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Canadian Political Science Association2025 Annual Conference Programme
The Politics of Belonging: Conflict,
Community, Curriculum
Hosted at George Brown College, Toronto, CANADA
June 3 to June 5, 20252025 Annual Conference Programme
The Politics of Belonging: Conflict,
Community, Curriculum
Hosted at George Brown College
June 3 to June 5, 2025
Race, Ethnicity, Indigenous Peoples and Politics
L17 - Author Meets Critic Session: Secularism, Race, and The Politics of Islamophobia in Canada and Beyond
Date: Jun 5 | Time: 10:15am to 11:45am | Location:
Chair/Président/Présidente : Nadia Z. Hasan (York University)
Discussant/Commentateur/Commentatrice : Nadia Z. Hasan (York University)
Discussant/Commentateur/Commentatrice : Leila Benhadjoudja (University of Ottawa)
Abstract: Book Title: Secularism, Race, and the Politics of Islamophobia (Published by University of Alberta Press, May 2025) Abstract: Dominant scholarship identifies Islamophobia as a form of racism where race and religion have become conflated in social structures. These important analyses form a complex ideological, social, political, and historical construction. However, the authors in this volume argue that current scholarship does not account for the relationship between secularism and race in social structures in theorizing Islamophobia. Advocating for a decolonial approach to better theorize the phenomenon, Secularism, Race, and the Politics of Islamophobia intervenes in this area of scholarship to call attention to the ways secularism is embedded in and drives the disciplinary institutions of the State—such as law, political groups, government entities, and bureaucracies—to authorize racism and the racialization of Muslims and Islam. Highlighting the extent and nature of contemporary scholarly debates as well as public efforts to counter Islamophobia, the contributors to this collection address and deepen awareness of its present-day formations in secular neoliberal societies. Scholars and students from anthropology, sociology, law, political science, and beyond will benefit from this interdisciplinary study.
Participants: Sharmin Sadequee (Agnes Scott College)Jinan Bastaki (NYU Abu Dhabi)Dustin J. Byrd (University of Olivet)Roshan A. Jahangeer (York University)Nakita Valerio (University of Alberta)