RELN2307 Islam: Representing Islam and Orientalism

Flashcards covering the concepts of Orientalism, media representation of Islam, sociological essentialism (Weber), and case studies in modern television (Ramy).

Orientalism

A style of thought based on an ontological and epistemological distinction between ‘the Orient’ and (most of the time) ‘the Occident.’

Edward Said

Scholar who argued that Orientalism is a Western creation used to solidify Western identity and justify domination over Arab and Muslim lands.

Discourse (Foucault)

A structured system of meaning that shapes what we perceive, think, and do, representing a ‘way of seeing’ rather than an objective truth.

Ontological

Related to being or essential nature; in Orientalist critique, it refers to the assumption that the Orient is fundamentally and radically different from the West.

Epistemological

Relating to the study of knowledge; Orientalist epistemology posits that the East requires different study methods and criteria than the West.

Bernard Lewis

A critic of Said who dismissed ‘Orientalism’ as political polemic and personal abuse, asserting that Orientalists maintain intellectual precision and discipline.

The Roots of Muslim Rage

A 1990 article by Bernard Lewis describing Islamic fundamentalism as a form given to the formless resentment of Muslim masses toward Western devaluation of their values.

Samuel Huntington

Author of ‘Clash of Civilizations’ (1993) who theorized that future global conflicts would occur between nations and groups of different civilizations, primarily driven by religion.

Essentialism

The cognitive process of constructing a Self-Other polarity by over-simplifying the traits of another culture to delimit or ‘domesticate’ them.

Max Weber

Sociologist who argued in ‘The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism’ that Calvinist doctrines like predestination fueled the development of modern capitalism.

Calvinism

A form of Christian Protestantism that Weber credited with spurring capitalism through the religious rationalization of work and thrift.

Ramy Youssef

Egyptian American comedian and actor who won a 2020 Golden Globe for his lead role in the series ‘Ramy,’ which explores everyday Muslim life.

Allahu Akbar

An Arabic phrase meaning ‘God is great’ that Ramy Youssef sought to reclaim from its media association with terrorism during his Golden Globe speech.

Simplified Complex Representations

A strategy identified by Evelyn Alsultany where media producers signal character nuance while simultaneously reinscribing harmful stereotypes.

Saleable Diversity

A term by Kyle Conway describing media strategies that downplay cultural and religious differences to humanize characters for white, Judeo-Christian audiences.

Nikah Mut’ah

A form of temporary marriage contract in Islamic law mentioned in a pilot episode scene of the show ‘Ramy.’

Covering

A concept by Shabana Mir describing how members of marginalized minorities downplay their religious beliefs or identities to fit into majority culture.

Radicalisation

A policing framework and governmental strategy that Kundnani (2012) argues is a politically saturated term specifically directed against Muslims.

Talal Asad

Scholar who conceptualized Islam as a ‘discursive tradition’ that relates to its past and future to inform its present.

Clifford Geertz

A scholar criticized by Talal Asad for holding a reductive, static, and purely cultural view of Islam.

Shahab Ahmed

Scholar who viewed Islam as expansive and creative, accounting for historical variation and ‘messiness’ in Muslim practice.

Khutba

A two-part sermon delivered by an imam during the Friday prayer (Jummuah) to offer guidance on living as a Muslim.

Ummah

The concept of Muslims as a single collective or body, regardless of race, national identity, or social status.