Citizenship, Identity and the Politics of Multiculturalism

The emergence of public Muslim identities is widely considered to be one of the most interesting and pressing sociological and political concerns of the day. With cases of Muslim identity claims-making in European nation-states, and a global geo-political context that is marked by issues of international terrorism and Muslim radicalism, the interest in Muslim identities, and their interaction with nation-state governance, has assumed a profound significance in research and policy agendas across European politics and society. In order to understand current trends in the adoption and espousal of Muslim identities in Britain, not only is it necessary to obtain a historical understanding of their development through British approaches to minority integration. It is also necessary to look at forms of 'consciousness' that are informing and shaping the assertion of Muslim identities in Britain, and what this can tell us about their future orientation. This book develops a novel sociological and political understanding of Muslim identities in Britain, which is elaborated through case studies of Muslim mobilizations over issues of education, discrimination legislation, media representation, as well as a consideration of the local impact of global concerns surrounding issues of terrorism and Muslim radicalism.