Islamophobia Studies: Approaches.pdf

Farid Hafez's article, "Schools of Thought in Islamophobia Studies: Prejudice, Racism, and Decoloniality", explores the different theoretical approaches to understanding Islamophobia and anti-Muslim racism within academic literature. The article is a mapping of the field of Islamophobia studies, focusing on more theory-based works and institutions conducting research in this area.

Key points include:

- The concept of Islamophobia was first used in 1910 but gained wider recognition after the Runnymede Trust's definition in 1997.
- Since around 2005, a new field of "Islamophobia studies" has emerged, with numerous conferences, journals, and research projects dedicated to the topic.
- Despite the growth of this field, there is no consensus on the definition of Islamophobia or anti-Muslim racism. The article identifies three main "schools of thought" in Islamophobia studies:
1. Prejudice studies: Authors in this school stick closely to the Runnymede Trust's definition and focus on Islamophobia as a form of prejudice.
2. Critical race theory and postcolonial approaches: These authors often use the term "anti-Muslim racism" and draw on critical race theory and postcolonial perspectives to analyze Islamophobia.
3. Decoloniality: This approach explicitly uses a decolonial perspective to study Islamophobia.
- The article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the theoretical landscape in Islamophobia studies without presenting a new approach or evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of each school.