The Uneven Neoliberalization of Good Works: Islamic Charitable Fields and Their Impact on Diffusion 1 Cihan Tuğal University of California, Berkeley Why is neoliberalization experienced unevenly throughout the Islamic world? This article explores Islam-inspired Egyptian and Turkish or- ganizations’ competing orientations to poverty relief. The study is based on interviews, direct observation, and comparative historical analysis. While there was a contested balance between neoliberal and communi- tarian orientations to charitable giving in Egypt, in Turkey neoliberal approaches marginalized communitarian ones. These differences can be traced back to a contrast in the combination of two factors: the re- ligious movements and the links between benevolent organizations and the state. The relatively more unified Islamic field, which was thoroughly merged with the market-friendly state in Turkey, fostered the neoliberal- ization of charity. The fragmented Egyptian Islamic field, coupled with an unevenly cooperative (even if still market-friendly) state, led to the persistence of an embattled communitarianism. A field-based analysis allows us to extend the insights of the uneven diffusion literature to micro terrain. INTRODUCTION What limits the global diffusion of neoliberal norms? This article examines diffusion through the prism of voluntary poverty alleviation. Aid practices 1 I would like to thank Michael Burawoy, Raka Ray, Ann Swidler, and the AJS reviewers for their comments on this article. I owe special thanks to Momen el-Husseiny for his re- search assistance. The research was funded by the Hellman Family Faculty Fund, Univer- © 2017 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved. 0002-9602/2017/12302-0003$10.00 426 AJS Volume 123 Number 2 ( September 2017): 426– 464