Islamophobia/Islamophilia: Beyond the Politics of Enemy and Friend [Paperback]

Islamophobia is a term that has been widely applied to anti-Muslim ideas and actions, especially since 9/11. The contributors to this provocative volume explore and critique the usefulness of the concept for understanding contexts ranging from the Middle Ages to the modern day. Moving beyond familiar explanations such as good Muslim/bad Muslim stereotypes or the clash of civilizations, they describe Islamophobia's counterpart, Islamophilia, which deploys similar oppositions in the interest of fostering public acceptance of Islam. Contributors address topics such as conflicts over Islam outside and within Muslim communities in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia; the cultural politics of literature, humor, and urban renewal; and religious conversion to Islam.

Cultural politics and the fear of Islam

Andrew Shryock is Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Anthropology at the University of Michigan. He is author ofNationalism and the Genealogical Imaginationand co-author ofArab DetroitandCitizenship and Crisis: Arab Detroit after 9/11.

'Islamophobia' is an often used term in debates relating to Muslim minorities in Europe and the US post 9/11. The aim of this edited volume by Andrew Shryock is . . . to investigate the background of the term and reach a more thorough understanding of what it could entail and how it could be used and applied.38.3 2011

Overall, the volume is an impressive collection of serious discursive analyses that heighten our sensitivities to the forms arguments about Islam take; while always indexes of power, it is clear that the shared terms of global debates about Islamic reform do not always correspond to shared meanings.

In all, this work is a rich and varied fare. What is welcome is the book's developed insight that Islamophilia can also be an act of wishful thinking and fantasy as much as Islamophobia. Morever, the latter can be propagated by Muslims. In all, this is a plealƒk