Islamophobia and Racism in America

Abstract

This sociological study combines an overview of U.S. Islamophobia in recent decades, an analysis of a potentially emergent “Middle Eastern American” identity, and a re-theorization of race that has implications for how effective political coalitions might be built to address various forms of discrimination faced by American Muslims and other religio-ethnic groups originating from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. While looking back further, Love’s central focus is on “anti-Islamophobia advocacy at the national level, from the late 1970s through the early 2010s” (p. 30). Making good use of seventy interviews conducted from 2005-15, this component represents the book’s greatest original research contribution. Although provocative, Love’s argument that we should theorize Islamophobia as racism and politically organize accordingly is potentially problematic ...