Frank-Peter Hansen Book order

Racism has become difficult to name in Europe. Racial semantics are shifting, race is coded in multiple ways and the defense of naturalized privilege is today regularly argued so as to preempt accusations of racism. The possibility to address racism as a particular kind of power formation has become complicated. This volume examines how »race« relates to the operations of social power in particular contexts and what the critical purchase and effectiveness of analytical concepts of racism can be. It combines conceptual reflections with case studies exploring the diverse conjunctures of talking about racism in European countries today.

The book explores the complex relationship between Islam and France's secular framework, questioning whether Islam can adapt to the country's strict separation of public and private life. It delves into the broader implications of this debate, suggesting that the discourse surrounding Islam and Muslims is deeply intertwined with the principles of secularism, rather than solely stemming from ignorance or Islamophobia. Through this lens, the author examines the potential for coexistence and the challenges that arise in accommodating Muslim communities within a secular society.

Culture is a constant reference in debates surrounding Islam in Europe. Yet the notion of culture is commonly restricted to conceptual frames of multiculturalism where it relates to group identities, collective ways of life and recognition. This volume extends such analysis of culture by approaching it as semiotic practice which conjoins the making of subjects with the configuration of the social. Examining fields such as memory, literature, film, and Islamic art, the studies in this volume explore culture as another element in the assemblage of rationalities governing European Islam. From this perspective, the transformations of European identities can be understood as a matter of cultural practice and politics, which extend the analytical frames of political philosophy, historical legacies, normative orders and social dynamics.