I think the comparison is esspecially relevant on two points:

1. Decentralization
Eaton observes how Islam spread in Eastern Bengal by virtue of it's polymorphic identity. Islam was not monolithic, but instead reflective of the many different individuals involved in its spread, from Sultans down to Bengali farmers.

In the same way Clipmarks is not formed by a core ideology, it simply empowers us to develop our own ideas. If I support Microsoft, I'm signing my point of view over to the singular charismatic vision of a few leaders. This is dogmatic, monolithic software, and it is on its way out.

When I support clipmarks, it is because, whether I like the Clip Team or not, their product emp...

I think the comparison is esspecially relevant on two points:

1. Decentralization
Eaton observes how Islam spread in Eastern Bengal by virtue of it's polymorphic identity. Islam was not monolithic, but instead reflective of the many different individuals involved in its spread, from Sultans down to Bengali farmers.

In the same way Clipmarks is not formed by a core ideology, it simply empowers us to develop our own ideas. If I support Microsoft, I'm signing my point of view over to the singular charismatic vision of a few leaders. This is dogmatic, monolithic software, and it is on its way out.

When I support clipmarks, it is because, whether I like the Clip Team or not, their product empowers me to express my ideas and organize the evidence that supports it. So supporting clipmarks is supporting myself.

By virtue of this decentralization, and thanks to flexible social institutions, Bengali Islam could also be transfered from one power structure (for instance the the Turkic Sultans) to another (the Mughals, and the Raj, and perhaps today to Al Qaeda.)

This meant that it was able to move past the limitations of finite institutions and become an organic part of the cultural lives of all those living in Eastern Bengal.

In the same way some people now come to clipmarks through facebook, and the community can integrate itself with other communities, rather than remaining isolated in our own private club.

2. Cultural Frontiers

The reason that this spread is made possible is because, like Eastern Bengal in the 12th century, the Internet today is a tripartite frontier of culture, economy, and politics.

The rapid redefinition of all three of these institutions through the internet has left much of society scrambling to catch up. The technology that can unite these disparate elements will necessarily, like Islam in 12th Century Bengal, be characterized by 1.) Heterodoxy 2.) Portability 3.) Flexibility and 4.) Functionality in empowering the users of the net.