Leon Moosavi
Biographic Data
| ID | 111875 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Leon Moosavi |
| GIVEN NAMES | Leon |
| FAMILY NAME | Moosavi |
| SIGNATURE | MOOSAVI L |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Liverpool |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-1639-5049 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 19 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 181 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 19 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 7 |
The false promise of decolonial research
An introduction to decolonial research
Woked up the bum’ and other moral panics about academic decolonisation in the British news media
The intellectual biography of Syed Farid Alatas
Syed Farid Alatas is a Malaysian sociologist who has been highly influential in discussions about decolonising knowledge. He has also continued the legacy of his esteemed father, Syed Hussein Alatas, by furthering 'the School of Autonomous Knowledge' in the Malay Archipelago and beyond. This article presents a wide-ranging, comprehensive and rich dialogue between Farid and Leon Moosavi. In this conversation, pertinent questions are asked: How doe…
Turning the Decolonial Gaze towards Ourselves
This article provides a theoretical evaluation of the author's attempts at decolonising a sociology and social theory course in Singapore. It also introduces the notion of 'decolonial reflexivity' as a strategy for refining academic decolonisation. In doing so, this article seeks to overcome both the insufficient introspection about the potential for coloniality to reside within efforts at academic decolonisation, and the tendency to separate the…
A man of our time. A review of Syed Hussein Alatas’ Thomas Stamford Raffles
The myth of academic tolerance
This article focuses on the stigmatisation of East Asian students within Western universities. This is necessary because East Asian students are often overlooked in existing literature about racism in Western academia. It is argued that East Asian students may be generalised as undesirable students in ways that resonate with more broadly held prejudices about East Asian people. To illustrate this, academic publications about East Asian students a…
Do UK Universities Care about Hedgehogs More Than People of Colour
This article asks whether UK universities care about hedgehogs more than they care about people of colour. This absurd question is based on an analysis which shows that UK universities have had much greater engagement with the Hedgehog Friendly Campus initiative than the Race Equality Charter. A comparison with UK universities’ Athena Swan accreditation also highlights that UK universities appear to have taken much more action in tackling gender …
“Can East Asian Students Think?”
Amidst the increasing calls for the decolonisation of universities, this article interrogates the representation of East Asian students in Western academia. It is argued that East Asian students are often imagined in Orientalist ways, as can be evidenced by evaluating the depiction of East Asian students in academic publications. More specifically, it is suggested that common perceptions of East Asian students as lacking in critical thinking may …
The decolonial bandwagon and the dangers of intellectual decolonisation
In recent years, ‘intellectual decolonisation’ has become so popular in the Global North that we can now speak of there being a ‘decolonial bandwagon’. This article identifies some of the common limitations that can be found in this growing field of intellectual decolonisation. First and foremost, it is suggested that intellectual decolonisation in the Global North may be characterised by Northerncentrism due to the way in which decolonial schola…
A Friendly Critique of ‘Asian Criminology’ and ‘Southern Criminology’
Like all other social sciences, criminology is characterized by an ethnocentrism that often excludes non-Western scholarship. ‘Asian criminology’ and ‘Southern criminology’ are relatively new paradigms that seek to rectify this by problematizing criminological knowledge production and incorporating marginalized perspectives. Despite both projects sharing commonalities, they have not been comprehensively discussed alongside each another. This arti…
Decolonising Criminology
Like the rest of the social sciences, criminology is dominated by Western scholars, literature and perspectives. This Westerncentrism of criminology means that non-Western criminological scholarship has largely been marginalised or ignored. This article contributes toward the ongoing efforts to decolonise criminology by arguing that the Malaysian intellectual, Syed Hussein Alatas (1928–2007), is worthy of greater inclusion in criminological resea…
Muslims and Political Participation in Britain, written by Tim Peace
Xenophobia
Xenophobia is a tendency to distrust, dislike, or be frightened of people who are considered foreign, strange, or different. Etymologically the word stems from the ancient Greek xenos (stranger) and phobos (fear) and designates “an irrational fear of strangers.” However, this literal understanding is not always expedient because xenophobia could have a rational basis, fear may not always be involved, and the targets may have lived locally for a l…
Orientalism at home
In the decade following 9/11, numerous studies have confirmed that anti-Muslim prejudice, commonly referred to as Islamophobia, has become a prominent feature of many societies. As a result, Muslims have been demonised and subjected to discrimination in various ways. While the role of sensationalist media and Far Right groups in perpetuating Islamophobia has been widely commented on, not enough attention has been given to the role played by mains…
The Racialization of Muslim Converts in Britain and Their Experiences of Islamophobia
This article contributes towards understanding how Islamophobia manifests in the lives of Muslim converts in Britain. The significant relationship between Islamophobia and racialization is highlighted by arguing that before experiencing Islamophobia, 'white' converts to Islam are re-racialized as 'not-quite-white', or even 'non-white', because of a persistent conflation of Islam as a 'non-white' religion. The article also seeks to comprehend why …
White privilege in the lives of Muslim converts in Britain
