Muslim Europe or Euro-Islam: Politics, Culture, and Citizenship in the Age of Globalization

(Paperback)

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Five centuries after the expulsion of Muslims and Jews in Spain, Europe is once again becoming a land of Islam. At the beginning of the 21st century, and in an era marked as that of globalization, Europe continues to wrestle with the issue of national identity, especially in the context of its Muslim citizens. "Muslim Europe or Euro-Islam" brings together scholars from Europe, the United States and the Middle East in a discussion about the Muslim populations living in Europe and about Europe's role in framing Islam today. The book raises several crucial questions: does Islam offer a special case for citizenship; is assimilation or multiculturalism the model to be followed in the case of Muslims in Europe; how powerful a force is Islam in determining identity; and most importantly, why after centuries of being a presence in Europe is Islam not considered a European religion Working at the knotty intersection of cultural identity, the politics of nations and nationalisms, and religious persuasions, this is an anthology of scholarship that reveals the multifaceted natures of both Europe and Islam.

Reviews

An excellent collection of articles that highlight the new and unexpected emergent relationships between 'Europe' and 'Islam' as concepts, discourses, practices, and politics. -- Seteney Shami, Program on the Middle East and North Africa, Social Science Research Council
Historically, Europe formed its identity by its hostility to Islam, yet today millions of Europeans are also Muslims. This transformation challenges us to rethink what it means to be European. The essays collected here are an important contribution to this task. -- Timothy Mitchell, Kevorkian Center for Middle East Studies, New York University
. . . an important contribution to an emerging growing literature. * American Journal of Islamic Social Studies *
...a well-argued set of essays which reviews the place of Islam in Europe and America... * Journal Of Multilingual & Multicultural Development *
This book succeeds in "crossing the border" that separates Western Europe and the Muslim world. It reminds us that these two parts of the world do not just face each other; they also share in an important way the social life and political processes of each other's type of society. -- Alain Touraine, Ecole des Hautes, Etudes de Sciences Sociales

Author Bio

Nezar AlSayyad is Chair of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies and Professor of Architecture and Planning at the University of California, Berkeley, He is the author or editor of eight books, including Hybrid Urbanism: On the Identity Discourse and the Built Environment (2001). Manuel Castells is Professor of Sociology and City and Regional Planning at the University of California, Berkeley. He has authored and edited thirty-five books on sociology, public policy, political economy, and information technology.