Portland Public Library

Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiment, picturing the enemy, Peter Gottschalk, Wesleyan University ; Gabriel Greenberg, Congregation Beth Israel

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 243-266) and index

illustrations

index present

non fiction

Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiment

bibliography

1028582029

Peter Gottschalk, Wesleyan University ; Gabriel Greenberg, Congregation Beth Israel

picturing the enemy

In the minds of many Americans, Islam is synonymous with the Middle East, Muslim men with violence, and Muslim women with oppression. A clash of civilizations appears to be increasingly manifest and the war on terror seems a struggle against Islam. These are all symptoms of Islamophobia. Meanwhile, the current surge in nativist bias reveals the racism of anti-Muslim sentiment. This book explores these anxieties through political cartoons and film--media with immediate and important impact. After providing a background on Islamic traditions and their history with America, it graphically shows how political cartoons and films reveal Americans' casual demeaning and demonizing of Muslims and Islam--a phenomenon common among both liberals and conservatives. Islamophobia and Anti-Muslim Sentiment offers both fascinating insights into our culture's ways of "picturing the enemy" as Muslim, and ways of moving beyond antagonism

How cartoons work and why images matter -- Overview of western interactions with Muslims -- Symbols of Islam, symbols of difference -- Stereotyping Muslims and establishing the American norm -- Extreme Muslims and the American middle ground -- Moments: 1956-2006 -- Since 2006: the emotions of resurgent nativism and liberal empathy -- Moving images: the trope of "Islamic terrorism" -- Conclusion: common denominators versus essential difference