An anthropology of Muslims in Europe - A modest attempt by Martijn
Moslimhobbyisme, een woord uitgevonden door de Telegraaf. Gefeliciteerd. Hele volksstammen van het plebs van de reaguurders van Geenstijl tot elitaire columnisten van de Volkskrant en van politici tot huisvrouwen houden zich hiermee bezig. Het is een vorm van postzegelverzamelen vermengd met het gezelschapsspel Ganzenborden. Aardig vermaak, als we maar niet denken dat het ook maar enig verband heeft met de realiteit van alledag.
Antropologen mogen de dingen graag wat complexer maken. Nodeloos complex volgens sommigen misschien, maar de ratio is erachter is simpel en helder: de sociale werkelijkheid is complex. Dat blijkt maar weer eens uit de discussies over de kerstboom op de Haagse Hogeschool en het verbieden van het dragen van een kruisje bij de Amsterdamse GVB.
A weekly round up of writings on the Internet, some relevant for my research, some political, some funny but all of them interesting (Dutch/English). (As usual to a large extent based upon suggestions from Dutch, other European, American and Middle Eastern readers. Thank you all.)
The Dutch higher vocational school ‘Haagse Hogeschool (HHS)’ has banned the christmas tree from its school because it is too christian and/or Dutch and does not signify an international image. This, as to be expected, caused controversy.
In several previous posts I have paid attention to the use of images of Muslim women in government ads. Such campaigns usually evoke some debate and yes we have a new one again.
“Salafism” and “jihadi-Salafism” have become significant doctrinal trends in contemporary Islamic thought, yet the West largely fails to offer a sophisticated and discerning definition of these movements. A new publication by Roel Meijer tries to fill the gaps.
A weekly round up of writings on the Internet, some relevant for my research, some political, some funny but all of them interesting (Dutch/English). (As usual to a large extent based upon suggestions from Dutch, other European, American and Middle Eastern readers. Thank you all.) This week featuring a ‘typical Dutch tradition’ Sinterklaas & Black Pete.
Professor Thijl Sunier delivered his inaugural lecture last Friday at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Sunier published a short piece in the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad in which he criticized the current state of research as being too much determined by the state’s and society’s agenda for example by focusing on radicalization at the expense of other developments among Muslims. Tillie, one of the radicalization researchers, has criticized Sunier’s allegation of a lack of independence and presenting his research by down playing others. What matters here I think, and Sunier points to that, is that scientific knowledge has a history and societal context and is embedded in and the product of power relations.
The Swiss minaret ban is not so extreme for Europe as one might think. It is part of a development wherein secularism and democracy have mixed with a combination of nationalism and islamophobia apparent in all of Europe. UPDATED: 1-12-2009
A weekly round up of writings on the Internet, some relevant for my research, some political, some funny but all of them interesting (Dutch/English). (As usual to a large extent based upon suggestions from Dutch, other European, American and Middle Eastern readers. Thank you all.)