This paper explores how the whiteness of converts to Islam affects their post-conversion experiences. It shows how white converts are privileged because their whiteness functions as a marker of dominance and respectability. In attempting to go beyond well-established observations about the existence of white privilege, the limits of white privilege are also considered. It is argued that upon converting to Islam, white converts' whiteness is jeopa…
Muslim Political Participation in Europe
British Muslim Converts Performing 'Authentic Muslimness'
This article seeks to demonstrate that conversion to Islam is not only of theological significance, but is a social process whereby those who convert to Islam are deeply troubled by the idea that other Muslims may not consider them as 'authentic Muslims'. While the hostility that Muslim converts can experience from non-Muslims after converting to Islam has frequently been noted, much less has been written about the challenges that stem from fello…
The Racialization of Muslim Converts in Britain and Their Experiences of Islamophobia
This article contributes towards understanding how Islamophobia manifests in the lives of Muslim converts in Britain. The significant relationship between Islamophobia and racialization is highlighted by arguing that before experiencing Islamophobia, 'white' converts to Islam are re-racialized as 'not-quite-white', or even 'non-white', because of a persistent conflation of Islam as a 'non-white' religion. The article also seeks to comprehend why …
The decolonial bandwagon and the dangers of intellectual decolonisation
In recent years, ‘intellectual decolonisation’ has become so popular in the Global North that we can now speak of there being a ‘decolonial bandwagon’. This article identifies some of the common limitations that can be found in this growing field of intellectual decolonisation. First and foremost, it is suggested that intellectual decolonisation in the Global North may be characterised by Northerncentrism due to the way in which decolonial schola…
White privilege in the lives of Muslim converts in Britain
This paper explores how the whiteness of converts to Islam affects their post-conversion experiences. It shows how white converts are privileged because their whiteness functions as a marker of dominance and respectability. In attempting to go beyond well-established observations about the existence of white privilege, the limits of white privilege are also considered. It is argued that upon converting to Islam, white converts' whiteness is jeopa…
Turning the Decolonial Gaze towards Ourselves
This article provides a theoretical evaluation of the author's attempts at decolonising a sociology and social theory course in Singapore. It also introduces the notion of 'decolonial reflexivity' as a strategy for refining academic decolonisation. In doing so, this article seeks to overcome both the insufficient introspection about the potential for coloniality to reside within efforts at academic decolonisation, and the tendency to separate the…
Orientalism at home
In the decade following 9/11, numerous studies have confirmed that anti-Muslim prejudice, commonly referred to as Islamophobia, has become a prominent feature of many societies. As a result, Muslims have been demonised and subjected to discrimination in various ways. While the role of sensationalist media and Far Right groups in perpetuating Islamophobia has been widely commented on, not enough attention has been given to the role played by mains…
Decolonising Criminology
Like the rest of the social sciences, criminology is dominated by Western scholars, literature and perspectives. This Westerncentrism of criminology means that non-Western criminological scholarship has largely been marginalised or ignored. This article contributes toward the ongoing efforts to decolonise criminology by arguing that the Malaysian intellectual, Syed Hussein Alatas (1928–2007), is worthy of greater inclusion in criminological resea…
A Friendly Critique of ‘Asian Criminology’ and ‘Southern Criminology’
Like all other social sciences, criminology is characterized by an ethnocentrism that often excludes non-Western scholarship. ‘Asian criminology’ and ‘Southern criminology’ are relatively new paradigms that seek to rectify this by problematizing criminological knowledge production and incorporating marginalized perspectives. Despite both projects sharing commonalities, they have not been comprehensively discussed alongside each another. This arti…
The myth of academic tolerance
This article focuses on the stigmatisation of East Asian students within Western universities. This is necessary because East Asian students are often overlooked in existing literature about racism in Western academia. It is argued that East Asian students may be generalised as undesirable students in ways that resonate with more broadly held prejudices about East Asian people. To illustrate this, academic publications about East Asian students a…
Woked up the bum’ and other moral panics about academic decolonisation in the British news media
The false promise of decolonial research
Do UK Universities Care about Hedgehogs More Than People of Colour
This article asks whether UK universities care about hedgehogs more than they care about people of colour. This absurd question is based on an analysis which shows that UK universities have had much greater engagement with the Hedgehog Friendly Campus initiative than the Race Equality Charter. A comparison with UK universities’ Athena Swan accreditation also highlights that UK universities appear to have taken much more action in tackling gender …
Muslim Political Participation in Europe
British Muslim Converts Performing 'Authentic Muslimness'
This article seeks to demonstrate that conversion to Islam is not only of theological significance, but is a social process whereby those who convert to Islam are deeply troubled by the idea that other Muslims may not consider them as 'authentic Muslims'. While the hostility that Muslim converts can experience from non-Muslims after converting to Islam has frequently been noted, much less has been written about the challenges that stem from fello…
Muslim Political Participation in Europe
Xenophobia
