Islamophobia and Racism in America

Abstract

This sociological study combines an overview of U.S. Islamophobia in recentdecades, an analysis of a potentially emergent “Middle Eastern American”identity, and a re-theorization of race that has implications for how effectivepolitical coalitions might be built to address various forms of discriminationfaced by American Muslims and other religio-ethnic groups originating fromthe Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. While looking back further,Love’s central focus is on “anti-Islamophobia advocacy at the national level,from the late 1970s through the early 2010s” (p. 30). Making good use of seventyinterviews conducted from 2005-15, this component represents the book’sgreatest original research contribution. Although provocative, Love’s argumentthat we should theorize Islamophobia as racism and politically organize accordinglyis potentially problematic ...