Representing Islam: Comparative Perspectives
University of Manchester – With the University of Surrey
5 & 6 September 2008
Representations of ‘Islam’ have a profound influence on political cultures and national identities, as well as on attitudes to immigration, security and multiculturalism. The complexity of the notion of ‘Islam’ and the heterogeneous responses that it elicits are such that there is no uniform approach to its representation and social construction. The conference addresses this complexity by treating the comparative dimension of recent representations of Islam, encompassing different nations, political institutions, media institutions, and cultures. The conference will be primarily concerned with the press, television, radio, film and the internet, but may include other channels of communication, such as translations, speeches or pamphlets, political discourse, and the visual arts.