Xenophobia is a tendency to distrust, dislike, or be frightened of people who are considered foreign, strange, or different. Etymologically the word stems from the ancient Greek xenos (stranger) and phobos (fear) and designates “an irrational fear of strangers.” However, this literal understanding is not always expedient because xenophobia could have a rational basis, fear may not always be involved, and the targets may have lived locally for a l…
Orientalism at home
In the decade following 9/11, numerous studies have confirmed that anti-Muslim prejudice, commonly referred to as Islamophobia, has become a prominent feature of many societies. As a result, Muslims have been demonised and subjected to discrimination in various ways. While the role of sensationalist media and Far Right groups in perpetuating Islamophobia has been widely commented on, not enough attention has been given to the role played by mains…
The Racialization of Muslim Converts in Britain and Their Experiences of Islamophobia
This article contributes towards understanding how Islamophobia manifests in the lives of Muslim converts in Britain. The significant relationship between Islamophobia and racialization is highlighted by arguing that before experiencing Islamophobia, 'white' converts to Islam are re-racialized as 'not-quite-white', or even 'non-white', because of a persistent conflation of Islam as a 'non-white' religion. The article also seeks to comprehend why …
White privilege in the lives of Muslim converts in Britain
This paper explores how the whiteness of converts to Islam affects their post-conversion experiences. It shows how white converts are privileged because their whiteness functions as a marker of dominance and respectability. In attempting to go beyond well-established observations about the existence of white privilege, the limits of white privilege are also considered. It is argued that upon converting to Islam, white converts' whiteness is jeopa…
Muslims and Political Participation in Britain, written by Tim Peace
A Friendly Critique of ‘Asian Criminology’ and ‘Southern Criminology’
Like all other social sciences, criminology is characterized by an ethnocentrism that often excludes non-Western scholarship. ‘Asian criminology’ and ‘Southern criminology’ are relatively new paradigms that seek to rectify this by problematizing criminological knowledge production and incorporating marginalized perspectives. Despite both projects sharing commonalities, they have not been comprehensively discussed alongside each another. This arti…
Decolonising Criminology
Like the rest of the social sciences, criminology is dominated by Western scholars, literature and perspectives. This Westerncentrism of criminology means that non-Western criminological scholarship has largely been marginalised or ignored. This article contributes toward the ongoing efforts to decolonise criminology by arguing that the Malaysian intellectual, Syed Hussein Alatas (1928–2007), is worthy of greater inclusion in criminological resea…
“Can East Asian Students Think?”
Amidst the increasing calls for the decolonisation of universities, this article interrogates the representation of East Asian students in Western academia. It is argued that East Asian students are often imagined in Orientalist ways, as can be evidenced by evaluating the depiction of East Asian students in academic publications. More specifically, it is suggested that common perceptions of East Asian students as lacking in critical thinking may …
The decolonial bandwagon and the dangers of intellectual decolonisation
In recent years, ‘intellectual decolonisation’ has become so popular in the Global North that we can now speak of there being a ‘decolonial bandwagon’. This article identifies some of the common limitations that can be found in this growing field of intellectual decolonisation. First and foremost, it is suggested that intellectual decolonisation in the Global North may be characterised by Northerncentrism due to the way in which decolonial schola…
Do UK Universities Care about Hedgehogs More Than People of Colour
This article asks whether UK universities care about hedgehogs more than they care about people of colour. This absurd question is based on an analysis which shows that UK universities have had much greater engagement with the Hedgehog Friendly Campus initiative than the Race Equality Charter. A comparison with UK universities’ Athena Swan accreditation also highlights that UK universities appear to have taken much more action in tackling gender …
A man of our time. A review of Syed Hussein Alatas’ Thomas Stamford Raffles
The myth of academic tolerance
This article focuses on the stigmatisation of East Asian students within Western universities. This is necessary because East Asian students are often overlooked in existing literature about racism in Western academia. It is argued that East Asian students may be generalised as undesirable students in ways that resonate with more broadly held prejudices about East Asian people. To illustrate this, academic publications about East Asian students a…
Turning the Decolonial Gaze towards Ourselves
This article provides a theoretical evaluation of the author's attempts at decolonising a sociology and social theory course in Singapore. It also introduces the notion of 'decolonial reflexivity' as a strategy for refining academic decolonisation. In doing so, this article seeks to overcome both the insufficient introspection about the potential for coloniality to reside within efforts at academic decolonisation, and the tendency to separate the…
The intellectual biography of Syed Farid Alatas
Syed Farid Alatas is a Malaysian sociologist who has been highly influential in discussions about decolonising knowledge. He has also continued the legacy of his esteemed father, Syed Hussein Alatas, by furthering 'the School of Autonomous Knowledge' in the Malay Archipelago and beyond. This article presents a wide-ranging, comprehensive and rich dialogue between Farid and Leon Moosavi. In this conversation, pertinent questions are asked: How doe…
The false promise of decolonial research
An introduction to decolonial research
Woked up the bum’ and other moral panics about academic decolonisation in the British news media
Sociology (15 works) · Political science (14 works) · Law (13 works) · Gender Studies (9 works) · Politics (7 works) · Philosophy (6 works) · African cultural and philosophical studies (5 works) · Critical Race Theory in Education (5 works) · Law (5 works) · Migration, Refugees, and Integration (5 works)