Believing and Belonging

The Aesthetics of Media Representations of Islam and Muslims in Britain and Its Relationship to British Civil Religion

Bibliographic Data

ID20245337
AuthorsLaurens de Rooij (0000-0001-6421-5172, University of Cape Town, corresponding author)
Year2017
Volume10
Issue1-2
Pages172-217
Publication date2017-05-12
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Religion in Europe (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1874-8910 • E-ISSN: 1874-8929
PublisherWalter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1163/18748929-01002007
OpenAlexW2615077773
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited40

Increasingly, debates are dealing with the integration and the compatibility of Islam with British values and society. Media narratives are used to conceptualise Islam in Britain. The existing protocols of religion, media, and public space characterise that environment, as well as dictating the participation of members in that space. This paper discusses how media constructions of Islam are linked to civil religion. It does so by discussing: (1) how the media’s protocols of public discourse affect the framing of religious identities; (2) how the media defines the aesthetic parameters of religious expression; (3) how the conceptualisation(s) of civil religion are used to regulate Islam in Britain. This study utilises a qualitative content analysis of media frames. Findings suggest that the aesthetic elements (media representations of Islam and Muslims) regulate Islam and Muslims through the codes and conventions (civil religion) of British society

Art · Civil society · History of religions · Islam · Literature · Media studies · Narrative · Political science · Politics · Public space · Public sphere · Secularism · Social science · Sociology · Sociology of religion · Theology · Engineering · Gender Studies · History · Law · Media, Religion, Digital Communication · Migration, Refugees, and Integration · Philosophy · Religious studies · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence

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