Designing the ‘anti-mosque’: identity, religion and affect in contemporary European mosque design

Abstract

Although there is by now a substantial body of ethnographic work on contemporary mosques in the West, none of this engages seriously with recently developed insights from material culture and material religion studies. Architectural critics and religious reformists criticise what they perceive as ‘nostalgic’ and ‘Oriental’ designs, whereas others interpret contemporary mosque design in terms of politics of space and religious identity politics. Taking a more holistic approach and based on ethnographic research on the designing process, this article argues that discussions about mosque design in Europe revolve around three major concerns: identity politics, religious tradition, and affect.