---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Adam Possamai <A.Possamai@???>
To: rc22 <rc22@???>
Cc:
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:16:05 +0000
Subject: Islamophobia and the Racialization of Muslims
CFP: Special Issue of Critical Sociology
Islamophobia and the Racialization of Muslims
Steve Garner, Sociology and Public Policy, Aston University, Birmingham,
UK & Saher Selod, Sociology, Loyola University, Chicago, USA
http://www.criticalsociology.org/announcements/index.php
Within Europe there are plenty of media-focussed works and discussions
of particular controversies; the Danish Cartoons (International
Migration special issue 44(5), 2006); anti-terrorism policies (Kundnani,
2009; Spalek and McDonald, 2010); public discourse on, and legislation
relating to integration (Joppke, 2009; Mandeville, 2009; Modood et al.,
2006; Schain, 2010; Sinno, 2008); women's clothing (Afshah, 2008; Dwyer,
1999). Yet the qualitative and empirical scholarly work on Islamophobia
is still quite thin, and the comparative international dimension
virtually unexplored. Indeed, political science perspectives are
currently dominant in Europe, with the problem framed as one of
governance-how to fit Islam into Western democracy-and the ongoing
debate over the effectiveness of multiculturalism-which took an 'Islamic
turn' after the 2005 London bombings. High-profile public officials,
including the British Prime Minister and the German Chancellor, have in
recent years dismissed multiculturalism as a public policy failure, for
example.
One stream of public discourse argues that the term 'Islamophobia'
itself is merely an over-used politically-correct smokescreen for those
seeking to block any critiques of the social and/or political
organisation of Muslims per se, in other words a method for closing down
dialogue (Malik, 2005; MANIFESTO, 2006). This leaves a question mark
over the degree to which Islamophobia is a useful tool for understanding
the social world at all. Indeed, in the academic world, another critique
suggests that the correct term should be 'Muslim-phobia', as the
discrimination is levelled against people rather than religion
(Halliday, 1999). Modood (1997) however, argues that 'Islamophobia' is
about culture and people, and separating them analytically makes no
sense. Indeed, the definitions of Islamophobia proposed in the UK in the
1990s (notably the Commission on British Muslims and Islamophobia, 1997)
refer to both culture and people. Critically then, the definition we
give to Islamophobia impacts the frames through which we view it. Given
the demographic diversity within the Islamic faith, and the conflation
of religion and people, can we talk of Islamophobia as the racialisation
of Muslims? We feel this is a fruitful avenue for conceptualising
Islamophobia, involving some theoretical development of racialisation as
an instrument of analysis. What does this perspective give us that would
otherwise escape our attention, and further, what might it be missing
out of its field of vision?
In the United States scholarship focused on the impact 9/11 has had on
Arabs or an Arab identity (Tehranian 2008; Cainkar 2009). The role of
religion and religious identity is becoming more popular in studies on
9/11 (Peek 2010). For example, laws and policies passed after 9/11, such
as the USA Patriot Act, relied on public acceptance of the ideological
construction of a Muslim as a threat to national security. The recent
Congressional hearing on the radicalization of Islam in the United
States highlights the tenuous status of Muslims living in the United
States. Scholars debate whether or not the Muslim experience should be
situated within 'race' theories that for far too long have been
dominated by a black and white paradigm. With few exceptions (Rana,
2011) a critical analysis of the role that religious
identities play in the process of racialization in a post-9/11 society
is missing, revealing that racialization as a theoretical concept has
been under theorized.
The interest in the ways in which Islam and Muslims are constructed
comes, of course, at a moment when the first decade since the attacks on
the USA is being commemorated. In many European countries, a staple
element of Far-Right parties' arsenals is a range of texts and images
produced to argue that Islam is a violent, intolerant and alien faith,
invading the continent and usurping its Judeo-Christian norms.
What we are seeking to do
The main emphasis in our project is on placing qualitative fieldwork
from North America next to that carried out in Europe in order to
understand what is common, and what differs in terms of national
contexts. Studies drawn from other continents, however, will also be
included.
We therefore welcome critical empirical qualitative studies drawn from
around the world, and would prefer not to have further studies of news
media or theory-based pieces. Articles might focus on Muslims'
experiences of discrimination and how these differ in terms of gender,
age, class, place and time. Or they might concentrate on attitudes of
non-Muslims toward Muslims; or internet-based Islamophobia, an
interesting location for studying the transnational threads. We also
require a reflection on methods, and how the national and local studies
developed here relate to existing literature.
The papers will provide the basis for a special issue of Critical
Sociology, and a session proposal at a major conference. We invite the
submission of abstracts or proposals (150-200 words) by 30 April 2012.
We hope to receive completed manuscripts by 1 October 2012. Please email
your proposals to both Steve Garner and Saher Selod at:
s.j.garner@???; sselod@???
References
Afshah, H. (2008) 'Can I see your hair? Choice, agency and attitudes:
the dilemma of faith and feminism for Muslim women who cover' Ethnic and
Racial Studies 31(2): 411-427
Commission on British Muslims and Islamophobia (1997) Islamophobia: a
challenge for us all London: Runnymede Trust
Cainkar, L. (2009) Homeland Insecurity: The Arab American and Muslim
American Experience After 9/11. New York City, NY: Russell Sage
Foundation Publications.
Dwyer, C. (1999) 'Veiled Meanings: Young British Muslim women and the
negotiation of differences' Gender, Place and Culture 6(1): 5-26
Joppke, C. (2009) 'Limits of Integration Policy: Britain and Her
Muslims' Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 35(3): 453-472
Kundnani, A. (2009) Spooked: how not to prevent violent terrorism
London: Institute for Race Relations:
http://www.irr.org.uk/pdf2/spooked.pdf
Malik, K. (2005) Are Muslims Hated?' Index on Censorship 34(2): 167-172
Mandeville, P. (2009) 'Muslim Transnational Identity and State Responses
in Europe and the UK after 9/11: Political Community, Ideology and
Authority' Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 35(3): 491-506
(2006) MANIFESTO: Together facing the new totalitarianism:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4764730.stm
Modood, T. (1997) 'Introduction: The Politics of Multiculturalism in the
New Europe' in The Politics of Multiculturalism in the New Europe:
Racism, Identity and Community (Eds. T. Modood and P. Werbner) London:
Zed Books.
Modood, T., Triandafyllidou, A., and Zapata-Barrero, R. (2006)
Multiculturalism, Muslims and citizenship: a European approach London:
Routledge
Peek, L. (2010) Behind the Backlash: Muslim Americans After 911.
Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Rana, J. (2011) 'The Language of Racism: Panic, Peril, Terror' in Jung,
M-K., Joao Costa Vargas and E. Bonilla-Silva (eds) State of White
Supremacy Stanford, CA.: Stanford U.P, pp. 211-228.
Schain, M. (2010) 'Managing Difference: Immigrant Integration Policy in
France, Britain, and the United States' Social Research 77(1): 205-236.
Sinno, A. (ed) (2008) Muslims in Western Politics Bloomington, IN:
Indiana University Press
Spalek, B. and McDonald, L. (2010) 'Terror Crime Prevention:
Constructing Muslim Practices and Beliefs as 'Anti-Social' and 'Extreme'
through CONTEST 2' Social Policy and Society 9(1): 123-132
Tehranian, J. (2008) Whitewashed: America's Invisible Middle Eastern
Minority. New York City, NY: New York University Press.
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