the kinds of institutions such as mosques, schools (madrasa), and charitable foundations (waqf, pl awqaf) etc. with which they are associated.