Countering Islamophobia

Catalog description

Taught by GTU/CIS. In this course, students will be introduced to the study of Islamophobia, its history, the uses of the term, and the particular ways in which it manifests in different contexts in Europe and the United States. From the myth of a "clash of civilizations" between Islam and the West, to the focus on terrorism, Muslim women and veiling, we analyze, provincialize and decolonize the normative and "universal" Western epistemologies and frames through which Islam and Muslims are represented in history, academia, media, law, public policy and the arts. In addition to discussions on the "Enlightenment" and Western Christianity, liberalism, secularism, modernity, Orientalism, and Euro/US-centric knowledge/power production, we focus on the politics and economics of militarism and imperialism, the Islamophobia industry, Islamophilia, projects on "reforming" Islam and Muslims, the structural violence and rhetoric against immigrants and refugees including border walls and the Muslim ban, and the way Islam/Muslims are implicated in discussions on free speech in a post-truth era of alternative facts and the rise of white nationalism. Studying Islamophobia comparatively, we also focus on coalition building in order to counter the racism and fear that impacts institutions, governance, social relations and everyday life. Students will be introduced to various projects, programs and publications, including the Islamophobia Research and Documentation Project and the Islamophobia Studies Journal at the Center for Race and Gender at UC Berkeley. Students will also be required the annual conference on Islamophobia held in April at UC Berkeley. [Auditors with Faculty Permission]