THE CHARLES STRONG LECTURE 2015 Two Disconnected Discourses of Disconnection: Anti-West and Anti-Islamic Discourses
Issue: Vol 29 No. 1 (2016)
Journal: Journal for the Academic Study of Religion
Subject Areas: Religious Studies Buddhist Studies Islamic Studies Biblical Studies
Abstract:
Narratives like paradigms offer explanations of some aspect of life which are largely self-contained, self-sustaining, self-validating and impervious to disconfirming evidence. Anti-Islam discourses in the West and Anti-Western discourses among Muslims are two such discourses. That such discourses can legitimate violence is clearly evident in the rhetoric, actions and rationales given for violence among such groups as the Islamic State, Boko Haram, The Lord’s Liberation Army, The Spanish Inquisition, and Anti-Islamic movements in Europe and other parts of the West. Narratives of difference, of negative disconnection from some ‘other’ exist for centuries with minor variation as there is no real contact between those maintaining them. Real encounters would lead to disconfirmation while violent acts by some members of the ‘other’ group are taken as proof that the stereotypes held about them are true. In each age it must be asked, ‘Who Benefits?’
Author: Gary Bouma
References :
Akbarzadeh, Shahram, Gary Bouma, and Rachel Woodlock
2008 Muslim Voices: Hopes and Aspirations of Muslim Australians. Centre for
Muslim Minorities and Islam Policy Studies, Monash University.
Armstrong, Karen
2014 Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence. Bodley Head,
London.
Bouma, Gary
2011a Being Faithful In Diversity: Religions and Social Policy in Multi-Faith
Societies. ATF.
2011b Islamophobia as a Constraint to World Peace: The Case of Australia’
Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations 22: 433-42. Doi:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09596410.2011.606189.
Bouma, Gary, and Anna Halafoff
2009 Multifaith Education and Social Inclusion in Australia. Journal of
Religious Education 57(3): 17-25.
Engebretson, Kath, Marian de Souza, Gloria Durka, and Liam Gearon (eds.)
2010 International Handbook of Inter-religious Education. Springer,
Dordrecht. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9260-2.
Fenn, Richard
2006 Dreams of Glory: The Sources of Apochalyptic Terror. Ashgate,
Aldershot.
Funk, Nathan, and Abdul Aziz Said
2004 Islam and the West: Narratives of Conflict and Conflict Transformation.
International Journal of Peace Studies 9(1): 9-28.
Halafoff, Anna
2011 Countering Islamophobia: Muslim Participation in Multifaith Networks.
Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations 22: 451-68. Doi:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09596410.2011.606191.
Hassan, Riaz
2015 Islamophobia, Social Distance and Fear of Terrorism in Australia: A
Preliminary Report. International Centre for Muslim and non-Muslim
Understanding, University of South Australia, Adelaide.
Huntington, Samuel
1996 The Clash of Civilizations and the Re-making of World Order. Simon &
Schuster, New York.
Jackson, Robert
2004 Rethinking Religious Education and Plurality: Issues in Diversity and
Pedagogy. London: Routledge Falmer. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/
9780203465165.
2014 Signposts: Policy and Practice for Teaching about Religions and Nonreligious
World Views in Intercultural Education. Brussels: Council of
Europe. Online: https://book.coe.int/eur/en/human-rights-educationintercultural-
education/6101-signposts-policy-and-practice-for-teachingabout-
religions-and-non-religious-world-views-in-interculturaleducation.
html (accessed March 15, 2016).
Kuhn, Thomas
1970 The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. University of Chicago Press,
Chicago, 2nd edn.
Lentini, Peter, Anna Halafoff and Ela Ogru
2011 With Guarded Optimism? Evidence from Focus Groups of ‘Mainstream’
Australians’ Perceptions of Muslims. Islam and Christian–Muslim
Relations 22: 409-32. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09596410.2011.
606188.
Lyons, Jonathan
2012 Islam through Western Eyes: From the Crusades to the War on
Terrorism. Columbia University Press, New York.
MEF (Media Education Foundation)
2005 Media Violence: Facts & Statistics. Online: http://www.jacksonkatz.
com/PDF/ChildrenMedia.pdf (accessed March 15, 2016).
Pratt, Doug, and Rachel Woodlock (eds.)
2016 Fear of Muslims: International Perspectives on Islamophobia. Springer,
Dordrecht. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29698-2.
Swidler, Ann
1986 Culture in Action: Symbols and Strategies. American Sociological
Review 51: 273-86. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2095521.
Tyerman, Christopher
2006 God’s War: A New History of the Crusades. Harvard University Press,
Boston.
UNESCO
2013 Intercultural Competences: Conceptual and Operational Framework.
Paris: UNESCO. Online: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/
002197/219768e.pdf (accessed March 8, 2016).
Whitford, Troy
2015 Reclaim Australia Re-energises Radical Nationalism. The Conversation.
Online: http://theconversation.com/reclaim-australia-re-energisesradical-
nationalism-45103 (accessed March 8, 2016).
Woodlock, Rachel
2011 Being an Aussie Mossie: Muslim and Australian Identity among
Australian-born Muslims’. Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations 22:
391-408.