Islam Through Western Eyes

From the Crusades to the War on Terrorism

Nonfiction, History, Middle East, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, International, International Relations
Cover of the book Islam Through Western Eyes by Jonathan Lyons, Columbia University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jonathan Lyons ISBN: 9780231528146
Publisher: Columbia University Press Publication: January 17, 2012
Imprint: Columbia University Press Language: English
Author: Jonathan Lyons
ISBN: 9780231528146
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Publication: January 17, 2012
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Language: English

Despite the West's growing involvement in Muslim societies, conflicts, and cultures, its inability to understand or analyze the Islamic world threatens any prospect for East–West rapprochement. Impelled by one thousand years of anti-Muslim ideas and images, the West has failed to engage in any meaningful or productive way with the world of Islam. Formulated in the medieval halls of the Roman Curia and courts of the European Crusaders and perfected in the newsrooms of Fox News and CNN, this anti-Islamic discourse determines what can and cannot be said about Muslims and their religion, trapping the West in a dangerous, dead-end politics that it cannot afford.

In Islam Through Western Eyes, Jonathan Lyons unpacks Western habits of thinking and writing about Islam, conducting a careful analysis of the West's grand totalizing narrative across one thousand years of history. He observes the discourse's corrosive effects on the social sciences, including sociology, politics, philosophy, theology, international relations, security studies, and human rights scholarship. He follows its influence on research, speeches, political strategy, and government policy, preventing the West from responding effectively to its most significant twenty-first-century challenges: the rise of Islamic power, the emergence of religious violence, and the growing tension between established social values and multicultural rights among Muslim immigrant populations.

Through the intellectual "archaeology" of Michel Foucault, Lyons reveals the workings of this discourse and its underlying impact on our social, intellectual, and political lives. He then addresses issues of deep concern to Western readers—Islam and modernity, Islam and violence, and Islam and women—and proposes new ways of thinking about the Western relationship to the Islamic world.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Despite the West's growing involvement in Muslim societies, conflicts, and cultures, its inability to understand or analyze the Islamic world threatens any prospect for East–West rapprochement. Impelled by one thousand years of anti-Muslim ideas and images, the West has failed to engage in any meaningful or productive way with the world of Islam. Formulated in the medieval halls of the Roman Curia and courts of the European Crusaders and perfected in the newsrooms of Fox News and CNN, this anti-Islamic discourse determines what can and cannot be said about Muslims and their religion, trapping the West in a dangerous, dead-end politics that it cannot afford.

In Islam Through Western Eyes, Jonathan Lyons unpacks Western habits of thinking and writing about Islam, conducting a careful analysis of the West's grand totalizing narrative across one thousand years of history. He observes the discourse's corrosive effects on the social sciences, including sociology, politics, philosophy, theology, international relations, security studies, and human rights scholarship. He follows its influence on research, speeches, political strategy, and government policy, preventing the West from responding effectively to its most significant twenty-first-century challenges: the rise of Islamic power, the emergence of religious violence, and the growing tension between established social values and multicultural rights among Muslim immigrant populations.

Through the intellectual "archaeology" of Michel Foucault, Lyons reveals the workings of this discourse and its underlying impact on our social, intellectual, and political lives. He then addresses issues of deep concern to Western readers—Islam and modernity, Islam and violence, and Islam and women—and proposes new ways of thinking about the Western relationship to the Islamic world.

More books from Columbia University Press

Cover of the book Disaster and the Politics of Intervention by Jonathan Lyons
Cover of the book Tattooing the World by Jonathan Lyons
Cover of the book Cut-Pieces by Jonathan Lyons
Cover of the book Electric Santería by Jonathan Lyons
Cover of the book The Robin Hood Rules for Smart Giving by Jonathan Lyons
Cover of the book Writings from the Golden Age of Russian Poetry by Jonathan Lyons
Cover of the book A Farewell to Truth by Jonathan Lyons
Cover of the book What to Do When College Is Not the Best Time of Your Life by Jonathan Lyons
Cover of the book Nature's Pharmacopeia by Jonathan Lyons
Cover of the book Clash of Identities by Jonathan Lyons
Cover of the book Return of the Dragon by Jonathan Lyons
Cover of the book They Live by Jonathan Lyons
Cover of the book Muslim Identities by Jonathan Lyons
Cover of the book Transitional Subjects by Jonathan Lyons
Cover of the book Sport and the Spirit of Play in American Fiction by Jonathan Lyons
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy