Salman Sayyid
Introductory remarks and moderation: Isolde Charim, philosopher and curator of the series
Respondent: Viola Raheb, theologian, researcher, University of Vienna
The fear and anxiety aroused by Islamism is not a myth, nor is it simply a consequence of terrorism or fundamentalism. Writing in 1997, before 9/11 and before the austerity that has bred a new generation of far right groups across Europe and the US, S. Sayyid warned of a spectre haunting Western civilization. This groundbreaking book, banned by the Malaysian government, is both an analysis of the conditions that have made ‘Islamic fundamentalism’ possible and a provocative account of the ways in which Muslim identities have come to play an increasingly political role throughout the world. This is a pioneering, provocative and intricately crafted study, which shows the challenge of Islamism is not only geopolitical or even cultural but also epistemological.
Salman Sayyid is Reader in Rhetoric, School of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Leeds, his research interests are threefold and focus on ethnicity and racism, the relationship between culture and politics and postcolonial political studies. Dr. Sayyid is author of numerous articles and books, his recent publications being Islamism as Philosophy: Decolonial Horizons (Bloomsbury Academic, 2015), Recalling the Caliphate (Hurst Publishers, 2015), Racism, Governance and Social Policy. Beyond Human Rights (Law, IG, Sian K., Sayyid S., Routledge, 2013), Thinking Through Islamophobia. Global Perspectives (Sayyid, S., Vakil A., Cinco Puntos Press, 2010), (2003) A Fundamental Fear: Eurocentrism and the Emergence of Islamism. (Zed Books Ltd., 2003)