Forum on Religion: next seminars

6 MAY

'Bosnian Muslims in New England: identity maintenance and integration patterns'

-- Kristen Lucken, Department of Religious and Theological Studies, Boston University

This discussion explores the integration patterns and processes of identity maintenance of Bosnian Muslims who were resettled in New England following the 1992-1995 Balkans conflict. After experiencing forced migration, Bosnian Muslims rebuild pre-war identities, re-construct community life, and integrate within a new host setting. This discussion focuses on two Bosnian communities in New England and explores the reasons why one community remains largely secular and multi-cultural, while the other is witnessing increased religious behavior and a reconstructed meaning of Bosnian national identity. The discussion also addresses the challenges of being a European Muslim in the United States following the events of September 11, 2001.

AND


'Exploring identity in the British educational landscape: a glimpse into the aspirations and participation of parents with a Muslim background'

-- Malik Ajani, Royal Holloway, University of London

How do parents of a Muslim background describe their identity? Are the needs of Muslim parents who have children in the English primary and secondary schools homogeneous in character? My case study of London examined the desires of Muslim parents in relation to their children's education: what are their hopes and dreams, what things are empowering them and what do they perceive to be barriers to their participation? The case study reveals that the aspirations of these parents include certain priorities, which is missing much of literature of the assumed needs of Muslim parents.



3 JUNE


'Home-grown terror, anti-Muslimism and the politics of fear: the rise of the far-right in today's Britain'

-- Christopher Allen, Institute of Applied Social Studies, School of Social Policy, University of Birmingham

Even before the summer disturbances in the northern mill towns in 2001 and the subsequent impact of 9/11, British far-right groups had begun to campaign against Muslims and the religion of Islam. After 9/11, and bolstered by the atrocities of 7/7, various ‘terror plots’ and other Muslim/ Islam-perceived issues, these same groups have employed increasingly more explicit campaigns to gain unprecedented electoral success. With the British National Party having secured victories in the European Parliament, the Greater London Assembly and various local councils across England, and with the English Defence League routinely marching across a range of different towns and cities against the ‘Islamification’ of Britain, the far-right’s anti-Muslim, anti-Islamic rhetoric can no longer be dismissed. This paper seeks to explore the issues raised by the rise and recent political success of the far-right by contextualising it within the wider discursive landscape. Drawing upon theories of Islamophobia, cultural racism, and the politics of fear, this paper will consider the extent to which the messages and meanings of the far-right have found resonance and relevance across a much wider constituency in today’s Britain.

AND


'Religion, Securitization and Anti-Immigration Attitudes: The Case of Greece'

-- Georgios Karyotis and Stratos Patrikios, Department of Government, University of Strathclyde


The social construction of security is typically associated with political elites presenting an issue as an existential threat. In societal issues however, other actors such as religious elites may also be involved in the process of 'securitisation'. This paper aims to fill
a lacuna in securitisation theory by incorporating in a single analytical framework both political and religious actors and evaluating how their potentially antagonistic discourses influence public attitudes towards migrants. Using Greece as a case study, it first documents a divergence in the two actors' rhetoric through discourse analysis, and then proceeds to measure the relative impact of their discourses on public immigration attitudes, employing structural equation modelling of European Social Survey data. Findings demonstrate that exposure to the securitising religious discourse through church attendance immunises citizens from the softening effect of the political message and reveal the continuing relevance of the Church in settings where ethnicity and religion overlap.


The seminars are free and open to the public; no reservation required. They will take place from 5:30-7pm in the Cañada Blanch Room (J116), Cowdray House, Portugal Street, London WC2A 2AE