The Bloomsbury Handbook of Muslims and Popular Culture - (Bloomsbury Handbooks) by Hussein Rashid & Kristian Petersen (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The Bloomsbury Handbook of Muslims and Popular Culture illustrates how Muslims participate in a broad spectrum of activities. Moving beyond a framework that emphasizes ritual, legal, historical, or theological issues, this book speaks to how Muslims live in the world, in relation to their religion and the realities of the world around them.

The international team of contributors provide in-depth analysis that chronicles Islamic cultural products in regional and transnational contexts, explores dominant and emerging theories about popularization, and offers provocations in the field of religion and popular culture. The handbook is structured in six parts: spaces; appetites; performances; readings; visions; and communities.

The book explores a variety of Muslim societies and communities within the last 100 years, ranging from the Islamic presence in Latin American architecture to Muslim Anglophone hip-hop, and Muslims in modern Indian theatre.

Review Quotes

"Delving into the vibrant realm of food, arts, games, music, comedy, film, television, graffiti, and more, this handbook unravels the rich tapestry of Muslim expressions through popular culture. The collection of essays challenges the idea of a monolithic Muslim tradition. Through its multidisciplinary approach, the book not only deepens our understanding of Muslim practices, but also pushes the boundaries of popular culture and religion. Accessible, engaging, and enlightening, this book offers invaluable insights into cultural production and consumption." --Nacim Pak-Shiraz, Director of Research, Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Edinburgh, UK

"This book has shifted the goals of cultural studies from their evolutionary statis to a revolutionary fervor in which popular culture is interrogated not only in diverse Muslim cultures, but also in many forms and meanings. It truly puts the studies of Muslim popular culture on a new terrain in its varied approaches. It is a welcome, and certainly fresh, addition to the field." --Abdalla Uba Adamu, Professor of Media and Cultural Communication, University Kano, Nigeria

About the Author

Hussein Rashid Hussein Rashid is Assistant Dean of Religion and Public Life at Harvard Divinity School, USA. He is co-editor of No Normal: Ms. Marvel's America (2020) and a section editor of Bloomsbury Religion in North America The Basics: Islam.

Kristian Petersen is Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies at Old Dominion University, USA. He is author of Interpreting Islam in China (2018) and is currently working on The Cinematic Lives of Muslims project.